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Notre Dame Football: Ian Book could follow a Trace McSorley path to the NFL

By Brad Weiss

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 27: Ian Book #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rolls out against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of the game at Kenan Stadium on November 27, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 27: Ian Book #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rolls out against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of the game at Kenan Stadium on November 27, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Ian Book is the winningest quarterback in Notre Dame football history and could get his opportunity late in the 2021 NFL Draft.

The Notre Dame football team has a special player under center in Ian Book, a kid who has stepped in as the starter in South Bend and become the winningest quarterback in program history. Throughout his run as the starter, the Irish have been nearly impossible to beat, and he has them in their second College Football Playoff since he got to the school.

Looking ahead for Book, he is not rated as an early-round prospect, even though he has that rare ability to will his team to victories. Due to his stature, and some of his athletic deficiencies, he is seen as a late-round draft pick at best, which could end up being a perfect scenario for him.

The 2021 NFL Draft is loaded with first-round quarterbacks, including Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones, the three other quarterbacks who will be under center in the College Football Playoff this season. However, in Book’s case, he will not hear his name called on Day 1, or maybe even Day 3, but a team would get an absolute gem of a player if they take a shot on him in Round 6 or 7.

Following McSorley’s path to the NFL not a bad route for Book

This was also the case for former Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley, a player who put together plenty of signature wins, and highlight plays during his time in Happy Valley but fell to the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Like Book, McSorley re-wrote the record book during his time as the Nittany Lions starter but did not have the ideal size for the NFL game.

McSorley went into the 2019 draft as a likely undrafted prospect, but teams saw the intangibles, and since latching on in Baltimore, he has stuck around. He has appeared in games in both of his two seasons in the NFL, and while he will never supplant Lamar Jackson as the starter, he has the respect of his teammates and could have a long NFL career ahead of him.

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Book’s run at Notre Dame has been a special one and no matter where he goes next year, whether as a draft pick or as an undrafted free agent, he has given Irish fans plenty of great memories. If he can follow McSorley’s path to the NFL, and get in the right system, there is no doubt he will eventually get his chance to start at the next level.

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