Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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The Graduate … And Transfer Quarterback Dayne Crist's star-crossed Irish career ends BY LOU SOMOGYI On Dec. 2, senior reserve quarterback Dayne Crist asked for his grant-in- aid release from Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly and received the green light to speak with other schools to finish his fifth season of college football eligibility in 2012. "Dayne has been a valuable member of our team the last two years, and if he feels he needs to look for a better situation then I think we owe that to him," Kelly told the Chicago Tribune, where the story first appeared. A few days later, after the Dec. 6 practice at which Crist was not present, Kelly indicated that he and the senior agreed it would be best if he did not practice for the Champs Sports Bowl versus Florida State. "His focus has got to be on putting together the best situation for him," Kelly said. Crist is graduating this December from Notre Dame's business school. The NCAA permits transfers to be eligible right away at other schools provided they have received their undergraduate de- gree and are enrolled in a program not offered at their previous school. This year, Big Ten champion Wis- consin benefited tremen- dously from the services of quarterback Russell Wilson, who graduated from North Carolina State but used his fifth season with the Badgers while enrolled in a graduate program last spring. Wisconsin and Delaware have been among the teams mentioned as an option for Crist this spring, but the hiring of former Irish head coach Charlie Weis at Kansas led to speculation that Crist could finish his college career with the coach he began it with — and he took a visit to Kansas the weekend of Dec. 10. The Canoga Park, Calif., native was a five-star recruit in February 2008, but he spent his first two seasons apprenticing behind fellow five-star California recruit Jimmy Clausen. Crist's sophomore year in 2009 ended with a torn ACL suffered during a 40-14 victory versus Washington State on Oct. 31. When Clausen entered for the 2010 NFL Draft, Crist was thrust into the starting role under new head coach Kelly and his spread offense. Crist par- ticipated all through spring and started the first nine games (4-5), but he tore his patellar tendon on Notre Dame's second series versus Tulsa on Oct. 30. Once again, he would miss the remainder of the season. He finished the year completing 174 of 294 passes (59.2 percent) for 2,033 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Crist also had 74 yards rushing with a team-high four touchdowns on the ground. In Crist's place, freshman Tommy Rees operated the offense with effi- ciency while getting a huge boost from an improved defense that enabled the Irish to finish the year with four straight victories and an 8-5 ledger. Crist and Rees battled throughout the spring and August this year for the No. 1 position, and Kelly announced on Aug. 23 that Crist would start the Sept. 3 opener versus South Florida because of his mental fortitude. Lauded by teammates and the NCAA for his leadership and good works in the community, Crist lasted as a starter for only one half. He drove the Irish down to the South Florida 1-yard line on the season's opening possession, but a Jonas Gray fumble was returned 96 yards for a score by the Bulls. Later, Crist drove the Irish inside the USF 10, but threw an interception into the end zone. With the Irish trailing 16-0 at the half, and Crist completing just 7 of 15 throws for 95 yards with the pick, Kelly made the decision to go with Rees in the second half in the 23-20 loss. Thereafter, Crist appeared sparingly, and a brief third-quar- ter appearance on Oct. 22 versus USC saw him drive Notre Dame to the Trojans 1 and the potential game-tying touchdown — only to see his fumbled snap get returned for an 80-yard touch- down and a 24-10 USC lead in its 31-17 victory. By the end of the regular season at Stanford, sophomore Andrew Hendrix took all the snaps in the second half in place of Rees in the 28-14 defeat. "Great, guy, a great leader," senior wide receiver Michael Floyd said of Crist. "Through all the stuff that went on his career here, he still kept his head up high and stayed a good friend to me and a good teammate to everyone." "You're never going to meet a better guy than Dayne," team captain Harrison Smith added. "Just getting to know him off the field and being friends with him off the field is something I'll always be happy we got to do. I hope he's successful wherever he ends up going." Crist was not made available for comment. Crist was named the starter for the 2011 season opener versus South Florida, but he was replaced at halftime and did not start another game for the Irish. PHOTO BY AARON SUOZZI www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JANUARY 2012 25