Former Notre Dame quarterback commits to Old Dominion

Former Notre Dame reserve quarterback Brendon Clark has committed to Old Dominion, according to The Athletic’s Pete Sampson. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Virginia native started his career as a three-star recruit from Manchester High School. He will return closer to home after three seasons as a reserve with the Fighting Irish.

Brendon Clark played in four games at Notre Dame, completing 2-of-4 passes for 29 yards and a touchdown. He added six carries for 29 yards in 2019 and 2020 during his limited action.

On3’s Matt Zenitz initially reported that Clark entered the transfer portal in October, brining his Notre Dame career to an end as he looked for a chance to compete for a starting job. He was also working back from a knee injury.

Brian Kelly on Notre Dame’s form

Since losing to Cincinnati at home on Oct. 2, Notre Dame has rattled off six straight victories. The Fighting Irish’s last five wins were by double figures, as well, meaning Brian Kelly has his team playing well at the right time.

Notre Dame checked in at No. 6 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, and there are paths to the top four for the Fighting Irish. If they can pull it off, it’d be the second straight year they’d make the CFP.

Kelly talked about why his team is clicking right now, and he pointed to one thing in particular: game control.

“When you’re really looking for teams with that kind of resume of staying power of control of a game, and that’s really what you’re looking at,” Kelly told reporters this week. “We’ve been in control of games. Even in the Virginia game people talk [about], ‘Well, the quarterback didn’t play.’ If you watched that game, we were in control of that game from the start to finish, so that’s what I like about this team.”

Kelly also discussed the Notre Dame’s biggest strengths heading into the final regular season game. He listed a few, from the quarterback to tight end Michael Mayer to a strong defense.

“It’s an improving team that continues to do the little things the right way,” Kelly said. “From an offensive standpoint, the quarterback is effective and efficient. You’ve seen that we keep our throws somewhere in the low 20s, high completion percentage, pushes the ball down the field. We have one of the best tight ends, if not the best tight end in the country, an effective running game and a defense that hasn’t given up a touchdown in three games.”