Looking back at Notre Dame’s Playoff run in 2018, quarterback Ian Book’s impact on the season seems rather obvious. Hindsight will do that. Heading into the season, a dozen media members ranked Book at No. 29 in the annual “Counting Down the Irish” polling.
Book was behind then-freshman safety Houston Griffith (No. 26) and junior receiver Michael Young (No. 28). And even though Book went on to win eight games, setting the program record for completion percentage in a season, that was not the worst ranking in retrospect. He was the backup quarterback, and this exercise logically skews toward starters.