Notre Dame Football: Ian Book to wear No. 16 with the New Orleans Saints
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football program is losing their star quarterback in Ian Book, who will don Joe Montana’s No. 16 at the next level.
Over the past few seasons, the Notre Dame Football program has seen Ian Book go from a possible backup to the all-time winningest quarterback in school history. Since arriving in South Bend, Book has had to fight for everything, and that has culminated in him being a 2021 NFL Draft pick.
In fact, Book defied the odds during the 2021 NFL Draft as well, as he was originally seen as a possible late-Day 3 pick, or maybe even an undrafted free agent. Instead, Book ended up being the first quarterback taken on Day 3, going to the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round, which could prove to be the perfect spot for him.
Remember, the Saints saw future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees retired after the 2020 NFL season, and will now turn to the tandem of Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill. Both players are not proven starters at the NFL level, and with Winston being so turnover-prone, Sean Payton could have a quick hook for him in 2021.
For Book, he needs to put his head down and work, just like he did at Notre Dame, and let the cards fall where they may.
Notre Dame Football star to don No. 16
42 years ago, another Notre Dame quarterback was selected to the NFL, with Joe Montana being a third-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers. All Montana did after being drafted is work his way into the starting lineup, serving as a backup to Steve DeBerg as a rookie, before taking over as the starter midway through the 1980 NFL season.
After wearing the No. 3 at Notre Dame, Montana chose the No. 16 at the NFL level, the same number that Book will wear with the Saints. Maybe they have the same beginning of their careers, with Book serving as a reserve in 2021, before possibly taking over as the starter in 2022.
Payton is not afraid to roll with quarterbacks who do not have the perfect NFL size, and in Book, he is getting a guy who is going to come to work every day to carve out a role with the team.
The odds are, Book will not have the kind of success at the next level that Montana did, and him wearing No. 16 is just a coincidence. However, he will have an opportunity to play with the Saints, who have a big question mark at quarterback, and Book has proven everyone wrong before.