Notre Dame Football: Five things to know regarding Jurkovec transfer
By Matt Clark
After signing to commit to Notre Dame in 2017, most anticipated that Jurkovec would be the heir apparent to Brandon Wimbush once his playing days concluded in South Bend. However, things did not go as anticipated and Ian Book would supplant Wimbush, leading to Wimbush transferring to UCF following the 2018 season.
Book, who came to Notre Dame in 2016, was originally thought to be a backup caliber quarterback who would simply serve as depth as the Irish moved from Wimbush to Jurkovec. However, Wimbush was injured during a game against North Carolina in 2017, and Book would take over and lead the Irish to victory.
Wimbush would return to the starting role the next game but after struggling during the 2018 Citrus Bowl, was benched in favor of Book. The newly named starting quarterback would lead the Irish to a 21-17 victory over LSU in the game and would effectively start a quarterback controversy in the process.
Wimbush was awarded the starting quarterback position to begin the 2018 season, but after barely winning against lesser opponents in Ball State and Vanderbilt, Brian Kelly would name Book the starter for their week 4 game against Wake Forest. He would succeed in the role and the Irish would finish the regular season undefeated.
As a result, Notre Dame would go to the College Football Playoff, ultimately losing to Clemson. With Book firmly entrenched as the starter, Wimbush would opt to transfer, making Jurkovec the backup to Book.
Most anticipated that Book would take a step forward following his stellar 2018 campaign and would declare for the NFL draft after the conclusion of the 2019 season, allowing Jurkovec to claim the starting quarterback position for the Irish in 2020.
However, after an up-and-down season in 2019, Book’s draft stock took a major hit, resulting in his decision to return to Notre Dame for the 2020 season. The impact of this decision would mean that Jurkovec would be relegated to the second string for another season with the Irish, which ultimately helped lead to his decision to transfer.