Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 16, 2019 7 UNDER THE DOME Nothing Personal, But It's Time For Book To Move On By Todd D. Burlage The career of Ian Book at Notre Dame as the starter has pretty much gone, well … by the book. When the senior Irish quarterback plays good defenses (Clemson, Georgia, Michigan, etc.), he's typically below average to way off. When he plays average ones (Virginia Tech, Virginia, etc.), expect him to play average. And when he plays bad teams (New Mexico, Bowling Green, etc.), he's really good. Is that good enough for Notre Dame moving forward? Heading into the Duke game with only three ca- reer losses as a starter, there's clearly a lot to like about Book the last two seasons. But if the Irish want to compete for a national championship in 2020 — which is always the stated goal — Book needs to play his fifth and final season elsewhere so that head coach Brian Kelly can finally make Phil Jurkovec his starter and the focus of the Irish offense. Jurkovec is the best signal-caller Kelly has recruited. And with two years already invested in the program, this high school prodigy needs to show his coach and everybody else why. Given that Book would likely go undrafted if he chose the NFL route after this season, he could find greener pastures, less criticism, and presumably more progression taking his graduate transfer option and finishing his career elsewhere in 2020. It's a decision that would not only elevate Book's professional promise, but also lift Jurkovec and the Notre Dame offense to a place where they both belong. It Seems A Logical Move, But … By Lou Somogyi Deep down, I agree with many topics Todd addressed — although other quarterbacks signed by Brian Kelly such as Gunner Kiel and Brandon Wimbush were ranked higher than Phil Jurkovec. People and teams generally reach a plateau, also referred to often in business as The Peter Principle, and Ian Book possibly has reached his ceiling. Plus, the 10- year pattern under Kelly is "the new guy" makes an instant splash that gets the masses re-invigorated with optimism — just as Book did in 2018, or Bran- don Wimbush in 2017, or DeShone Kizer in 2015, or Malik Zaire in 2014, or Everett Golson in 2012 … Still, there are a few factors to consider. Would Notre Dame's 2020 roster be better or worse with Book on it? Two, the grass isn't always greener elsewhere. Dayne Crist, Golson, Zaire and Wimbush became graduate transfers to showcase their skills … but either floun- dered or lost their jobs there. Meanwhile, another three-star quarterback such as LSU's Joe Burrow went from solid to Heisman candidate at the same school. Three, how would Book expect to play in the NFL if he can't beat out some- one who hasn't played meaningful snaps yet at his current school? Four, do we truly know that Jurkovec or Brendon Clark would be better? Maybe Jurkovec would respond differently if Book left and he knew he was "The Man," but the coaching staff will in about a month from now have to make the judgment call — as does Book — on whether the team and he would continue to get better at Notre Dame. Point ✦ Counterpoint: SHOULD IAN BOOK RETURN FOR A FIFTH SEASON OR MOVE ON IN 2020? PHIL JURKOVEC IAN BOOK Rob Kelly knows just about everything there is to know about the University of Notre Dame. From his time as a student in the early 2000s, to working in purchasing and supply management for the university to helping develop a school- wide website redesign project to his current role as senior associate athletics director for media & brand, Kelly has worn many hats during his almost 20 years at Notre Dame. In his current position, the 39-year-old Kelly oversees four primary areas, including ticket sales and operations, premium seating sales and ser- vice, and Fighting Irish Media for the Notre Dame athletic department. A self-proclaimed, "Air Force brat," Kelly was born in Spain. After that, he lived in Colorado and then twice in Texas before graduating from high school in a little town called Addison in south central Michigan. We caught up with Kelly to find out a few more details about his important job. BGI: How did you end up at Notre Dame to study after high school? Kelly: "I wanted to be an engineering student so I looked at a bunch of schools, but I only ap- plied to two — Notre Dame and Michigan Tech — and I actually had a full ride to Michigan Tech. "I was pretty much ready to go there and then I got the acceptance letter to go to Notre Dame and that's hard to turn down." BGI: You spent three years away after gradu- ation before coming back to Notre Dame, what was your attraction to return? Kelly: "I worked for a Fortune 100 multinational corporation, great experience, learned a ton. I felt re- warded there, but not fulfilled, and I wanted to come work for a place whose mission I believed in and where the values matched mine and my family's." BGI: What are the primary responsibilities of your position? Kelly: "My title has 'media' and 'brand' in it, so broadly I have responsibility for stewarding the Notre Dame brand, certainly as it plays out in our athletic venues and athletic events with our student-athletes, and the various functions that we have with communications, public relations, media relations, social media, graphic design and video production across three disciplines — fea- ture, video board and broadcast." BGI: With everything you've learned and all the positions you've held here, is there anything you don't know about Notre Dame? Kelly: "The beauty of working at a university is there is always something to be learned. My ca- reer should be an example of one where it wasn't always a promotion, it wasn't always a step up. "I embraced those opportunities and they paid off for me, particularly in the last several years in athletics when I've had tremendous opportunities to advance and increase my responsibilities, take on really fun and challenging opportunities to work in areas that have really talented people, whether that's working with NBC or the local beat." BGI: What has your time at Notre Dame meant to you? Kelly: "There are very few places I would feel as motivated by the mission. When you can say, 'The mission of Notre Dame is to be a force for good in the world,' that's pretty hard to beat." — Todd D. Burlage Five Questions With … ND ASSOCIATE ATHLETICS DIRECTOR FOR MEDIA & BRAND ROB KELLY Aside from a three-year stint after graduation with a Fortune 100 multinational corporation, Kelly has spent his entire professional career learning and growing across various depart- ments at Notre Dame and has been with the department of athletics since 2013. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA