The three most high pressure jobs in the United States are being the President, being the Mayor of New York City, and being the starting quarterback at Notre Dame and they’re not necessarily in that order.
At least that is how the saying went long ago.
There is certainly pressure on the position still with the Fighting Irish as among the biggest talent gaps between Notre Dame and the true elites in recent years has been the play of the signal callers. Jack Coan and Ian Book have played well in recent years, but neither was being confused for a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, either.
So what does 2022 look like at the quarterback position for a Notre Dame team that will almost certainly begin the year ranked in the top 10? Let’s take a look at what’s to come by first taking a quick look back at what was in 2021.
Replacing Jack Coan
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
[autotag]Jack Coan[/autotag] isn’t going to go down as a legendary Notre Dame quarterback by any means but he was the starter on a team that managed an 11-1 regular season mark and was within one more pin falling right during conference championship weekend in earning a College Football Playoff appearance. Coan’s heroics late against Virginia Tech set the stage for a second half of the season that saw Notre Dame dominate opponents as he totaled 3,150 passing yards, 25 touchdown passes, and seven interceptions on the year. For reference, Coan’s 8.2 yards per attempt last season were a higher average than [autotag]Ian Book[/autotag] put up his final two years at Notre Dame.
Coan won’t be impossible to replace by any means but the young man deserves his due as he wound up being a lot better over the course of 2021 than most thought he’d be after some early season struggles.
Projected Starter: Tyler Buchner
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
QB1: [autotag]Tyler Buchner,[/autotag] No. 12, Sophomore, 6-1, 215-pounds, San Diego, Cal.
A lot of talk at Notre Dame this off-season has been about the future of the quarterback position as the Irish were heavily involved in the recruitment of five-star [autotag]Dante Moore[/autotag] who ultimately chose Oregon this cycle, and already have a commitment from 2024 five-star quarterback, [autotag]C. J. Carr.[/autotag]
As exciting as the future is, [autotag]Tyler Buchner[/autotag] was ranked just short of a five-star rating a short time ago when he entered Notre Dame. Buchner’s game experience last year felt like it…