Notre Dame Football: Is Ian Book a legitimate Heisman contender?

Ian Book will be the leader of the Notre Dame football team this season, but many don’t consider him to be a true Heisman candidate. Here’s why.

Last season, Ian Book started as a dark horse Heisman candidate. He had an excellent season, statistically, and lead the Notre Dame football team to 10 regular season wins. He would throw 34 touchdowns to only 6 interceptions, for 3,034 yards. He even ran well, for 546 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. So, it was strange that Book was seen as having a disappointing season in 2019. Sure, it didn’t help to be blown out by Michigan, have his completion percentage drop, or have Brian Kelly say that the Virginia Tech game was the first time Book scored in the two-minute drill-even in practice. 

Yes, there were a couple of bumps in the road, but Book was asked to do a ton for the Irish in 2019, and he was up to the challenge. Now, he’s back, with even more experience and a new offensive coordinator. He’ll be good, whether or not Tommy Rees excels as an offensive coordinator. After all, Book is coming back to this season as a top 5 quarterback in college football.

Add to that, two of the Power 5 conferences won’t be playing this season. Notably, because the B1G 10 is not playing, neither is Justin Fields, one of the front runners. Fields wasn’t a sure thing to win the award, but he certainly had an excellent shot at the Heisman. Without him, the award is more open now.

Furthermore, if Tommy Rees’ system allows Book to excel beyond where he’s been under Chip Long, similar to Joe Burrow’s 2019 season, then he has an excellent shot at the Heisman Trophy. He doesn’t even need to take a jump like Burrow did. Expecting that type of jump is unrealistic, but if he can jump a fraction higher, then what is holding Book back?

He’ll have a chance to showcase himself against Clemson, who is arguably the best team in the country. A good game there, and voters will be singing Book’s praises. So, if he is so close, why isn’t there any talk about Book for the Heisman? Other than Lee Corso, his name hasn’t been mentioned by anyone.

Last season’s high expectations worked against Book. Everyone demanded he be excellent, and he missed that mark by a hair. So, people moved on from him. Counted him out. Those expectations aren’t there nationally, so he has the opportunity to surprise people and capture their collective imaginations.