Finally, five-star prep QB Gunner Kiel enrolls at Notre Dame

Five-star prep QB Gunner Kiel finally decides to play for Notre Dame.

John Albright /Icon SMI

Just after noon on Tuesday a black SUV sporting a No. 11 Columbus East football decal pulled up to the north visitors gate on Notre Dame's campus. A Irish football staffer hopped out to explain to the guard why the vehicle needed to pull through onto Holy Cross Drive.

Seconds later, the gate went up. Welcome to Notre Dame, Gunner Kiel.

Soon after Kiel's arrival, Notre Dame made official what had been reported as nearly inevitable for the past day, that the five-star quarterback from Columbus, Ind., would follow in his uncle's footsteps in South Bend. Kiel has enrolled at Notre Dame alongside cornerback Tee Shepard, defensive lineman Sheldon Day and USC transfer Amir Carlisle.

"This recruitment process was a roller-coaster ride at times, but I know I have made the right decision for my family and me," Kiel said in a statement. "There were three critical elements I was looking for in my future school: the quality of education I would receive, the distance from home and the comfort level I would have with the players and coaches in the football program. Notre Dame was the perfect fit for me because it hit all three areas."

Gunner Kiel enrolled at Notre Dame on Tuesday.

It just took Kiel his full recruiting process and two de-commitments to figure that out. Kiel originally committed to Indiana during the summer, dropped the Hoosiers in October committed to LSU in December. Exactly three weeks later he enrolled at Notre Dame. Kiel will compete with Tommy Rees, Andrew Hendrix and Everett Golson during spring practice for the starting job.

Rivals.com ranked Kiel as the nation's No. 1 pro-style quarterback and the position's first five-star prospect since USC's Matt Barkley three years ago. Kiel won Indiana's Mr. Football Award and was a U.S. Army All-American. He passed for 2,517 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior and rushed for 482 yards and 11 scores.

While Kiel is the highest-rated of Notre Dame's early enrollees, Shepard is the program's most vital. The four-star prospect was the first Irish commitment in this class and flirted with a flip to USC late in the process.

Shepard will compete for a starting corner job this spring after Notre Dame's depth chart was gutted by graduation. Shepard took official visits to Arizona State and USC late last year along with his cousin Deontay Greenberry, also an Irish commitment.

"I'm really happy to part of the Notre Dame football family," Shepard said. "This is a special place and I'm excited to finally be here. Getting a jump start on my training and in my classes can only help me for the future."

Day, who was runner-up to Kiel in Mr. Football voting, had been solid in his Notre Dame commitment since making it over the summer. The Warren Central graduate teamed with Shepard in the Semper Fi Bowl this off-season. Notre Dame's depth along the defensive line may make his freshman season one spent with the reserves, but the four-star prospect will bring versatility to the line.

"I'm excited to get here and get started on my classwork and to start the conditioning program with Coach (Paul) Longo," Day said. "I really liked meeting the guys during my recruiting process and I'm excited to start workouts with them this winter."

Carlisle rounds out Notre Dame's mid-semester enrollees as a transfer from USC, meaning he'll be forced to sit out the season to meet NCAA requirements. Carlisle chose USC over Notre Dame and Stanford a year ago, then played in eight games for the Trojans last season.

Carlisle finished the season with 19 rushes for 118 yards and seven receptions for 41 yards with one touchdown. While Carlisle brings versatility to double as a slot receiver, Notre Dame lists him as a running back.

The transfer became attractive to Carlisle after his father, Duane Carlisle, was let go by the San Francisco 49ers and took a position at Purdue. Carlisle is from Sunnyvale, Calif.

"I'm really excited to be here at Notre Dame. I had great respect for the school and football program when I went through the recruiting process a year ago and I'm proud to be enrolled here. I know this will be a great fit for me and I can't wait to get started."

Pete Sampson is an editor for IrishIllustrated.com. For additional recruiting coverage in advance of National Signing Day, visit the Rivals.com football recruiting hub.