Jack Coan’s Wisconsin career neither started nor finished how anybody hoped it would.
First, he took over for an injured Alex Hornibrook during the 2018 season, losing to the Northwestern Wildcats in his first full game as a starter.
Then 2019 happened. Coan started the full year for the Badgers and led them to a 10-4 (7-3 Big Ten) record and Rose Bowl appearance. Even though the Coan-led Badgers battled and lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship and narrowly lost to Oregon in the Rose Bowl, his play during the year forecasted a productive final season in 2020.
But Coan broke his foot before the season began, continuing to rehab all year while the Badgers played to a 4-3 (3-3 Big Ten) record.
The promise was there for Coan as a Wisconsin Badger. But in an understandable move, the senior transferred to Notre Dame to play his final year of eligibility.
The Fighting Irish, now, are fresh off a College Football Playoff appearance and one of their best seasons in recent memory. With QB Ian Book gone from that 2020 team, early indications saw Coan taking over the starting job for the 2021 season.
However, Notre Dame’s spring practice is not seeing that as a foregone conclusion. Instead, Coan is locked in a quarterback battle with sophomore Drew Pyne.
Notre Dame's two-headed spring QB race features Pyne, Coan. https://t.co/i9PNKQGaoH
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) April 5, 2021
The Associated Press article quotes Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly talking about the spring position battle.
“What do we want from Drew Pyne?” Kelly said. “We want him to be the starter. We’re not handing this job to Jack Coan. Drew is built for this. He’s always been told that he’s not good enough, can’t be the starter or can’t win. It just motivates him even more.”
This is a story to watch for Badger fans with Wisconsin and Notre Dame set to square off at Soldier Field in September.
First, because the winner of the battle will start against Paul Chryst’s team.
But second, because Coan led the Badgers to a largely successful season just two years ago. Seeing him line up behind the opposing team’s center is still a weird scene to imagine.
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