Jack Coan is the #1 Reason I’m Excited for the 2021 Notre Dame Football Season

Welcome everyone. We are getting so close to it being football season and remember Football > Not Football (@mywife put this on my grave if you are reading this). With that said, the gang at OFD are putting together the top reasons they are excited about the upcoming Notre Dame Fighting Irish football season. Matt Greene touched on Jack Coan in his Article this week, but I wanted to dive a little deeper as to why he gets me so jazzed up.

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Grass is Always Greener

If you don’t recall, Ian Book was THE guy for the last 3 + years for the fighting Irish. Anytime someone has that much experience, they will be scrutinized like crazy. Love him or hate him, Book led the team to 2 playoffs and a 10 win season. He will absolutely be missed, but a part of everyone was always wondering....what would someone else do in this offense with this defense behind them? I was FULLY in Book’s camp throughout his career because I thought he was good and most importantly, he was by far the best option for the Irish. However, I always did wonder....What if.....Enter Jack Coan. He is a proven winner, by all accounts has been a great leader, and is a very good athlete (people forget he committed to ND to lax, bro). He also has a very different style than Book, being much more of a true pocket passer. This different skillset should allow Touchdown Tommy to do some different things with the offense that should benefit a lot of the playmakers. I am also sure all of the Book haters definitely, absolutely not be calling for Buchner to start or play day 1. Couldn’t be them.

He’s Tall/Pocket Presence

Ian Book wasn’t tall, that’s no shock to anyone. He would often get happy feet in the pocket, and at times, struggle to see the field. As a result, he would use his athleticism to escape pressures, get out of the pocket, and makes plays with his feet. Don’t get me wrong, this was very valuable, but often would leave WRs streaking open down the middle of the field. Coan is very different. Standing at nearly 6’4, I can confirm that he is in fact, tall. He made his living by hanging in the pocket and going through his progressions. He had an elite line he trusted at Wisconsin, and will have a similar one here at ND. I expect him to be a distributor of the ball and someone who the receivers will love.

As you can see below, his tape is VERY different than Book. He will probably take more sacks, but definitely will have more yards/game through the air.

Also......he low keys has wheeeels. I can already feel the “sneaky athletic” takes brewing.

Buchner Impact

Without Coan, the Irish fan base would be clamoring for Tyler Buchner to lead the Irish as a true Freshman. Truthfully, the job would have been Drew Pyne’s (who absolutely still has a role to play), but the situation would have been tough regardless. At the very least, Buchner can have a leader in the room with him who knows what it takes to be a high level division 1 quarterback. Buchner also has a much different skillset than Coan, which means he can and should be used situationally this year. Buchner is an elite dual-threat athlete, but still needs time to get up to speed with the ins and outs of the college game. He can learn those from a leader like Coan, while also finding a role as an athlete.

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Stupid Phrases I Came Up With in 11 Seconds

He’s COAN DEEP. He’s COAN it DEEP. He sneaks right into the EndCOAN. I need to workshop these, but you better be sure I will be leading the charge on twitter for stupid nicknames and phrases. RIP #maplebandit RIP #skowtime

2021 Hot Takes

I am VERY high on what Coan can do for this offense. He is in a prove it year with a lot of talent around him. He was also in a extremely run heavy offense (for good reason) at Wisconsin and has a chance to open things up with more dynamic receiving talent around him. I’ve talked myself into a season where he puts up 3,300 yards, 30+ touchdowns, and is limited to 5 ints. He isn’t playing many elite defenses and will shine in the short/intermediate game. A major chunk of his production will come from getting the ball to Kyren Williams/Chris Tyree as well as the short “passes” that are more like reverses to guys like Lawrence Keys, Avery Davis, and Braden Lenzy. Finally, this offense is going to focus on getting playmakers the ball in space and and RPO scheme that features a pass first QB......Now let’s let this peacock fly.

(Coan on why he left Wisconsin....allegedly).