Notre Dame football: 5 reasons Ian Book should return next season
By Andrew Hall
Notre Dame football: 5 reasons Ian Book should return next season
Reason No. 4: Improve his NFL prospects
In stark contrast to the previous reason, Book might be able to improve his NFL prospects by spending more time with Offensive Coordinator Tommy Rees. According to Mel Kiper, Book is probably a backup at best. Kiper said this prior to this season. He might feel differently about him now. However, scouts may still want to see more from the Californian quarterback.
His biggest weaknesses are his arm strength and performances in big games. After playing well against Georgia and Clemson in 2019 and 2020 respectfully, Book is proving that he is an elite player. His arm strength, however, is still lacking. This is a skill that might be maxed out. As seen with Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, some players have arm strength and others do not. If Book would return, he would get more opportunities to prove his arm strength by throwing down field to Austin and Lenzy.
At this point, Book’s NFL stock is probably at its peak. Departing for the league now makes most sense if this is Book’s ultimate goal. He might be able to become a long-term backup in the NFL or prove everyone wrong as an NFL starter.