Notre Dame Football: Going to Ian Book at quarterback is a panic move
Word broke early Saturday morning that Notre Dame Football would start Ian Book rather than Brandon Wimbush against Wake Forest on Saturday.
247 Sports reported hours before Notre Dame’s road game at Wake Forest on Saturday that head coach Brian Kelly would start Ian Book over the incumbent Brandon Wimbush. This marks the latest in a long saga of quarterback indecision in South Bend and the results haven’t warranted the repeated changes.
Book has thrown just five touchdowns and four interceptions over a handful of games. He’s seen more than limited duty just twice, both wins. The first was a spot start against an abysmal North Carolina team in which he threw for 146 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. His biggest moment came in the Citrus Bowl against LSU in which he completed 73.7 percent of his passes, threw for 164 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
It’s no secret that Brandon Wimbush hasn’t been them most productive passer, but he does his damage on the ground. Book has yet to do anything incredible that warrants a start in Notre Dame’s first road contest.
The decision to go with Book rather than Wimbush is reactionary a short-sighted. None of the variables that Brian Kelly had to deal with this offseason have changed. He knew what he was getting into when he named Wimbush the starter earlier in the fall. Perhaps he wanted to go with Book, but if there wasn’t enough evidence in August what could he have done to alter his chances in September?
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Book might play well against Wake Forest and the Irish might win, but if history is any indicator this situation is going to get a lot messier before it settles down. Notre Dame is officially in panic mode, and that’s not a place you want to be in Week 4 of a long season.