Gunner Kiel commits to Indiana

Submitted by Dreisbach1817 on

Possibly the biggest football recruiting commitment in Indiana history.  Will make the "Leaders" division very interesting in the next 4 years.

JC Shurburtt- Nation's top quarterback Gunner Kiel commits to #Indiana per @SWiltfong247

This reminds me of when Tim Couch commited to Kentucky.  Can anyone think of a top 1 or 2 national QB going to a similar program?

skunk bear

July 27th, 2011 at 4:25 PM ^

Hopefully, we'll be good enough to beat Indiana even with two Kiels. Having said that, better IU than OU or that awful place with elephants, crimson and ex-MSU coaches.

MGoShoe

July 27th, 2011 at 4:26 PM ^

...for this commitment. When my parents lived in Columbus, IN in the late '80s/early '90s, my mom's best friend was Gunner Kiel's grandmother. I imagine she's extremely proud of him right now.

gajensen

July 27th, 2011 at 4:44 PM ^

IU is the best place for Kiel to commit to (besides us) as far as Michigan is concerned.

Increasing the national profile of a historical bottom-feeder is good for the B1G.  The perceived strength of the conference can only help us in the polls.
If IU becomes competitive, there is one more obstacle for those in the Leaders Division, who we will hopefully face off with for B1G championships with great frequency.
Each player that makes it into the NFL from the conference makes it easier to recruit highly coveted players.
If he becomes a star, many of us will be able to say we've seen him play in person!

I love it.

fatbastard

July 27th, 2011 at 9:56 PM ^

Yeah, maybe, but likelihood is it forecloses any opportunity for his brother to play.  So, in that respect, I hope that the fam is all good with that.  I really believed it would be Michigan or ND for that very reason (and distance from home).  At least the younger bro doesn't think he's good enough to want to transfer to another major conference school to play.  If that's true, then it should be a good situation for them.

lhglrkwg

July 27th, 2011 at 5:10 PM ^

i forsee him struggling at IU at first, probably being alright and showing flashes of greatness in between getting run down by defensive ends. I bet he leads IU to a 8-4/9-3 season his last year at IU

MilkSteak

July 27th, 2011 at 5:17 PM ^

I really thought he was playing a cruel joke by having Indiana make his final 3. Wish him the best of luck though, and I hope to see him continue the semi-long line of Indiana quarterbacks throwing for ridiculous numbers of yards especially against MSU. Indiana's going to be an interesting team for the next four years at least. 

Lambeau Schembechler

July 27th, 2011 at 5:22 PM ^

I have no problem with IU and have a lot of friends who went to school there, so I'm happy for them.  I'd like to see them get to Northwestern-level respectability, and he might help them get some more talent and turn the corner.

Either way, this young man is going to pull some seriously hot tail in Bloomington.

Tater

July 27th, 2011 at 6:56 PM ^

Between Denard, Devin, and then Shane Morris coming in, Michigan should be set at QB for the next six years.  It's nice to have depth in case of injuries, but Michigan doesn't really need to sign a high-profile QB this year.  They would probably be better off getting a guy who would be a good backup and not make waves sitting behind any of the aforementioned three.  

I'm all for getting an "athlete" who can learn QB but switch positions his last couple of years.  This could be a slash-type athlete or a guy who can become a TE or H-back.  In the old days, with no cable TV and 115 schollies, teams like Michigan could sign multiple QB's and "bury them" in the depth chart to keep them away from the Purdues and Indianas of the world.  

Nowadays, with everyone being on TV and athletes in constant contact with each other through social media, if you have too many "alpha" QB's, it just creates transfers and dissension.  I think this class is shaping up just fine, and that many fans would be better served to keep an even "Kiel."

maizenbluedevil

July 27th, 2011 at 7:39 PM ^

Don't count your chickens before they hatch.  

- How do we know Denard will still be as much of an impact player under the new offense as he did under the old?

- Do we really know Devin Gardner is going to meet expectations?  We've seen him take what, 2 or 3 snaps in an actual game?

- Morris will not even set foot on campus for another 2 years.  So much could happen during that time.

I'm not really upset about losing Kiel, but, you can't deny it would've been better to get him than not get him.

Wolverine Devotee

July 27th, 2011 at 7:48 PM ^

Unbelievable. indiana has only beaten Michigan once in 40 years so this suddenly makes that game in 2013 interesting.

vegasjeff

July 27th, 2011 at 8:05 PM ^

Don't like 'em in hoops but don't really care about Indiana in football, at least not yet. They gave Michigan very tough games the past two years and if their new coach from OU can keep recruiting maybe he can fill in some good players around Gunner.

It's good for the Big Ten to have no guaranteed patsies, just like Kentucky's improvement was good for the SEC.

Wolverman

July 28th, 2011 at 12:20 AM ^

 I don't remember when Antwaan Randle El was being recruited by Indiana , but i'm sure of 2 things. 1 he was highly recruited and 2 Kiel won't have as big of an impact on Indiana football and Randle el did

IncrediblySTIFF

July 28th, 2011 at 2:32 AM ^

Randle el didn't make that team.  IU had a defense.  The first (and last) good defense they ever had.  That year was a cummilation of randle el running circles around the majority of the opposing team and NINE four year starters on the other side of the ball for IU.  That's how you get a good team at IU...you start guys as true freshman by the time they are seniors and have 30 some D-1 games under their belt, their bound to break .500

Wolverman

July 28th, 2011 at 3:59 AM ^

 And what year are we talking about exactly, 1998 when they finished 4-7 or 1999 when they finished  4-7 or 2000 when they finished 3-8? I'm just wondering which of those years did Indiana field this stellar defense (or break .500 for that matter).

  

[email protected]

July 28th, 2011 at 2:11 AM ^

Hoosiers can be quite loyal to Indiana, and it does not suprise me that Gunnar Kiel stays withing state.  If he does well there, he might end up at the Indianapolis Colts for the NFL.  

Remember Bob Griese many years ago went to Purdue and helped lead them to the Rose Bowl and Big 10 Championships.  I don't remember anytime recently when IU has been a factor for the Big 10 championship in football.  

No doubt recently IU has been a lower tier team for football, but perhaps Kiel's early commitment to IU will attract other good talent there.  

Recently, the lower tier of the Big 10 has included IU, Purdue, and Minnesota, and perhaps Illinois. It would be nice for the Big 10, if everyone could raise their quality of game, and perhaps change the current pecking order.  Maybe OSU will be more humble, if they have poor recruiting season the next couple years, and thus lose some of their smugness.

Also I would love to see Indiana beat Notre Dame!

74polSKA

July 28th, 2011 at 10:01 AM ^

ESPN's main NCAA Football page has the headline "Top 20 quarterback prospect Keil commits to IU".  The article then tells you he's #20 in their ESPN 150 and the #2 quarterback overall.  IU can't even get any cred for their biggest recruiting coup ever.  Every day I lose a little more respect for ESPN's "unbiased" sports coverage.