Quick Facts
Biography
Brandon Michael Kirsch (born October 13, 1983) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Purdue University, where he would forgo his senior season to enter the 2006 NFL Draft. He signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2006, but was released and spent the rest of the year on the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad. Kirsh then played for the Colorado Crush and Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League (AFL).
Early life
Kirsch, attended Cedar Crest High School in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where he was first team all-state, first team all-county and league Most Valuable Player as senior after completing 115 of 198 passes (58.0 percent) for 1,950 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also rushed for 515 yards on 88 carries (5.9 average) and two touchdowns. Brandon was named second team all-county both his sophomore and junior seasons and was honorable mention all-state as junior. He completed 104 of 186 passes (55.9 percent) for 1,595 yards and 20 touchdowns as junior and 78 of 162 passes (48.1 percent) for 1,178 yards and 14 touchdowns as sophomore. Career totals were 300 of 552 passing (54.3 percent) for 4,808 yards and 61 touchdowns with 241 rushes for 1,142 yards (4.7 average) and 10 touchdowns. His high school football coach was Gene Fuhrman. He also played baseball and basketball. On September 24, 2001 he signed a letter of intent to play quarterback at Purdue University. He was ranked a 4-star prospect according to Rivals.com.
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40‡ | Commit date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Kirsch QB | Lebanon, Pennsylvania | Cedar Crest High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 4.65 | Jul 8, 2003 |
Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 21 (QB) Rivals: 12 (QB), -- (PA) | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
Kirsch started four games in 2002 as a true freshman, completing 59.0 percent of his passes for 1,067 yards with 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He was also third on the team in rushing with 423 yards. Kirsch appeared in only three games his sophomore season (all as a reserve) before injuring his throwing shoulder. He returned in 2004 and started six games, throwing for 1625 yards with 7 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in those games, before being benched in favor of freshman Curtis Painter. Following the benching, Kirsch caused a controversy on the team and lost popularity among fans and teammates. Kirsch chose to not return to school for his senior season, declaring himself for the 2006 NFL Draft.
Statistics
Kirsch's career stats are as follows:
| Season | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comp | Att | Yards | Pct. | TD | Int | QB Rating | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | |
| 2002 | 79 | 134 | 1,067 | 59.0 | 8 | 5 | 138.1 | 72 | 423 | 5.9 | 3 |
| 2003 | 3 | 4 | 27 | 75.0 | 1 | 0 | 214.2 | 10 | 48 | 4.8 | 0 |
| 2004 | 58 | 94 | 711 | 61.7 | 7 | 3 | 143.4 | 35 | 88 | 2.5 | 1 |
| 2005 | 152 | 257 | 1,727 | 59.1 | 7 | 8 | 118.4 | 48 | 198 | 4.1 | 1 |
| NCAA Career Totals | 292 | 489 | 3,532 | 59.7 | 23 | 16 | 129.4 | 165 | 757 | 4.6 | 5 |
Professional career
Colorado Crush
He was not drafted by the NFL and signed with the Arena Football League's Colorado Crush. Spent two seasons with the Crush, (2007–08) where he played four total games, completing 12-of-21 passes for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Philadelphia Soul
On May 20, 2011, the Philadelphia Soul signed Kirsch to fill in for Justin Allgood, who was traded to the Tulsa Talons. On June 19, 2011, it was announced that he would start in place of the struggling Ryan Vena.
Reading Express
Kirsch signed with the Reading Express of the Indoor Football League (IFL) for the 2012 season, but never played for the Express.