Notre Dame football: Previewing the 2021 Quarterbacks
By Brad Weiss
![ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 01: Ian Book #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Drew Pyne #10 warms up before the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl football game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at AT&T Stadium on January 01, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 31-14. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 01: Ian Book #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Drew Pyne #10 warms up before the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl football game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at AT&T Stadium on January 01, 2021 in Arlington, Texas. The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 31-14. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/dcf2aba62836ac80bbc511ad7d55ec165599dd1f4b3a8a1d51418c82140a449a.jpg)
Notre Dame football: Previewing the 2021 Quarterbacks
Expectations for the position group in 2021
With Book as the starter, the expectation was that the Irish would get a bunch of highlight-reel plays from their signal-caller, something that may not be the case in 2021. If Coan is awarded the starting job, something that appears to be the most likely scenario heading into the summer months then you can expect him to be more of a game-manager, which is not always a bad thing.
When Coan was with Wisconsin, he had Jonathan Taylor at running back, and the combination of Coan not making mistakes, and the Badgers feeding Taylor led to them being one of the best teams in the Big Ten. Coan is a guy who is going to protect the ball, be very accurate with his passes, and get the ball into the hands of his playmakers.
If Coan is the starter, the Irish will likely be more of a grind-it-out offense, and attack with running back Kyren Williams and tight end Michael Mayer. Also, I believe both Pyne and Buchner must get some playing time as well, and the best-case scenario would be Buchner playing a bit, but still being able to retain his redshirt status.
If somehow Rees and company can get all of this done, it will be a successful season for the Irish, as well as their quarterbacks.