Nate Montana, the son of ex-Notre Dame quarterback and NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana, has rejoined the Fighting Irish, according to a published report Sunday.
Montana transferred to Pasadena City College last fall to try to get some game experience, according to the South Bend (Ind.) Tribune.
The quarterback was approached and worked out for several other four-year college teams after the season but eventually decided to return to Notre Dame.
Montana made the Irish roster in 2008 as a walk-on but found practice reps tough to come by during the season and the next spring, in 2009.
Montana's return will give newly appointed coach Brian Kelly another quarterback for spring practice, the paper reported. Dayne Crist, who is the projected starter, had knee surgery in November, and his spring availability is expected to be limited.
Freshman quarterback Tommy Rees would then be the top active quarterback when Kelly introduces his offense in the spring.
Next on the depth chart would have been a walk-on or receiver John Goodman, but Montana may be able to move up into that spot.
While at Pasadena City College, Montana was among a four-quarterback rotation for the 5-5 Lancers. But he completed just 31-of-88 passes for 324 yards, with two touchdowns and five interceptions.