Notre Dame football: 5 reasons Ian Book should return next season

Notre Dame football: 5 reasons Ian Book should return next season

Reason No. 1: National championship

If Notre Dame fails to win the national championship, this would leave a major resume bullet point missing from Ian Book’s legacy. This could tempt Book to return and make a push for college football’s ultimate prize.

There are some major flaws with this reason. The Irish might return only eight total players from this year’s starters. This talent drain would significantly hamper Notre Dame’s ability to compete for a title. Because the Irish play many players, Notre Dame has a large amount of experience depth that should mitigate the loss of these starters.

But, the likelihood that the Irish repeat their 2020 push to the playoff is not great.

A renewed receiving corps could also entice Book to return. Prior to the start of the season, many believed the starting receivers would consist of a speedy trio of Kevin Austin, Braden Lenzy, and Lawrence Keys. However, the primary personnel group has included Michael Mayer, Tommy Tremble, Ben Skowronek and Javon McKinley.

Although this group has been productive, it lacks the explosiveness of the Austin, Lenzy, and Keys group. Returning to South Bend to play with a more explosive group might make sense for Book.