Notre Dame football: 5 early questions for the 2021 season
Is Jack Coan the Answer at Quarterback?
A week ago, the 2021 season was going to be a matter of Tyler Buchner, the stud recruit who hasn’t stepped on campus yet, or one of Drew Pyne or Brendon Clark. Now, with Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan transferring into Notre Dame, it seems like he will act as the bridge between Book and Buchner.
This will give Buchner time to adjust to the college game, and avoid a trial by fire in all likelihood.
Jack Coan was the quarterback at Wisconsin, who led them to the Rose Bowl in 2019. However, before the 2020 season started he suffered a foot injury, which required surgery. It was a non-contact injury. His replacement, Graham Mertz, made it clear that the job wouldn’t be waiting for Coan once he got healthy, so he transferred out with one year of eligibility remaining.
At least partly due to the Wisconsin offensive philosophy, Coan has never put up great numbers, with his job largely being to hand the ball off and throw check downs.
Don’t expect the offense to make a massive change in strategy from 2020 to 2021, Book to Coan. Kyren Williams will have a lot of the offense put on his shoulders, while Coan will rely on tight ends like Michael Mayer to make safe throws.
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Maybe, if someone steps up at wide receiver, he’ll show something and start attacking downfield more, but don’t expect it. This transfer is about bringing in experience to get through 2021 and get Buchner ready to be the future at quarterback, and it’s not unrealistic to expect a shift to Buchner midseason for a boost.