Notre Dame Football: Ian Book will return to play for the Irish in 2020

One of the biggest keys to success for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 2020 is the large amount of players that will return from 2019 on both sides of the ball.

Perhaps the biggest key of them all is quarterback Ian Book, and he took to Instagram one day after Notre Dame’s 33-9 win over the Iowa St. Cyclones to send a little message:

While he didn’t say, “I will be returning to Notre Dame to use my final year of eligibility, and help win a national championship,” the Instagram pic along with “#BeatNavy” is more than enough.

Ian Book will be Notre Dame’s starting quarterback in 2020 after being a MASSIVE player for the Irish these past two years as Notre Dame went 23-3. As a near two-year starter, the senior from El Dorado Hills, Calif. is 500-for-788 (63.5 percent) for 6,118 yards, 57 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He’s also rushed 244 times for 1,033 yards and eight additional touchdowns.

Several Notre Dame quarterback records are within Book’s reach if he completes a third full season. Here’s one: The 6-foot, 212 pound signal caller has 20 career victories as a starting quarterback. The record is 29, shared by Tom Clements, Ron Powlus and Brady Quinn.

The Irish’s quarterback room for 2020, at present, is fifth-year senior Book, redshirt sophomore Phil Jurkovec, redshirt freshman Brendon Clark and true freshman Drew Pyne.

Book is a marketing major in the Mendoza College of Business and is expected to graduate in May.