Through 25 Starts, What Is (And Isn’t) Ian Book?
Ultimately, Notre Dame made the quarterback switch because its offense needed steadying, and for all of Brandon Wimbush’s big-play flair, predictability of output was missing. The Irish passing offense ebbed and flowed like a schooner riding ocean waves, and capsizing was too frequent.
Brian Kelly and the offensive staff wanted something that could cut through waves instead. Something more sustainable and consistent, even if that meant sacrificing some of the highs. Boil it down, and Notre Dame needed to score more points.
So on Sept. 22, 2018 at Wake Forest, Ian Book trotted out for Notre Dame’s first offensive series. Four quarters later, any quarterback drama dissipated. Behind Book’s five touchdowns, the Irish waxed the Demon Deacons 56-27.
Two years later, Book has started 25 games and won all but three of them. Give him an assist in the Jan. 1, 2018 Citrus Bowl triumph over LSU, when he replaced an ineffective Wimbush and tossed the go-ahead 55-yard touchdown with 88 seconds left. He’s the first Irish quarterback to reach 25 starts since his current offensive coordinator, Tommy Rees. The two-time captain is eight wins away from breaking the school record for victories, a three-way tie for 29 last matched by Brady Quinn from 2003-06.
There’s much more of the Book era to dissect, but Kelly doesn’t care to publicly go beyond the simplest distillation of it.
“He wins football games,” Kelly said. “Maybe it doesn’t necessarily pass the test of those who try to evaluate Ian Book in terms of every little category. He wins. He’s a guy who prepares the football team so well. He is prepared himself. He brings a sense of calm to that unit that they believe they’re going to win no matter what the circumstances are.”
One of Kelly’s main directives to Book this season, which he revealed back in March, is equally simple. Just be Ian Book. Be the player who has racked up numbers and delivered stability. Display the leadership that made him a captain. And, as Kelly put it after Notre Dame’s lone spring practice: “Complete a shitload of passes.”
“He’s got a ton of credibility and a lot of respect from his peers,” Kelly said. “He doesn’t need to really walk around and scream and yell.”
But what is Book? Through 25 starts, the answer isn’t written in pen. Is he just good enough to allow winning to happen when he’s involved, or can he be the reason his team wins? Is he a quarterback with wins or one who delivers them? Can he facilitate winning in games his team is not supposed to win?
Those 25 starts have revealed that for Notre Dame to reach the heights it seeks, it will need — among other things — more than what he has collectively been. There’s an appreciation for the high floor he has consistently delivered that coexists with the hunger for the ceiling to rise. Notre Dame has nine scheduled games for him to write the final chapters of his career.
“I think he’s encouraged by what he’s done, but still very driven to take it to another level,” said Will Hewlett, Book’s quarterback trainer. “Maybe the next step the fans and media want to see is to have an out-of-body performance against an opponent that is ranked high or more talented. I have no doubt he’s capable of that.”
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