This may not be Ian Book’s last year at Notre Dame after all after NCAA ruling

What if Ian Book wasn’t done playing for Notre Dame football after 2020?

Ian Book may have a shot at playing two more seasons for Notre Dame football now.

According to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, “The NCAA Division I Council decided today that fall sport student-athletes can compete in any amount of competitions this year and it will not count as a season of eligibility. This still needs to be approved by NCAA Board of Governors on Friday.”

With Notre Dame playing as a part of the ACC in 2020, could Book return to South Bend in 2021?

Is it a good idea for Ian Book to play for Notre Dame football in 2021?

Ian Book is in a similar situation like Sam Ehlinger is with the Texas Longhorns. Book is an excellent college quarterback and one who helped the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reach the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history back in 2018 as a sophomore. However, he’s not slated to be a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, as his arm talent isn’t quite NFL level.

Book’s NFL comparisons are not as obvious at Ehlinger’s. You can look at the Texas quarterback and say he’s some combination of Dak Prescott and Tim Tebow. While one has shined in the NFL on his rookie contract, the other was kicked to the curb before his rookie contract even expired. Book is probably some variation of an Alex Smith or a Blaine Gabbert as an NFL Draft prospect.

As with Ehlinger, Book has an opportunity to do something really, really cool as a college quarterback. Should the Clemson Tigers stumble for whatever reason this fall, you’d have to say Notre Dame is the next most likely team to win the ACC Conference Championship game. The Irish don’t even play in the ACC most seasons, but everything is different this year, and it’s so obvious.

Could you imagine Book leading the Irish to the College Football Playoff for the second time in three seasons? The first would come as a sophomore in 2018 as a national independent and the second would be as a senior as champions of the ACC in 2020. I mean, he should probably go pro right then and there, but he could lead the Irish to the playoff for a third time in the 2021 season.

At this juncture, everybody seems to understand that Brian Kelly is a phenomenal head coach, as the Irish have asserted themselves as a top-10 program in the country. If they played in the ACC annually, they’d contend for a College Football Playoff berth anyway. Should Book be the quarterback that leads the Irish to their first three playoff appearances, he becomes a legend.

Book may be looking ahead to the 2021 NFL Draft, but he may have a 2021 NCAA season as well.

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