Slap the Sign
Fansided

Notre Dame football: One Irish player named in CFB most impactful X-Factor list

By Brad Weiss

SAN DIEGO, CA - OCTOBER 27: Helmets of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish near the bench area in the 2nd half against the Navy Midshipmen at SDCCU Stadium on October 27, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA - OCTOBER 27: Helmets of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish near the bench area in the 2nd half against the Navy Midshipmen at SDCCU Stadium on October 27, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kent Horner/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

For the 2021 Notre Dame football team to return to the CFP, it will have to be all hands on deck, including a big season from an X-Factor.

The starting quarterback position for the Notre Dame football team is still up for grabs, though we will get a better idea of who the starter will be in a week or so. Right now, the lead candidate for the role is Jack Coan, a graduate transfer from Wisconsin who has appeared to do everything right since landing in South Bend.

In 2021, he will be expected to lead a Notre Dame football team that lost their all-time winningest quarterback to the NFL, making him a player that all eyes in the country will be looking at.

When naming the top eight X-Factors in college football this season, David Kenyon of Bleacher Report listed Coan as the No. 5 X-Factor in the entire country in 2021, and rightfully so. Coan is taking over a program in win-now mode, and while there are a lot of changes being made to both sides of the ball, the Irish have All-American talent up and down this roster.

For the Irish to succeed, they need Coan to do what he does best, protect the ball and not make mistakes.

Notre Dame football in good hands with Jack Coan

The truth is, Coan is more than a serviceable starter, and when looking at his game film, he is not going to put the Irish in tough positions. In fact, Coan is going to do the little things that help this team win, and based on the early returns, he has already become a leader for this program.

He has elite players at running back and tight end, and a stellar offensive line, while possibly throwing to the best tight end in college football. With star power at wideout and a potentially elite defense, there is no reason why this Irish team cannot follow Coan’s lead all the way to the College Football Playoff.

Of course, the Irish have a lot of players who need to step up and be x-factors in 2021, but the starting quarterback will have all eyes on him come Week 1 against Florida State. If he can win games like he did in Wisconsin, leaning on the talent around him, he could prove to be the perfect one-year successor of Ian Book, until the Irish look long-term in 2022.

Home/Notre Dame Football