Posted by BrianBoru at 7/25/2009 4:01 PM EDT

Fourth-string quarterback Nate Montana has decided to transfer to Pasadena City College.

Nate, the son of former Notre Dame and NFL legend Joe Montana, has left the door open for a return to Notre Dame. Should he decide to return to Notre Dame, he would have three years of eligibility remaining.

Grades were not a factor in Montana's decision to enroll in junior college, as he noted that his grades were in order.

During a phone interview with the South Bend Tribune, Montana said, "I'm going there with the intention of getting playing time and then returning to Notre Dame in the spring to join back up with the team and compete again for the job".

However, Montana also added, "Nothing's ever certain. That's a long way down the road, and I guess we'll just have to see where things go."

There are a few different ways this could go:

Scenario No. 1) Montana, bright enough to understand that potential star quarterback Dayne Crist and heralded quarterback recruit Andrew Hendrix both stand in his way of seeing playing time for Notre Dame, will seize the opportunity to demonstrate his ability at the junior college level, subsequently resulting in scholarship offers from other Division 1 programs.

Montana, like his younger brother Nick, earlier this year, accepts an offer to lead the program of his choice, rebuffing Charlie Weis for a program that can promise him a concrete opportunity to be the starting quarterback.

Scenario No. 2) Montana goes to California and sets the junior college level on fire; Charlie Weis realizes that perhaps he ought to take a closer look at Montana as a legitimate candidate to run his offense — opening up the quarterback competition — rather than simply handing the keys to the program over to the prized Dayne Crist.

Montana then follows through on his stated intentions to return to Notre Dame.

Scenario No. 3) Montana languishes as an ineffective quarterback for a junior college program, later returning to Notre Dame to receive his degree with the chance to return to the football program as a preferred walk-on all but guaranteed — as he is, after all, the son of the legendary Joe Montana.

There is, at least, one more possibility here...

This news may signal that Joe Montana, who has had substantial access to the football program under Charlie Weis, no longer has confidence that Weis is the coach who can guide his son — or the football program — to achieve at the highest level.

Remember, earlier this year, Montana's son Nick chose to commit to the University of Washington instead of following his father's path to Notre Dame.

We shall see what this means as the upcoming season approaches.