Notre Dame football: 5 questions the Fighting Irish must answer in 2020

2. Will Notre Dame QB Ian Book keep thriving as pass-catchers turn over?

No decision had a more positive impact on Notre Dame football heading into the 2020 season than quarterback Ian Book‘s choice to return to South Bend for another season. The signal-caller has been an absolute stud on the field in terms of his production since taking over as the starter but he’s also developed into a finely tuned leader that will be critical in the locker room moving forward.

A season ago, Book showed the goods again as he threw for 3,034 yards, 34 touchdowns and only six interceptions while also finishing second on the team in rushing yards (546) and third in rushing touchdowns (4).

Having said that, Book finds himself in a somewhat questionable spot as he comes back to the program for another year. While he’s back, Chase Claypool, Cole Kmet and Chris Finke, Notre Dame’s three leading receivers from last year, are not. That means that, outside of a few veteran presences, the Irish offense is going to be depending on a slew of young players, headlined by guys such as Lawrence Keys III and Braden Lenzy, to step into much larger roles and excel.

When working with weapons that he’s been familiar with, we know that Book can produce for himself and lead his team to victory. What we haven’t really seen is what he looks like working with players he may not have as good of a rapport with. How he fares in that regard will go a long way in determining the overall upside of the Notre Dame offense in 2020.