Notre Dame Should Not Pursue QB Caleb Williams
The moment Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams announced he was entering the transfer portal I knew what was going to happen, and it's completely understandable. A former five-star recruit and a player that showed flashes of brilliance as a true freshman, Williams is the kind of elite prospect at quarterback Notre Dame fans have been begging for.
Notre Dame has to pursue Williams, right? He's just too good not to at least kick the tires on, right? Well, I don't agree.
From a pure talent standpoint and from a scheme fit standpoint it would make perfect sense for Notre Dame to pursue Williams. If it was just about that I would expect head coach Marcus Freeman and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees to be all over him, but they haven't reached out yet.
Why?
Well, for starters, they know they aren't going to get Williams. His decision, according to his father, will come down to programs that have a proven track record of developing quarterbacks. Mr. Williams wants his son to be the No. 1 overall pick, and there's no evidence Notre Dame can get him there.
Number two, there will a lot of other factors involved in his decision that won't be overly favorable to Notre Dame to the point that getting involved would be a waste of time and energy. Irish Breakdown recruiting analyst Shaun Davis had a note on the IB premium message board yesterday that made it obvious Williams has little to no interest in Notre Dame.
Of course, the staff could reach out, mend the fences that were created during his high school recruitment that are due mainly to his interactions with former head coach and current LSU coach Brian Kelly. But ultimately, it wouldn't matter.
Notre Dame's focus - Freeman and Rees' focus - needs to be on the quarterbacks that do want to be at Notre Dame. Let me rephrase, they need to focus on the talented quarterbacks that are already at Notre Dame, and want to be at Notre Dame, instead of begging someone else who clearly has no interest in the program to try and come.
Think of the message that sends to Tyler Buchner and Drew Pyne. That's who Notre Dame needs to focus on. Buchner is an ultra-talented young player in his own right, and the focus for Rees needs to be on developing him. Is Buchner as good as Williams? I've seen no evidence he is that kind of player, but Buchner's talent and upside is such that if he does reach his potential the gap isn't nearly as great as some fans have convinced themselves of.
Get Buchner ready for 2022, continue to develop Pyne and get him where he needs to be. Do that and I have little doubt that Notre Dame will have very, very good quarterback play over the next two seasons.
Notre Dame needs another quarterback on the roster from a numbers and depth standpoint, of that I have little doubt, but Williams isn't a depth player, he'd be brought in to start. If he had interest in Notre Dame you would be foolish as coaches to not go after him, but he doesn't, so they shouldn't.
It would look much better for Notre Dame from an optics standpoint, and from a "showing confidence in your guys" standpoint to not kick the tires on Williams and to take a stance that you love the kids you have and are going to work towards developing them.
Then spend your recruiting focus on getting a 2023 quarterback that can be your own version of Caleb Williams down the road ..... like say, Dante Moore.
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