Notre Dame Football: Can Ian Book realistically contend for Heisman?

After a strong junior season and impressive spring, Notre Dame football could have another Heisman contender on its hands in Ian Book.

Two years ago, no one was talking about Ian Book.

Brandon Wimbush was all the rage just one year after DeShone Kizer left for the NFL and Malik Zaire transferred out. It seemed as if Book was just a forgotten quarterback, buried on the depth chart.

After a shaky season, passing-wise, doubt surrounded Wimbush and his ability to lead the offense, which gave Book the chance he was waiting on. Brian Kelly called his number and the then-sophomore delivered in limited action, completing 61 percent of his passes for 456 yards and four touchdowns, but this wasn’t enough to call him the projected starter in 2018.

Wimbush yet again began the season as the team’s No. 1 quarterback, but it became more evident that he wasn’t the answer, giving way to Book for good.

The junior quarterback impressed, completing 68 percent of his passes for 2,628 yards and 19 touchdowns with only seven interceptions, placing his name in the conversation for one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. Oh yeah, and he did all of this damage in just 10 games.

On top of that, he led the Irish to an undefeated season and a berth in the College Football Playoff — the program’s first.

Although his Irish were trounced by eventual-champion Clemson, there was hope in the immediate future and many have pegged Notre Dame as a contender for the playoff in 2019-20 as well. But that all depends on Book.

Will we see the same Book who averaged about 270 yards per game through the air and made minimal mistakes while also rushing for 280 yards and four touchdowns or will it be the quarterback who couldn’t find the end zone against Clemson in the playoff?

Is Book a realistic Heisman candidate in 2019? In my opinion, he’s not the most popular pick, but he belongs in the discussion, especially after the spring he had.

Book looked solid for the Irish this spring and it seems obvious he’s been putting in the work to become one of the best passers in the nation. If he can maintain his accuracy (68 percent, or so) and add some down-field passing, he’s going to be an absolute force. He could be a quarterback who approached 3,500 yards and 25 touchdowns while leading a title contender to the playoff.

If all goes as planned and Book continues his upward trend, he’s going to be in the Heisman conversation within the first couple of months of his senior year. Don’t count this kid out just because he’s not a household name just yet.