Ian Book – New Orleans Saints (133rd Pick, 4th Round)
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QUICK HITS
- Winningest quarterback in program history (30-5); two-time Team Captain
- Pop Warner National College Football Award Winner , Top 10 Heisman Voting
- Finalist: Manning Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, Senior CLASS Award
- Semifinalist: Maxwell Award, Davey O’Brien Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year
GRADUATE SEASON (2020)
- DUKE: Completed 19-of-31 passes, including a 75-yard long, for 236 yards and a touchdown, also rushing for 12 yards in the season-opening win vs. Duke (9/12). Book quarterbacked the Irish offense to five scoring drives, the first of which went 96 yards in 12 plays, to take the lead in the second quarter. It was the longest drive by the Irish since a 97-yard drive in the 30-27 home win over Southern Cal in 2019. Notre Dame also added an 83-yard touchdown drive later in the game; His 75-yard long pass was the longest of his career; recorded three rushing touchdowns in the first half in the 52-0 win vs. South Florida (9/19) – the second time in his career in which he has rushed for three touchdowns in a game (Wake Forest – 2018) – making him the first quarterback in Notre Dame history (modern era) to rush for three touchdowns in a half; no ACC player of any position has scored more touchdowns, rushing or otherwise, in a single game this season than Book’s three, nor has any player scored more points in a single game than Book’s 18, in the 52-0 win vs. South Florida (9/19).
- SOUTH FLORIDA: In the 52-0 shutout win over South Florida, Book managed an offense that scored six total rushing touchdowns (the ACC’s most in a single game this season), traveled 430 yards, posted zero turnovers and only punted twice.
- FLORIDA STATE: Started and went 16-for-25 and 201 yards, while being responsible for three TDs (two passing, one rushing), adding 58 rushing yards (11-yard long), in the win vs. Florida State (10/10). Book quarterbacked ND to 554 yards of total offense, the most for Notre Dame since 2019 vs. Bowling Green (573 yards); with his second touchdown pass of the game in the second quarter, QB Ian Book tied Jimmy Clausen in career touchdown passes with 60, ranking third all-time in Irish history; with his rushing touchdown, Book now ranks 10th all-time in program history with 12 scores on the ground. vs. Florida State (10/10).
- LOUISVILLE: Started and completed 11 passes for 106 yards, rushing 12 times for 47 yards, including a rush which fooled a Louisville defender to gain extra yardage on an impressive go-ahead touchdown in the 12-7 win vs. Louisville (10/17).
- PITTSBURGH: Was named ACC Quarterback of the Week for his performance in the 45-3 win at Pitt (10/24). Book went 16-for-312 and three TDs (73-yard long), with zero INTs, 40 rushing yards and a 173.7 rating. Book’s three passing touchdowns led all ACC quarterbacks on the week, along with his TD pct. (10.0, min. 20 attempts). His 312 passing yards were the second-most in the conference that week. Book’s three TD passes rank second among all Power 5 quarterbacks that week. Just four other Power 5 quarterbacks threw three or more TD passes on the week. The graduate student quarterback posted a QB rating of 173.7 against Pitt. Just one ACC QB had a higher rating that week. Book’s 73-yard pass to Ben Skowronek was the third-longest pass in the FBS on the week and second-longest among ACC quarterbacks. Quarterbacked Notre Dame’s offense to post 40:59 minutes of possession time, the most by an ACC team in a single game this season, and fifth-most in a single game among all FBS teams this season.
- GEORGIA TECH: Completed 18 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 46 yards. Three of his rushes resulted in first downs, and two of those first-down runs were 13 yards or longer, in the 31-13 win at Georgia Tech (10/31).
- CLEMSON: Named to the O’Brien Great 8 List when Book quarterbacked the Irish to a double-overtime win over No. 1 Clemson, earning the game ball (11/7). He totaled 310 passing yards vs. the top-ranked passing defense in the ACC in Clemson (allows 191.8 avg./game), marking the eighth 300-yard game of his career. He now ranks third all-time in 300-yard passing games among all Irish quarterbacks, passing John and Bobbie Arlotta Offensive Coordinator Tommy Rees (7). His 310 yards ranked third among all ACC quarterbacks on the weekend. Book went 5-for-5 to start the game, not throwing his first incompletion until 13:20 remained in the second quarter. His 67 rushing yards alone outpaced the entire Clemson offense, which posted 34 rushing yards that day. Thirteen of Book’s 22 completions were for gains of 10 yards or more, and four gained 28 yards or more. Six of Book’s completions came on successful third-down conversions.
- BOSTON COLLEGE: Book went 20-of-27 for 283 yards and three touchdowns in the 45-31 win over Boston College (11/14). Posting zero sacks and zero interceptions, he also added 10 rushes for 85 yards and a touchdown. With a 74.1 completion percentage, Book led all ACC quarterbacks on the weekend. He was also the only ACC quarterback not to take a sack on the weekend (among eligible QBs). His 10.48 yards/attempt were the second-most in the ACC for the week. Book’s 198.8 passer rating ranked sixth on the weekend among all FBS quarterbacks. Accounting for four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing), Book’s game marked the first time a Notre Dame player has been responsible for four or more touchdowns in a single game since he did it at Stanford in 2019.
- NORTH CAROLINA: Went 23-of-33 for 279 yards and a touchdown (Zero INTs, 53-yard long), with eight rushes for 48 yards in the 31-17 win at North Carolina (11/27). Book finished the day without any turnovers, giving him 237-straight pass attempts without an interception. It ties for the longest active streak among all FBS quarterbacks, and is the longest streak in Notre Dame history, topping Brady Quinn’s 226. Book posted a season-long 33-yard run against the Tar Heels, the longest run by a starting quarterback in the ACC this week. The graduate student quarterbacked the Irish to four touchdown drives of at least 75 yards, including a season-long scoring drive of 97 yards. Book led the Irish to 478 yards of total offense against a UNC defense that entered the game allowing 413.6 yards of offense per game.
- SYRACUSE: Was named a Manning Star of the Week for his performance in the 45-21 win over Syracuse, in which he became the winningest quarterback in Notre Dame history (30 wins as a starter). Book completed a perfect record as a starting quarterback in Notre Dame Stadium going 15-0 as a starter at home, tying the most wins at home by a Notre Dame starting passer. Book went 24-of-37 for 285 yards and three touchdowns, adding eight rushes for 53 yards and two touchdowns. He accounted for five touchdowns vs. Syracuse, the most by any Power 5 player (any position) on the weekend. No FBS player accounted for more touchdowns on the week than Book’s five, which tied his career-high and was the most by an Irish player since he passed for five touchdowns vs. Navy in 2019. With eight rushing touchdowns (including two Saturday) this season, Book ranks third among all Power 5 quarterbacks in season rushing touchdowns. With his rushing touchdowns, Book moved into fourth all-time in Notre Dame quarterback rushing touchdowns with 14. His eight rushing touchdowns in 2020 tie for fifth all-time among Irish QBs in a single season. Entering the game, Syracuse’s defense allowed an average of 251.8 passing yards per game. Book surpassed that mark in the first half alone with 252 passing yards. With an interception vs. Syracuse, Book capped the longest streak by an Irish QB in program history with 266 attempts without a pick. It was the longest active streak in the FBS. Book was responsible for 19 of Notre Dame’s 27 first downs on the day (15 passing, four rushing), and all but one of the Irish’s 15 first downs in the first half (the only other Notre Dame first down in the first half was by penalty).
- ACC CHAMPIONSHIP: In the ACC Championship, Book completed 20 passes, moving into second all-time in Notre Dame quarterback career completions with 701, passing Jimmy Clausen’s 695. Book trails only Brady Quinn (929). On the day, Book totaled 219 passing yards with a 137.1 rating.
- CFP SEMIFINAL AT THE ROSE BOWL GAME: Started and totaled 27 completions for 229 yards, adding 15 rushing attempts for 55 yards and a touchdown. With his rushing touchdown, Book tied for third all-time among all Irish quarterbacks with 17 rushing touchdowns, joining Rick Mirer. He ends his starting QB career with a 30-5 record, the most wins by a single Notre Dame quarterback in the 132-year history of the program.