For Notre Dame, the offense has been terrible.  Evan Sharpley was good coming off of the bench, but he was awful when he started against Southern Cal.  Jimmy Clausen wasn't terrible, but he didn't do anything to make any of the fans or coaches believe he can lead this team to a national championship.  That is where the 2008 and 2009 class comes in.

Dayne Crist is the quarterback for Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California.  He is listed as a five star by both scout.com and rivals.com.  He plays very similar to Brady Quinn, but he is a bit faster.  Dayne Crist runs a 4.6 40 yard dash, and he is 6-5.  His size is great, and he is very mobile.  His accuracy is a question, though.  This year, he has a 58% completion percentage, but he has 14 touchdowns and only one interception.  He averages throwing for 236 yards per game, and he has run for 300 yards and two touchdowns.

Crist was highly recruited this year, but he chose Notre Dame rather quickly.  He also had an offer from Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Oregon, Stanford, and Southern California.  He has a 3.6 GPA, so academics were clearly a factor in his decision.  That also explains Stanford being considered.

Crist is 20th on Rivals' top 100.  He is also ranked as the second best pro style QB, the fifth best player from California, and the fourth most accurate quarterback.  He will be competing for the starting job next year with senior Evan Sharpley and sophmore Jimmy Clausen.

The 2009 recruiting class has two quarterbacks: Morgan Newton of Carmel (IN) High School and Danny O'Brien of East Forsyth High School in Kernersville, North Carolina.

Morgan Newton is a dual-threat quarterback whose leading Carmel through the 5A state playoffs.  He is one of the fastest QBs in the country, and he also has a great arm.  His accuracy is amazing.  He has thrown for an 80% completion percentage and 13 touchdowns.  He ran for 131 yards over Indiana powerhouse Warren Central in a seven point win.  He is also being recruited by Iowa, Indiana, and Purdue.

Danny O'Brien isn't the most accurate quarterback, but he has a cannon for an arm.  He has thrown for 1366 yards with a long of 51 yards.  He competed at the adidas Elite Camp at North Carolina State, and he has competed at a camp at Notre Dame.  He made unofficial visits for the Georgia Tech and Michigan State games.  He is also being recruited by Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, and Wake Forest.

Outlook: Crist is already commited to Notre Dame, and he isn't considering decommiting anytime soon, so he will be coming to Notre Dame.  The question is Morgan Newton and Danny O'Brien.  I do not think O'Brien will go to Notre Dame, and he will opt to go to a North Carolina school.  Morgan Newton, however, is different.  He isn't being recruited by big-time programs, so Notre Dame has the edge name-wise.  Newton has visited Notre Dame, which is a good sign.  I believe Newton will go to Notre Dame over IU, Purdue, or Iowa.