DeShone Kizer: Irish’s College Football Playoff Hero?

Perhaps the most compelling story of the first College Football Playoff Rankings came at the number five spot where the Notre Dame Fighting Irish crept into top-four territory, just missing the final bracket. Now, with just over a month to go, can QB DeShone Kizer be the hero in South Bend as yet another third-string quarterback to lead his group to victory?

That’s the topic of discussion in this week’s NFL Mocks roundtable. Three members of the staff weighed in to answer the all-important question:

What can DeShone Kizer do to lead Notre Dame to a top-four spot in the College Football Playoff? 

Our Shawn Spencer starts us off:

"All Kizer needs to do is take care of the football. Notre Dame’s season went downhill last year because Everett Golson kept turning the ball over. With four games left, all the pressure is on the defense. KeiVarae Russell will have a tough test against Pittsburgh’s Tyler Boyd this weekend and the defensive front seven will be tested against two of the best running teams in the nation — Boston College and Stanford — to wrap up the regular season."

Chris Dougherty has much of the same opinion on the Kizer situation — stay within the game and minimize mistakes:

"Manage the game. He’s capable of taking over games, but he’s got a defense full of talented leaders and veterans, and a top-5 rusher in the country. A future top-10 NFL pick at left tackle, and a Heisman-caliber wide receiver in Will Fuller. He just needs to play small ball at an efficient level, and Notre Dame will find themselves where they belong … in the playoff."

Finally, our Rodney Stokes has a much stronger take, one that seems to be the widespread take in college football conversations:

"I’m going to go out and say he needs a statement game and it needs to come against Pittsburgh or Stanford. The committee’s selecting teams that LOOK like contenders, not the teams that have the records of contenders. There needs to be more proof that this team can take down the top 4 to be in the top 4."

No matter the opinion on any side in this debate, one thing remains true: Kizer must play mistake-free. For a 19-year-old freshman, that’s often the toughest thing to accomplish.

The bottom line of minimizing mistakes and staying within himself should prove to be the ultimate recipe for success as the season enters the homestretch.