Brandon Wimbush Notebook: Temple
Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush is set to make his first start on Saturday against Temple. Wimbush was calm just days before his life will significantly change and even explained how he relaxes away from the field.
On Freddie Canteen making a move on the depth chart:
"I think Freddy, as well as the entire receiving corps, but the three guys who are starting, they've really worked their tails off from the moment they stepped on to campus. Freddy and Cam (Smith) speaking, and then obviously the freshman, also. To earn that position is obviously a highly coveted position all across the board, and I think all the guys have done a great job, and I think that Freddy deserves the position."
On tight end Alizé Mack:
“He's a dynamic weapon for me and the rest of the offense, and we hope to exploit him and use him in any fashion that we can. He's a great playmaker for us, and I think 86 will be huge in my development and getting him the ball will be pretty easy.”
On ability to keep calm and collected:
“I think it's easy when you have guys like Mike (McGlinchey). The season that Mike is having, it feels like he's doing this for like his 10th year now. Those guys really make it easy. Up front they've given me so much time in the pocket and so much comfort, and I guess I just have the playmakers and the running backs and receivers. Everybody makes it really easy, and for a quarterback, that's huge, especially in your first year starting and going out there to play. So I think that makes it easy on me. I'm able to relax, and those guys, they may answer questions that I have, and I'm able to answer questions that they have, and it just keeps my mind really composed, and I think I just have a great supporting cast around me to keep my head kind of on the same plane.”
On relaxing away from the field:
“I like to draw a lot. I draw anything that comes to mind.”
On what he draws:
“I couldn't even tell you what it was. It was just an accumulation, conjunction of different random things. It was like a police officer and then a lady stealing from a safe, there was like flowers in the background. It was weird, but it was cool.”
On life changing due to being the starting quarterback at Notre Dame:
“It'll be different, but I don't think much will change on my part. I think a lot of the surrounding entities will change, but I think DeShone (Kizer) and when Malik (Zaire) had his opportunity, I think they both handled it with grace, and that's what I look forward to doing.
“You can imagine people kind of looking, and I think that'll increase probably after Saturday. Just to see my face on the Jumbotron now, that'll bring more attention. But like I said, I think everything is going to stay the same for me, and I hope to handle it all with grace because I know things will definitely change on campus.”
On the importance of the first few games:
“It's huge, because the experience I've always said is the thing you can't replicate, so getting out there and actually going through the first couple of plays and going through a game and going through the ups and downs I think will be huge in my development. I like to look at Deondre Francois's season last year, how much he's grown from the first game to the last game. He's a good friend of mine, so I think we'll speak on that. That's what I hope to do, and I think having a full game under my belt will be huge for me and my confidence especially.”
On the last time he was a starting quarterback:
“Last game I started was December 4, 2014, and it was rainy. It was in the New York Giants stadium, state championship game. I mean, that was -- you're kind of on top of the world right there, your senior year high school team and you're playing with some of the best all around. And then you come into college, and you're back to the bottom of the totem pole, and it's a slow rise back to the top, and hopefully towards the end of this year I'll be back at the same position.”