Gunner Kiel Abandons LSU Commitment, Enrolls in Notre Dame

After a tumultuous recruitment process, quarterback Gunner Kiel is finally enrolled in college - except it's not the one he committed to. Gunner Kiel, the number one pro-style quarterback from East High in Columbus, Ind., has officially enrolled at Notre Dame, despite his various verbal commitments throughout the process.

When the recruitment process began in early 2011, Gunner Kiel said that his two finalists were Alabama and Oklahoma. However, he then later committed to Indiana, where his brother, Dusty, was enrolled. Dusty was the Hoosiers starting quarterback at the beginning of the year, but eventually found himself on the bench.

On Dec. 27, Gunner Kiel yet again made a verbal commitment, this time to LSU. However on Jan. 17, Notre Dame issued a release saying Gunner Kiel was among its early-enrollees.

This recruitment process was a rollercoaster 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. Coach Kelly was great throughout my recruitment, as many times our conversations had nothing do with football. That really showed me he had my best intentions in mind. He was persistent yet also patient while recruiting me and I look forward to playing for him the next four years.

Distance apparently played a large role, according to USA Today. What has been relayed to me is that he wants to come to LSU, but his parents want him at Notre Dame because it is closer to home, Michael Scarborough, recruiting expert with Tigerbait.com said.

Gunner Kiel averaged 240 yards per game last year, and threw for 2645 yards with 36 touchdowns in 11 games, good for a quarterback rating of 136.