The quarterback competition for 2019 just got a lot more interesting.
Former Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush announced on Tuesday that he'll be transferring to UCF for his final season of collegiate eligibility. The Teaneck, N.J., native and former four-star recruit graduated from UND in December, so he will be immediately eligible as a graduate transfer.
Rumors of an impending commitment have swirled since Wimbush's weekend visit to UCF. He broke the news via his Instagram account, posting a video along with the following message:
"The journey continues on... A sincere thank you to Notre Dame for giving me endless opportunities on and off the field. Words truly can not describe what this incredible University and the PEOPLE mean to me and always will mean to me. I’m truly thankful. Cannot say it enough.
With that being said, I am excited to announce that UCF has granted me an awesome opportunity to play my last year of collegiate football for their great University. Thank you to Coach Heupel, and Coach Lebby for this incredible opportunity. Looking forward to winning em all!"
With McKenzie Milton's leg injury likely sidelining him for 2019, Josh Heupel and staff sought to bring in another experienced player to compete with redshirt sophomore Darriel Mack Jr., redshirt freshman Quadry Jones and true freshman Dillon Gabriel.
Wimbush entered the 2018 season as Notre Dame's incumbent starter, but was supplanted by Ian Book several games into the season. In 16 starts, Wimbush led the Irish to a 13-3 record and helped orchestrated their 2017 comeback to a 10-3 finish after a 4-8 season the year before.
His final stat line at Notre Dame includes 2,606 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, 1,155 rushing yards and 16 more scores on the ground.
With Wimbush as starting quarterback, Notre Dame averaged 32.3 points and 433.1 yards per game, plus 6.2 yards per play. Over the last two seasons, Notre Dame has exceeded 600 yards of total offense in a game three times and all three came with Wimbush under center.
Wimbush also considered Penn State before deciding on UCF.
UCF actually has two other former Notre Dame players on its roster: offensive lineman Parker Boudreaux and tight end Jonathan MacCollister.
Wimbush is expected to begin graduate classes later this week and will participate in spring practice.
