Legacy QB | by Pat

If you scanned through the Show Team post below, you probably saw a number of walk-ons making a name for themselves. According to the Contra Costa Times, next year ND will have a new walk-on that won't need to worry about name recognition: Nate Montana.

It's been an odd year for the oldest son of Hall Of Fame quarterback Joe Montana. The younger Montana joined the De La Salle football team this season after transferring from Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa before last season. He served as the third-string quarterback for most of the year but has seen some playing time in the second half of blowouts.

"This has taught me one of the best lessons I've ever learned," Montana said of his role as third-string quarterback. "This school taught me what hard work is and how much harder I need to work to get myself better."

While his role on this year's team hasn't yielded a ton of playing time, it has gotten Montana hooked on football again. He said he will play at Notre Dame next season as an invited walk-on and that he hopes to earn a scholarship by 2009.

Montana, who played basketball for the Spartans last year, said he will not rejoin the De La Salle basketball team this season, opting instead to focus on getting ready to play at Notre Dame.

Good news for ND; adding more QB depth is always a good thing. Kudos to Nate, too, for deciding to come to ND even if it will invite unrealistic comparisons. At the very least, the 6'4 Montana should be an excellent addition to the practice squad. This past summer he worked out at a Southern Cal juniors camp and by some reports looked pretty good. At the very least he'll keep the ND California QB pipeline going.

Speaking of quarterbacks, Joe Montana, and Notre Dame, current QB commit Dayne Crist is a finalist for the inaugural Joe Montana Quarterback of the Year award. The award honors the nation's best high school quarterback and is presented by the Debartolo Sports University. The winner will be announced during the first half of the Outback Bowl on January 1st.