Blue and Gold Illustrated

54 NOV. 1, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED E very Saturday be- fore CJ Carr takes the field as Notre Dame's starting quarterback, the redshirt freshman gets a text from the winningest quarterback in Irish foot- ball history, Ian Book. And after every game, at some point, they'll meet to debrief. "I try to be a resource for him if he needs me," Book said ahead of Notre Dame's 36-7 home vic- tory over North Carolina State Oct. 11. "But I also try not to bug him. I know he's got a lot of things going on. He's doing the right things. "He's playing at a very high level. He's a very good quarterback that we'll prob- ably see on Sundays at some point. He's got a bright future." And a valuable piece of Notre Dame's past in his back pocket. This is the pragmatic side of Irish fourth-year head coach Marcus Free- man's vision and ensuing action of reconnecting Notre Dame's former football players with the current ones — relationships that enrich the lives on both sides of the equation. Notre Dame director of athletics Pete Bevacqua is all in on that notion as well. As is Jack Shields, a 1983 Notre Dame grad and former Irish linebacker whose gift will help make a much-needed 150,000-square-foot football facility a reality by next fall — the Jack and Kathy Shields Family Hall. "Jack Shields and I spent a ton of time together the last two years, and he's be- come a really good friend," Bevacqua said. "He believes so fundamentally in the four-for-forever promise and is re- ally focused on the forever part. "How do we keep our student-ath- letes — not just football players, but all of our student-athletes — connected to this university? Whether it's career ad- vice, whether it's helping them in their lives. That's the purpose of life after Notre Dame." And so, Shields Hall will be for them too. "We're designing it for if you're com- ing back and you want to work out and prepare for a tryout or just stay in shape before you go back to your NFL team," Bevacqua said. "There's going to be a spot for you with your name on it. There's going to be all the resources you need. Ian Book's a perfect example." Book, Notre Dame's starting QB from 2018-20, and his wife, in fact, just bought a house in the South Bend area last week. And while the complement to the 20-year-old Guglielmino Ath- letics Complex is still under construc- tion, Freeman found a way to make the arrangement work within the existing facilities, while Book works out with the current Irish team three hours a day, five days a week in case an NFL team calls. The 27-year-old's last NFL stint, late in the 2024 season, earned him a Super Bowl ring with the Philadelphia Eagles. "I love what's going on with Coach Freeman and everybody," Book said. "He got me a locker. I throw with all the guys that need some extra reps. I threw [Sat- urday] morning [before the North Caro- lina State game]. I even get arm therapy in there with [head trainer] Rob Hunt. I feel like I'm back on the team." And in a lot of ways, he is. Carr regularly and without prompting lauds Book as a resource, a mentor and a friend. "I don't even dive into the film with him unless he wants me to," Book said. "But I am here to help him handle the Notre Dame quarterback position out- side of the classroom, outside of the practice field. " My b i g ge s t a dv i ce for him was on how to handle the pressure. I told him was, 'You have always wanted to be a D1 QB, and you're now here. Enjoy it all. Be the best leader. Be the best team- mate. Do well in the com- munity as well.' And he's totally embraced all of it." The two actually met for the first time when Carr was still in high school. They share the same private quarterback trainer, Will Hewlett, in Jacksonville, Fla., and first crossed paths there. "Just the amount of work he was put- ting in at a high school level is impres- sive," Book said of his first impression. "And then if you just go look at pure mechanics, he's one of the best throw- ers of the football I've seen in a long time, especially at a young age. He's got unbelievable mechanics. "It's hard to spin the ball like that ev- ery single time. He's somebody that can deliver the football on time. And then the fact that he can read the field this well as a young guy, it's hard to do. He's ahead of the game." And soon there may be even more of these parallel storylines. "We mean it when we say it's not a four- year decision. It's a forever decision," Bev- acqua said. "And our efforts there are tan- gible proof of that. We want that football player, when that person comes back, to feel like they're still a huge part of Notre Dame, a huge part of the program. "And I think we have had — and will continue to have — great success with that, and hopefully more success than ever." Ian Book was a recent guest on WSBT Sports Radio's GameDay pregame show with Blue & Gold's Eric Hansen and Ty- ler Horka, and WSBT's Tim Grauel. ✦ The connection between Ian Book (left) and CJ Carr (right) epitomizes the "forever deci- sion" of being a Notre Dame football player. PHOTOS BY MICHAEL MILLER Notre Dame's Past Is Fueling Its Future Eric Hansen covers Notre Dame athletics for On3, with a focus on Irish football. He can be reached on X @ EHansenND THE DEEP READ ERIC HANSEN

• Cover