Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2019 Notre Dame Football Preview
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1133608
BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 49 QUARTERBACKS POSITION COACH Tom Rees is entering his third season as Notre Dame's quarterbacks coach and his fifth as a coach at the colle- giate level. In his second season with the Fighting Irish, Rees instructed a passing game that connected on 268 of 418 throws (64.1 percent) for 3,347 yards with 23 touch- downs, all of which were statistical improvements from 2017. Rees also helped with the transition from Brandon Wimbush to Ian Book early on during Notre Dame's season. In 2017, Rees' first season with Notre Dame, Irish quarterbacks completed 182 of 352 passes (51.7 percent) for 2,326 yards with 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He helped Notre Dame's passing attack average 178.9 yards per game and 12.78 yards per completion. He spent his first year at Notre Dame serving in the role of a graduate assistant, before the NCAA's rul- ing that allowed for a 10th full-time assistant coach starting in January 2018. Prior to taking the job at his alma mater, Rees spent one season as an offensive assistant with the San Diego Chargers. The Lake Bluff, Ill., native broke into the coaching ranks as an offensive graduate as- sistant at Northwestern in 2015. Rees posted a 23-8 record (.742 winning percent- age) as a starting quarterback for the Irish from 2010-13, and ranks in the top five in school history in 21 different single-game, single-season or career passing categories. He finished with 7,670 career yards and 61 touchdowns. As a senior in 2013, he was named the team Offensive Player of the Year after throwing for 3,257 yards and 27 touchdowns. Rees earned his bachelor's degree in management consulting from Notre Dame in 2013. RETURNING PLAYERS IAN BOOK • QB Sr. • El Dorado Hills, Calif. Ht.: 6-0 • Wt.: 208 • Took over the starting quarter- back job going into the Wake Forest game and held onto it for the rest of the 2018 season. • Helped lead the Fighting Irish to the College Football Playoff by going 8-0 in his regular-season starts. • Finished his junior season with 2,628 yards and 19 touchdowns through the air, while tacking on 280 yards and four scores on the ground. • Ranked eighth in the nation with his 68.15 per- cent completion rate. • Had a standout performance against Stanford, throwing for 278 yards and four touchdowns. • Saw action in 10 games and made one start as a sophomore. • Became the sixth straight Irish signal-caller to win his starting debut by going 17-of-31 passing for 146 yards with a score, while also rushing for 45 yards against North Carolina. • Came off the bench and connected on 14 of 19 throws for 164 yards with two touchdowns and one interception to lead Notre Dame to a 21-17 win over LSU in the Citrus Bowl on Jan. 1, 2018. • Did not play during the 2016 campaign. • Rated as a three-star prospect, the No. 57 player in California and the No. 15 pro-style quarterback nationally by Rivals. Year G-GS Com. Att. Yards TD INT 2017 10-1 46 75 456 4 4 2018 12-9 214 314 2,628 19 7 Total 22-10 260 389 3,084 23 11 PHIL JURKOVEC • QB So. • Gibsonia, Pa. Ht.: 6-5 • Wt.: 225 • Saw action in two games last year, and ran the ball twice for nine yards while also attempt- ing two passes. • Set a single-season state record with 5,180 yards total offense in 2017. • Finished third all time in Pennsylvania history with 11,144 yards of total offense despite missing half of his junior season with an injury. • Named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Penn- sylvania and USA Today's Offensive Player of the Year in Pennsylvania. • Competed in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. • Rivals listed him as a four-star prospect, the No. 2 player in Pennsylvania, and the No. 5 dual-threat quarterback and No. 87 overall player in the nation. NEWCOMER BRENDON CLARK • QB Fr. • Midlothian, Va. Ht.: 6-2• Wt.: 210 • Broke several records at Manchester High School with his prolific passing game, most notably the single-season marks in passing yards (2,372) and passing touchdowns (35). • Threw for 35 touchdowns and just one intercep- tion in his senior campaign. • Showed his ability to run the football as well, tallying 2,067 yards and 34 touchdowns on the ground in his prep career. • Named the USA Today Virginia Offensive Player of the Year in 2018 and was named to the USA Today All-State first team in 2017. • Ranked by Rivals as a three-star prospect, the No. 12 player in Virginia and the No. 20 pro-style quarterback in the country. BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 49 Freshman Brendon Clark might have the No. 3 role when he steps on campus, but every Notre Dame quar- terback to enroll since 2011 has had a redshirt season. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM