Notre Dame Lands a Top Quarterback The Notre Dame football season ended on a dour note, with a pair of losses and Ohio State poaching two of the team's assistant coaches. But the program's momentum took a distinct turn Tuesday morning when Gunner Kiel, considered by many the country's top quarterback recruit, officially switched his commitment to Notre Dame from Louisiana State. He enrolled at the university on Tuesday and will begin classes for the spring semester. It is the biggest recruiting coup of the year for the Irish, who have a class considered one of the 10 best in the country. Kiel initially committed to Indiana, but re-opened his recruitment this fall when the Hoosiers struggled. Kiel, from Columbus, Ind., strongly considered Notre Dame before picking L.S.U. in late December. Kiel immediately becomes the signature recruit of the Brian Kelly era, since the most heralded prospects to choose Notre Dame in recent years have been defensive players. Kiel was named Indiana's Mr. Football in 2011 and passed for 2,517 yards and 28 touchdowns and rushed for 11 more scores. Kelly had previously attempted to recruit Kiel's brothers, Drew and Dusty, to Central Michigan and Cincinnati, his previous head coaching positions. He could not sign either of those brothers, but Kelly connected with Gunner, who gave several reasons for why he switched his commitment. "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," Kiel said. Notre Dame was the perfect fit for me because it hit all three areas. Kiel's commitment capped a big day for the Irish, as two of his fellow five-star prospects - defensive tackle Sheldon Day and defensive back Tee Shepard - also enrolled early. Tailback Amir Carlisle also transferred to Notre Dame from Southern California.