Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 51 (72.3 percent) for 3,187 yards with 37 touch- downs and only four interceptions. He went on to compete in the Under Armour All- American Bowl in St. Petersburg, Fla. "He's a very savvy kid and a poised kid," Hansen said. "We played in big high school environments and I don't think that will faze him. He's a fierce competitor and very poised. He's very focused and I don't think he gets too high or too low. He has that type of leadership skill where people can be con- fident in him and he's not going to lose it. He's been through the fire in a high school standpoint and what he's gone through at Notre Dame. It's all fine-tuned him for this. "I miss Brandon. He's such a great kid. He has so much greatness ahead of him." Wimbush ended his first spring as the Notre Dame starter and with mixed reviews in the Blue-Gold Game. He completed 22 of 32 passes for 303 yards with two intercep- tions. Several drives ended with field goals. He said he "played within the system," happy with his effort despite the relatively "average" numbers. Most frustrating was the inability to improvise with his legs because of no contact allowed on him. "We're growing and we're in a process," Wimbush said. "It's delayed gratification that comes with it. We're going through this thing as a team. We finished up spring on a high note on all sides of the ball." While not a team captain, it was obvious this spring that Wimbush has the respect of his teammates. He ran the offense with ma- turity, handled himself well in front of the media and drew praise from Kelly through- out the offseason. Surrounded by a wealth of talent — per- haps most importantly four starters along the offensive line — the keys have now been entrusted in Wimbush's hands to help drive Notre Dame back to prominence. "He's a phenomenal kid and we're lucky to have him in our locker room," fifth-year senior left tackle Mike McGlinchey said of Wimbush. "I can't say enough great things about Brandon because ever since he's got- ten here, he's done everything the right way, treats his teammates the right way and there's a lot of great things to come from Brandon in the future here." ✦ While many of his teammates headed for warmer weather during spring break, Fighting Irish quarterback Brandon Wimbush opted for a different type of vaca- tion in the sun. The rising star at Notre Dame worked out with George Whitfield Jr., a quarter- back coach who runs a training academy called Whitfield Athletix in San Diego. Whitfield and the group of quarterbacks trained for a total of 20 hours over a five-day period, mixing in on-field instruction, film study and guest presentations. Wyoming's Josh Allen (one of the top quarterback prospects for next year's NFL Draft), Tennessee's Jarrett Guarantano, TCU's Kenny Hill, Indiana's Richard Lagow, a few prep quarterbacks and former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel worked alongside Wimbush. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly called Wimbush's trip to California a "bull- pen session," an opportunity to keep the arm and feet loose. The short-burst workouts in a small period of time don't change a player's overall game, but instead keep mechanics sharp. Kelly has always signed off on his quarterbacks working with personal instruc- tors. While academically ineligible for the 2013 season, quarterback Everett Golson trained with Whitfield, brushing up on all areas of his game. The same applies to Wimbush, who mainly refined his mechanics while in California. "George really doesn't work on the specifics to the offense," Kelly said. "George is really working on the quarterback and throwing the football and moving in the pocket. George is really good at just keeping those quarterbacks active and mov- ing. But when it comes to the playbook, when it comes to his teammates, when it comes to his coaches here, Brandon understands that's where the rubber hits the road. Those are the guys that matter the most. "He knows when it's time for Notre Dame football where the focus is. When there's off time and he needs to stay sharp, to work with another coach is cer- tainly acceptable." Whitfield was a star quarterback at Division II Tiffin University from 1997-2000 before establishing his private quarterback practice. He appears on ESPN's Col- lege GameDay during the season to offer analysis when he's not training some of the top signal-callers in professional and college football. He worked with Heisman winner Cam Newton of Auburn entering the 2011 NFL Draft, as well as Stanford's Andrew Luck, Florida State's Jameis Winston, Texas A&M's Manziel, Baylor's Bryce Petty and Oklahoma's Landry Jones in recent years. Wimbush participated in the same training group a year prior, even though he would end up redshirting during the 2016 season. Former Irish quarterback De- Shone Kizer was in the same session with Whitfield, as was current Notre Dame senior tight end Nic Weishar, who was in attendance as a pass catcher. Kizer said last spring that he stayed in contact with Whitfield throughout the 2016 season. "We texted throughout the season," Kizer said of Whitfield. "There are some things that he's able to communicate with me that are a little different than the normal style of communication, that allows me to hopefully take my consistency and grow with it." — Matt Jones A Different Kind Of Spring Break Wimbush was named the NJ.com 2014 Offensive Player of the Year in New Jersey after leading his St. Peter's Prep team to a state title. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND