CULVER, Ind. _ A year ago at this time, Brandon Wimbush was Notre Dame's third option.
All eyes were on the quarterback competition between DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire. Wimbush was an afterthought.
Flash forward to Saturday. Kizer is with the Cleveland Browns. Zaire is with the Florida Gators. And Wimbush is in charge as Notre Dame's starting quarterback.
"I'm taking advantage of the opportunity that's been given to me and I hope to seize it and make the most out of it," Wimbush said. "My game is at where it needs to be right now. (Quarterbacks) coach (Tommy) Rees, (offensive coordinator) coach (Chip) Long and the other guys in the quarterback room have pushed me.
"We're right where we need to be at this point."
The 6-foot-1, 228-pound Wimbush looked sharp throughout Saturday's practice, whether it was completing a long pass to receiver Equanimeous St. Brown or knowing when to step up and scramble.
"We're laying a lot on him right now," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. "We're in the instillation phase.
"Some of the plays we are calling are about instillation of plays more so than 'what are Brandon's plays?' It's five days in and he's learning. But he's going to be ready for (the season opener against) Temple when we get there."
Wimbush has only appeared in two games with the Irish, and both of those were in a reserve role as a freshman in 2015. He completed 3 of 5 passes for 17 yards. Wimbush also rushed for 96 yards and one TD in seven carries.
He redshirted last year.
Wimbush joked he hasn't taken a hit since playing against Pittsburgh on Nov. 7, 2015. Now he's adjusting to a new role with a new quarterbacks coach and new offensive coordinator.
"Coach Rees and coach Long have done a good job of taking the time out and putting in the work and giving us the resources necessary to actually feel comfortable when we are out there," Wimbush said. "It's not too much different in terms of the terminology and the concepts."
Notre Dame players are off on Sunday. But Wimbush is planning on spending the day studying.
"I want to get better and the whole quarterback room wants to get better," Wimbush said. "We're going to dive into that playbook.
"Coach Long has told us we've had a great first five days. We just have to keep getting better."
