Posted by Tom Fornelli

Notre Dame made a few coaching announcements on Friday, including the announcement that former safeties coach Chuck Martin would be taking over as the team's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

“I’m excited about that move,” said head coach Brian Kelly. “Chuck and I have a shared vision as it relates to our offense. He is experienced and knows what I’m looking for.” 

What Notre Dame is looking for is a consistency on offense, and in order to find that, the Irish will need a quarterback to emerge. Which is something Martin talked about on Friday as well.

"You'd love to have one," said Martin. "Is it realistic? I don't know. It's going to play out in the spring. Maybe somebody takes it and runs with it and comes into their own and they've played themself ahead of the other group.

"If it's not that…then you still got a long evaluation period in the fall. For me, it would be awesome if we did have a clear-cut starter, but it won't be a big deal to me and it won't be a big deal to coach Kelly. You can name your starter the day before the first game and it can be fine, he can go and win the Heisman Trophy. There's no magical answer." 

Notre Dame went into the 2011 season much the same way, with Dayne Crist and Tommy Rees battling for the job during the spring and fall before Crist won the competition. Then one bad half from Crist in the season opener against South Florida led to Rees taking the job and Crist eventually heading to Kansas.

The difference this spring is the competition is now between four quarterbacks, not just the two. Rees will be competing with Andrew Hendrix, Everett Golson, and the prize of Notre Dame's latest recruiting class, Gunner Kiel.

So while Chuck Martin may not know who his quarterback is yet, he does have options.

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Posted by Chip Patterson

Former Kansas quarterback Brock Berglund has faced a long legal journey to get back on the playing field, and now is one step closer to that goal after receiving an official release from his scholarship agreement with Kansas.

Berglund was one six Jayhawks dismissed on Dec. 16, reportedly for missing a mandatory team meeting. The sophomore quarterback spent most of the 2011 season dealing with assault charges, which were recently dropped, in his home state of Colorado. Berglund told local media he had hoped to re-join the Jayhawks, but the actions and attitude of Charlie Weis and the staff - Berglund said he found out about his dismissal on Twitter - have led him to seek other opportunities.

On Friday, Kansas issued an official release regarding Berglund's status with the school.

“Today, Brock Berglund is released from his scholarship at KU to pursue other opportunities," head coach Charlie Weis said in a prepared statement. "Brock and his representatives have publicly stated their case without any public response from me to this point. Brock spent the majority of the past calendar year in Colorado taking online courses at KU’s expense, which was nearly $40,000. At no time was Brock an active participant of the football team. Once competition was recruited at the quarterback position, Brock decided he no longer wanted to be a part of the team. He was expected to show up for a mandatory team meeting on Sunday, Jan. 15, but he sent an email less than two hours before the meeting to inform us that he had decided to transfer and would not be attending the meeting. He was dismissed after following through on that promise."

Weis' defense of his actions continues:

"Although Brock has been granted his release, I only wish that he had showed the same courtesy that other players showed and came to talk to me. He decided that he did not have to follow the same protocol as the other departing members of the football team. I believe no individual should be more important than the team. Brock did not see it that way.”

It is time that both sides wash their hands and move on, but Weis did make sure he got in the last word. That "recruited competition" Weis mentions in the statement refers to former Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist and former BYU quarterback Jake Heaps, both enrolled this semester at Kansas.

Berglund, a nationally ranked dual-threat quarterback in the 2011 class, flipped his commitment from Colorado to Kansas after Dan Hawkins' dismissal. This is not a huge blow to the Jayhawks' depth at the position, and his relationship with the new staff obviously did not get off to a great start.

CBSSports.com's Dennis Dodd writes that Charlie Weis has people mentioning Kansas football. For better or worse, at least they are talking. Column

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Posted by Tom Fornelli

On Monday Kansas announced that it had dismissed 6 players from the team, including backup quarterback Brock Berglund. On Tuesday Berglund told the Lawrence Journal-World that he found out about his dismissal on Twitter, along with the rest of the world.

Now we find out that while Berglund has been dismissed from the team by Charlie Weis, the new head coach in Lawrence isn't making things easy for Berglund, as he is yet to release him from his scholarship.

This is an excerpt from the release written up by Berglund's attorney and sent to members of the media on Thursday.

Colorado Springs, CO. January 19, 2012 — The University of Kansas (KU) football program has a new coach, Charlie Weis, and several high-profile transfers from other programs. Fortunately for KU, schools such as Notre Dame, BYU and Oklahoma have released incoming KU transfers, quarterback Dayne Crist, quarterback Jake Heaps and receiver Justin McCay, from their respective commitments to those programs.

Unfortunately for Brock Berglund, KU, however, has refused to extend the same courtesy.

Berglund, a freshman, was heavily recruited out of high school, and accepted a scholarship to KU in 2010, primarily because of the bond formed between him and then-coach Turner Gill during the recruiting process. Gill assured Berglund that his quarterbacking skill set was a perfect fit for the KU offense, and that he expected Berglund to compete for the starter's role right away. However, KU terminated Gill and his staff at the end of the season, and hired Charlie Weis as its head coach.

Shortly thereafter, Weis successfully landed his high-profile transfers -- all of whom he had previously recruited out of high school when he was head coach at Notre Dame. In December, 2011, Berglund was informed during a short conversation with new quarterbacks coach Ron Powlus that Crist, the Irish's former starting quarterback, would start for the KU football team in 2012, and that Berglund was only competing for the backup quarterback position. Given the change in coaching staffs and offensive philosophies, and the abrupt demotion, in December 2011, Berglund requested permission from KU to enable him to speak with other Division I-A football programs about a possible transfer.

Until Berglund is released from his scholarship he cannot speak to other Division 1-A schools about a transfer without Kansas permission. This despite the fact that Kansas and Weis have already dismissed him from the team.

So, to recap, Charlie Weis came to Kansas and brought his own quarterbacks with him. Then, after dismissing Berglund from the team -- a decision in itself that I have no problem with -- he refuses to release him from his scholarship.

So Berglund can't play for Weis or anybody else. Such a nice guy, that Charlie Weis.

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Posted by Tom Fornelli

On the day that Charlie Weis introduced his three new transfers to the Kansas football team, the Jayhawks also bid farewell to ten others.

The school announced on Monday that six players had been dismissed from the program, including quarterback Brock Berglund, running back Damian Miller, wide receiver Keeston Terry and defensive end Tyrone Sellers. The players were all dismissed for academic or behavioral issues.

"You can't make decisions on how good they are. You have to make decisions on doing the right thing," said Weis.

There were also three players who are no longer a part of the Kansas football team, but remain enrolled in school. The list includes starting quarterback Jordan Webb. Webb started all 12 games for the Jayhawks this season, throwing for 1,884 yards and 13 touchdowns. His decision to leave the football team likely had a lot to do with the fact that two of the three transfers being introduced on Monday were quarterbacks Dayne Crist and Jake Heaps.

While Heaps has to sit out the 2012 season due to his transfer, as a graduate student, Dayne Crist will be eligible to play right away for the Jayhawks next season. Which relegates Webb to the role of backup.

It's possible that Webb could plan on finishing up his degree at Kansas this spring and then transfer to another school to play next fall just like Crist.

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Posted by Tom Fornelli

Notre Dame announced on Tuesday that it had exercised the option on Brian Kelly's contract that extended his deal through the 2016 season.

"While Coach Kelly and I are focused on the additional work that must be done to reach our goals, I am very pleased with the progress we have made during the past twoyears.” said athletic director Jack Swarbrick in a statement.

"Our football team’s performance on the field, in the classroom, and in the community reflect Coach Kelly’s commitment to building a program that will be able to sustain success in the long run, and to doing so in a manner consistent with Notre Dame’s values and tradition." 

Kelly's first two seasons in South Bend haven't brought the return to national prominence that the school and fans had been hoping for, as the Irish have gone 16-10. Along with consecutive 8-5 seasons, the Irish also find themselves in the same boat as they did last offseason, getting ready to head into spring practice without a starter at quarterback as Tommy Rees is expected to compete with Andrew Hendrix and Everett Golson in the offseason following the transfer of Dayne Crist to Kansas.

Kelly has also seen three of his assistants leave to take jobs elsewhere, though the school also announced two-year deals for all the assistants that remain on his staff.

On the positive side of things, Notre Dame has seen a lot of improvement on the defensive side of ball thanks to the recruits that Kelly and his staff have brought in. The real question, however, is if Kelly will be around through the end of his contract and if Notre Dame will finally start living up to the lofty expectations routinely placed on the team.

Eight-win seasons will only keep the peace for so long. 

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Posted by Tom Fornelli

It seems that Charlie Weis is looking for his own quarterback as he takes over the Kansas program. He's already had a visit from former Notre Dame quarterback and Weis recruit Dayne Crist, and now according to JayhawkSlant.com (subscription required), former BYU quarterback Jake Heaps will be making a visit to Lawrence as well.

Heaps announced that he was leaving BYU in early December. He came into the 2011 season as the team's starting quarterback but lost the job to Riley Nelson. Heaps threw for 3,768 yards and 24 touchdowns while at BYU, but it was the 17 interceptions he also threw that helped him find his way to the bench.

Now, just because Crist is considering transferring to Kansas next season, that doesn't mean the school can't bring in both Crist and Heaps if both players want to become Jayhawks. Since Crist has already graduated from Notre Dame, much like Russell Wilson did with Wisconsin this season, he could transfer to Kansas and play right away in 2012. Heaps will have to sit out the 2012 season, so it's not as if he'd lose playing time in Lawrence if Crist transferred as well.

Crist is expected to choose between Wisconsin and Kansas in the next week. As for Heaps, there's no timetable on his decision. 

Posted by Jerry Hinnen

The Charlie Weis hire could pay immediate dividends in the transfer market for the Kansas Jayhawks.

According to reports from both the New York Times' Pete Thamel and the Chicago Tribune, former Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist will visit Kansas over the weekend to meet with Weis and discuss a possible transfer to join the Jayhawks. Weis originially recruited the former five-star prospect to South Bend and was Crist's coach for the first two years of his career.

Because Crist is set to graduate at the end of this semester, he will be a single-season "free agent" in the style of Russell Wilson and will not be forced to sit out a penalty year for his transfer. Crist could follow in Wilson's shoes in more ways than one, too, as Wisconsin is another strongly rumored destination for his services.

But Kansas also has to be viewed as a serious contender to land the 6'4" pocket passer. Weis and Crist enjoyed a close bond during their shared years in South Bend -- the Tribune recollects that Crist committed to Weis "basically on the spot" when Weis visited his high school -- and Crist is of course already familiar with Weis's system and terminology. It won't hurt that the Jayhawks' incumbent starter, sophomore Jordan Webb, struggled through a 2011 season in which he ranked 69th in the FBS in pass efficiency and left the Jayhakws 101st in passing yardage. 

A reunion with Weis is also far from a done deal, as Crist will likely have no shortage of suitors. But Weis will no doubt do everything he can to bring Crist aboard--slotting a player of Crist's experience and potential under center would make for an overwhelmingly positive start to a coaching tenure already regarded with widespread skepticism.

Posted by Chip Patterson

Former Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist was recently granted a release from his scholarship in South Bend, and the highly-touted high school star is reportedly considering Wisconsin for his final year of eligibility.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, citing sources familiar with both Notre Dame and Wisconsin, report " Crist is high on Wisconsin." The former Irish signal-caller is set to graduate from Notre Dame later this month, making him eligible for the "free agent"-style transfer recently exhibited by current Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson. For Crist to use his final year of eligibility at an FBS school in 2012, he would need to enroll in a graduate program not offered at Notre Dame.

Crist won a quarterback battle with Tommy Rees before the start of the 2011 season, but was benched after Notre Dame's 23-20 loss to South Florida in the first week of the season. Over the course of the season he eventually dropped to No. 3 on the Irish depth chart behind sophomore Andrew Hendrix, and his decision to leave came as no surprise to most.

Wilson's success in Paul Chyst's pro-style offense has been well publicized throughout the season. While head coach Bret Bielema cannot comment on potential transfers due to NCAA rules, he has acknowledged that there has been a heightened interest in transferring to Madison.

“Because of the success of Russell Wilson,” Bielema said, “I’ve been contacted by almost 10 players who want to talk about the opportunity to transfer in to the University of Wisconsin.”

Jon Budmayr, the starting quarterback at the end of Wisconsin's spring practice in 2011, fell from the quarterback race in the fall with nerve problems in his right elbow. Redshirt freshman Joe Brennan and freshman Joel Stave are both prepared to compete for the starting job after Wilson's departure. When healthy, Crist threw for over 2,000 yards and completed 59.2 percent of his passes over nine games in 2010. But even that season was ended when he suffered a torn patella tendon in his right knee, the second season ending injury in the same knee.

Will Dayne Crist be the next Russell Wilson? Weigh in at our new Eye On College Football Facebook page.

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