A wild 24 hours of recruiting rumors ended with a simple release from Notre Dame.

Gunner Kiel, the nation's top-rated quarterback recruit, is a member of the Irish football team. The university announced that Kiel and three others enrolled in classes on the first day of school Tuesday.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Columbus East product turned the recruiting world on its ear Monday when he reportedly didn't attend an early-enrollee meeting at LSU.

Kiel, who had de-committed from Indiana in October, had orally committed to LSU in December. The five-star prospect was immediately linked to Notre Dame, which was in the running for the QB along with Vanderbilt before he pledged to attend LSU.

"This recruitment process was a roller-coaster ride at times, but I know I have made the right decision for my family and me," Kiel said in a statement. "There were three critical elements I was looking for in my future school: the quality of education I would receive, the distance from home and the comfort level I would have with the players and coaches in the football program. Notre Dame was the perfect fit for me because it hit all three areas.

"Coach Kelly was great throughout my recruitment, as many times our conversations had nothing do with football. That really showed me he had my best intentions in mind. He was persistent yet also patient while recruiting me and I look forward to playing for him the next four years. I couldn't be happier to be a member of the Fighting Irish football team. I'm excited about the future of the program."

Along with Kiel, Notre Dame announced that Amir Carlisle, a running back transfer from USC, Sheldon Day, a defensive lineman from Warren Central, and Tee Shepard, a defensive back from Washington Union in Fresno, Calif., began classes Tuesday.