Notre Dame football: Irish duo taking XFL by storm

Though they never played together in South Bend, Notre Dame football standouts Jack Coan and Alize Mack are a dominant connection in the XFL. That continued this past weekend as the San Antonio Brahmas took down the Orlando Guardians 30-12, led by Jack Coan’s three passing touchdowns.

Alize Mack last played for the Irish in 2019 after spending four seasons in South Bend, including a few pretty impressive seasons. Though he never caught on in the NFL, Mack spent a few years bouncing around from practice squad to practice squad in the league. So seeing him get a chance in San Antonio in the XFL is excellent.

Coming out of high school, Mack was rated one of the top tight ends in his class and a top 100 player in the nation according to 247Sports rankings. He has always had great size and athleticism, but his blocking and route running must be refined. Still, he can prove his abilities in the XFL and see if a team will call him to join them next season in the NFL.

Enter his quarterback for the Brahmas this season in Irish graduate student transfer Jack Coan. After spending four seasons at Wisconsin, Coan graduated and transferred to South Bend to head up quarterback for Notre Dame football. Coan was a stud for the Irish and was one of the Irish’s more accurate passers in quite some time.

This year, they’ve connected 7 times, and while the first game was a measly 3 receptions for 9 total yards, in the second game, the connection excelled. Against the Guardians, Mack was targeted by Coan 5 times and secured 4 receptions for a much-improved yardage total of 48. He also secured 1 touchdown while just being short of another.

Overall, it was great to see the former Notre Dame football standouts get the chance to show what they can do. Frankly, it wouldn’t surprise me if he stays healthy and keeps putting up numbers if Mack receives a call from an NFL team this upcoming season. Either way, we love watching him play on Sundays.