Notre Dame Football: Will top 2018 recruits make big splashes?

1. Phil Jurkovec

Who doesn’t love them a star quarterback?

And the intrigue around Jurkovec, in particular, may reach a fever pitch come summer time given the current state of the quarterback room.

Brandon Wimbush, despite making enough plays to keep Notre Dame in contention for a playoff bid until a disastrous performance against Miami, just didn’t throw the ball well at all last season.

And though he can certainly improve on his first year as the Irish starting quarterback, he can’t afford to play like that again.

If he doesn’t show improvement as a passer, Ian Book showed that he could be serviceable—he was really good in the Citrus Bowl, throwing for 164 yards and two touchdowns—in relief. But is Book a program-elevating talent at quarterback? Not sure about that.

Jurkovec could be, though.

And Kelly fully expects the four-star All-American and No. 83-ranked recruit in the country last year to push Wimbush for the starting job. And there’s truthfully no ironclad reason that he can’t win the starting quarterback job. The guys in front of him aren’t spectacular.

The circus surrounding summer practices will certainly keep us all entertained.