Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Under the Dome Neal, a combination of factors affected his son. "I feel that his production level, as his father and his trainer, had declined just because of the mental part of what he was going through — being a new father and knowing the baby was on the way while he was away from home," Luke Neal said. "He had a lot on his mind that really couldn't help him to be as productive as he wanted to be when he got to Notre Dame." Neal will report to the Tucson campus May 1, but remains thankful for his Notre Dame experi- ence. "I can't stress enough how much Notre Dame has done for me and the support I have received from the coaching staff," he said. "I just want to thank them for having the opportunity to be part of something special." Cincinnati Lands Gunner Kiel Freshman quarterback Gunner Kiel, who informed Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly of his intent to transfer prior to the start of spring practice, will enroll at the University of Cincinnati, where Kelly was the head coach from 2007-09. The 6-4, 210-pound Kiel is the second former Fighting Irish signal-caller in the last six years to transfer to the Queen City. Demetrius Jones did likewise in 2007, but Kelly shifted him to linebacker before Jones left Cincinnati too. Kiel also took visits to Mid-American Conference schools Ball State and Miami University in Ohio, but the opportunity at Cincinnati included playing only 90 miles from his Columbus, Ind., hometown, stepping right in as the starter in 2014 because current Bearcat quarterbacks Munchie LeGaux and Brendon Kay will be in their final season of Kiel is the second former Fighting Irish sigeligibility in 2013, and playing for a proven head nal-caller in the last six years to transfer to coach in Tommy Tuberville, hired this past season Cincinnati (Demetrius Jones did it in 2007). photo by joe raymond from Texas Tech. Tuberville has a career record of 130-77, highlighted by a 13-0 ledger at Auburn in 2004. A five-star prospect in high school, Kiel committed to Indiana the summer prior to his senior year, switched to LSU in December and then in the 11th hour opted to enroll early at Notre Dame in January 2012. Kiel was withheld from action in 2012 while apprenticing behind sophomore starter Everett Golson and juniors Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix. He will sit out 2013 as a transfer. — Lou Somogyi