Should Notre Dame QB Ian Book Really Be Considered A Heisman Trophy Contender?

Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book is getting some Heisman Trophy love heading into the season, and ESPN’s Lee Corso went so far as to actually predict that Book would win it. That’s quite a bold prediction when you look around the country and see all the talented signal callers that will be in competition for the award.

So is it realistic to talk about Ian Book as a Heisman contender? Well, yes.

He’s the quarterback at Notre Dame and the Fighting Irish are expected to be a playoff contender in 2020, so yeah, Book is certainly worthy of being in the conversation. There are a number of factors working in his favor to make that happen, and if he checks all the boxes there is certainly a possibility that Book could find himself in New York City whenever that trophy is being awarded.

Let’s look at the key ingredients to being a Heisman Trophy contender, and what Book must do to check that box.

Playoff Contender

Since the inception of the College Football Playoff in 2014, all but one Heisman winner played for a team that earned a playoff berth. The one exception was Lamar Jackson in 2016, and I don’t see Book passing for 3,500 yards and 30 touchdowns, and then rushing for 1,500 yards and 20 more touchdowns like Jackson did that season.

The Heisman Trophy is usually awarded to a quarterback or running back on one of the best teams in the country, and Book has an opportunity to check that box. Notre Dame enters the season as a Top 10 team, and the attraction of them being in the ACC will certainly draw even more eyes than usual on the Irish, so Book won’t have any issues with exposure.

Big Stats

We don’t yet know what we will see from the Tommy Rees offense, but there should be plenty of opportunities for Book to throw the ball around the yard. If Book can get back to his highly efficient play of 2018 and combine it with his downfield throwing skills of 2019, and mix in some tough-spot moxey he could put up big-time numbers this season.

Heck, I didn’t think Book played all that well in 2019 and he still racked up 3,034 passing yards, 546 rushing yards and 38 total touchdowns. If he actually plays well this season his numbers could be truly outstanding, and eye-popping numbers are a must for Heisman voters.

The schedule should help, as Notre Dame plays a lot of average defenses this fall, especially when it comes to defending the pass. Let’s be honest, the ACC isn’t known for having a league full of elite defensive football teams.

In fact, just three of Notre Dame’s 11 regular season opponents finished in the top 40 last season in pass efficiency, and one of them was Duke. Book threw a couple of picks against the Blue Devils in a 38-7 road win, but he passed for 181 yards, rushed for 139 yards and had four touchdowns.

Numbers shouldn’t be an issue.

QB Duals

There will be at least two big-time quarterback duals in store for Book in 2020, and if he outplays his opponent in those contests it will give his Heisman resume a huge boost.

Even better for Book, the two biggest quarterback duals take place in November, which means when voters make their Heisman picks those games will still be fresh on their minds.

On Nov. 7, Notre Dame faces Clemson, whose quarterback Trevor Lawrence is the nation’s best player, and he’s considered the Heisman favorite heading into the season. Notre Dame beating the Tigers would be big for Book’s resume, and if he outplays Lawrence it could put him in the top spot.

Three weeks later the Irish travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. to take on the North Carolina Tar Heels and stud sophomore Sam Howell. There isn’t a preseason quarterback rating out there that doesn’t consider Howell one of the nation’s best passers, and a better quarterback than Book. If Book follows up a strong performance in a win over Clemson with a dominant road performance against Howell and the Tar Heels he’ll be in great shape.

Of course, there’s a good chance Notre Dame gets an ACC title game rematch against one of those two quarterbacks. That gives him a third big-time, spotlight opportunity to show what he can do.

Big Game Opportunities

The Clemson and North Carolina games should be huge for Notre Dame, especially the game against Clemson. If things go as planned, Book will also get a chance to shine in a conference title game.

Book has done a lot of good things at Notre Dame, and the Irish are 20-3 when he starts, but playing well in the big games has been a huge black eye on his career resume. The three biggest games he’s started were the 2018 College Football Playoff game against Clemson, and last season’s road games against Georgia and Michigan. Notre Dame lost all three games (two were blow outs) and Book struggled in each contest.

If he wants to be a legitimate Heisman contender, and if he wants to go down as an all-time great at Notre Dame, he needs a few big moments in big games that result in the Irish coming out on top.

That is the final hurdle for Book and the Irish. If he’s the reason they clear it, we could be talking about the fifth-year senior being a legitimate contender to win the Heisman Trophy win the season comes to a close.

———————

Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content, our premium message board and gets you a FREE subscription to Sports Illustrated! Click on the link below for more

BECOME A MEMBER

Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes.
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Follow me on Parler: @BryanDriskell
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter