One of the ripple effects of Malik Zaire’s season-ending fractured ankle is Notre Dame freshman quarterback Brandon Wimbush will have to be ready to enter a game if anything happens to newly-minted starter DeShone Kizer.
Wimbush, a four-star member of Notre Dame’s 2015 recruiting class, would’ve ideally stayed on the sidelines this fall to preserve a year of eligibility. But he’ll be Notre Dame’s backup quarterback this fall, with walk-on Montgomery VanGorder the team’s third-stringer.
“Brandon is next in line,” Kelly said. “His package would be a little more limited but he’s got some real high end skills. He’s got an incredibly strong arm, very athletic. We think there are some things that he can do to help us. We’ll play him if we need to.”
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Wimbush worked with Notre Dame’s third team offense during preseason camp and showed plenty of potential but, like most freshman quarterbacks, was rough around the edges.
“The thing we’re working on with him is playing with more tempo, playing with a little more urgency with his feet,” offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Sanford said last month. “He’s one of those guys, once we continue to develop his feet and his footwork as it pertains to the timing of the route concepts, he’s going to be special. Even when he got outside the pocket and pulled some balls down in the scrimmage situations, he’s a different athlete out there on the perimeter, let alone the fact he can make all the throws in the offense.
“He’s got a very, very wide-ranging skillset and for him it’s just reps, it’s just timing, it’s just confidence. And that’s our job as coaches to get that out of him.”