Notre Dame football: One offensive playmaker to worry about on each 2021 opponent
By Brad Weiss
![SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 07: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish gather in the tunnel before the game against the Clemson Tigers at Notre Dame Stadium on November 7, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images) SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 07: The Notre Dame Fighting Irish gather in the tunnel before the game against the Clemson Tigers at Notre Dame Stadium on November 7, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/77018ce135a5674663fe2d0cf1f04995b4c1a9f404fa7f9e5b5d0c3d8e0a1a0d.jpg)
Notre Dame football: Offensive star to worry about on each 2021 opponent
Game No. 4: Wisconsin, TE Jake Ferguson
This is the game that newly-minted starting quarterback Jack Coan certainly has circled, as he will take on his former team in the Wisconsin Badgers. For Coan, this is a bit of a revenge game, but for the defense, it will be a game where they can show they belong mentioned as one of the best in college football.
Wisconsin has some dangerous weapons on the offensive side of the ball, but when it comes to the one the Irish must target, it is the tight end, Jake Ferguson. Many feel Ferguson will be one of the first tight ends selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, so making sure he does not get open in the middle, or even down the seam will be paramount inside Soldier Field.
Ferguson stands 6-foot-5, and his returning for his fifth season was massive news for this Badgers program. He was a favorite target of Coan during his time with the Badgers and could win the John Mackey Award, so in this first real test for the Irish, all eyes have to be on him.