It should come as no surprise that when Brian Kelly went to the transfer portal to find a quarterback with experience, that signal caller would have the leg up on the competition. That was exactly that case as Kelly went to Twitter and announced that Wisconsin transfer Jack Coan will take the first team snaps when the Irish open against Florida State on September 5th at 6:30 pm CST.
After having a fairly successful career with the Badgers, Coan was beat out by Graham Mertz which prompted him to enter the transfer portal. Coan was quickly targeted by the Irish and will get the opportunity to lead the team this fall.
Jack Coan will be our starting QB.
All three quarterbacks distinguished themselves in the spring and preseason camp. Clearly, each has the skills necessary to lead, but Jack proved to be more consistent and therefore, going into our opener, gives us the best chance for success.
— Brian Kelly (@CoachBrianKelly) August 14, 2021
For Coan’s career, he’s completed 68% of his passes for 3,278-yard and 23 touchdowns. He’s thrown just 8 interceptions while compiling a quarterback rating of 144.7. Coan added five touchdowns on the ground as well.
He’s got big shoes to fill, as Coan will replace the career wins leader for the Irish in Ian Book. If Coan can replicate the same numbers he has had for his career in Madison, the Irish should be in good hands.