One of the biggest questions going into spring football for Notre Dame is who will replace the all-time winningest quarterback in Irish history, Ian Book. ESPN’s Tom Luginbill took a look around the nation (insider) at programs who will have new signal callers in the 2021 season and obviously the Irish were included.
Of the four quarterbacks on campus fighting for the job (Jack Coan, Brendon Clark, Drew Pyne and Tyler Buchner), Luginbill feels like Coan is the leader in the clubhouse.
There are four legitimate options, but while Buchner is an exciting incoming freshman and can be a difference-maker, he is not the leader to be under center come the fall. That has to be the Wisconsin grad transfer Coan…
This makes plenty of sense, as Coan was brought in to bridge the gap. We predicted that Brian Kelly would dip in to the transfer market to replace Book and the former Badger was the answer even though he wasn’t on our watchlist.
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Luginbill does assess each of the contenders as “Clark is probably the best passer with the most arm strength,” but knee injuries have stunted his growth.
As for the other returning quarterback “Pyne most resembles Book’s skill set, having served as the Irish’s No. 2 quarterback down the stretch last year. He’s undersized but has some skill as a passer with good feet, a solid feel for the game and a high ceiling.”
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How about the incoming freshman Buchner? “He is likely the future. He’s physically capable of playing right away, but as with all freshman, the learning curve can be steep.” The Californian is already on campus going through spring drills, so Buchner is already getting his feet wet in South Bend.
The spring will be very telling as to who will ultimately replace Book, if Kelly will go with experience in Coan or a higher ceiling in Buchner.