Notre Dame QB Ian Book Projected as Tier 6 QB by ESPN
As we hope the 2020 college football happens in a few months, ESPN released an interesting list this week.
College football quarterback tiers.
Tier 1: Can't-Miss Superstars
Tier 2: Elite
Tier 3: Elite like Joe Flacco
Tier 4: Big Shoes to Fill
Tier 5: Non-Power 5
Tier 6: Game Managers
Tier 7: Up-and-Comers
Tier 8: Wild Cards
Tier 9: Open Competitions
Tier 10: We Could be Convinced
There is little debate Justin Fields Ohio State) and Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) are the cream of the crop of college football, but there were some surprising places for some quarterbacks.
We'll first get into Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book, who was listed on tier 6, the game manager tier.
While I think the term game manager is looked down upon by fans, I do somewhat agree with the category.
Book isn't going to make plays like a Trevor Lawrence or Justin Fields - and that's fine.
I don't see a huge difference between Book and Tanner Morgan, Brock Purdy, or Kedon Slovis in terms of the body of work and what they do with an offense. Those three players were classified as Elite in tier 2. Yes, Book would put up massive numbers in the Big 12 and I would imagine he’d have similar success to Morgan considering Notre Dame had a tougher strength of schedule in 2019.
Book in 2019: 240-for-399, 3,034 yards, 34 touchdowns and 6 interceptions
Morgan in 2019: 210-for-318 for 3,253 yards, 30 touchdowns and 7 interceptions
I wouldn't put Book in the elite tier just yet, as that's why he returned to school for a fifth-year. He has part of his game to improve, but I do think he'll have a chance to get there based on what we saw the last half of the season.
Book led the country with 19 touchdowns against the blitz per Pro Football Focus (College) with Jamie Newman and Sam Ehlinger following him.
Yes, Book needs to be more consistent in big games, but other quarterbacks also get to throw the ball against bad teams when they blitz.
I would also put him above any of the five quarterbacks listed in tier 3. Kellen Mond (Texas A&M), Jamie Newman (Georgia), Micale Cunningham (Louisville), KJ Costello (Mississippi State) and Kyle Trask (Florida) - while good quarterbacks, I'm taking Ian Book.
D'Eriq King (Miami) proved to be one of the most entertaining players in the country when at Houston, but I think there are big questions to be answered as he looks to win the job in Coral Gables. I'd move him from Elite to the Wildcard category.
Tier 1: Can't-Miss Superstars
Justin Fields, Ohio State
Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
Tier 2: Elite
Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
Sam Howell, North Carolina
Brock Purdy, Iowa State
D'Eriq King, Miami
Sam Ehlinger, Texas
Kedon Slovis, USC
Tier 3: Elite like Joe Flacco
Kellen Mond, Texas A&M
Jamie Newman, Georgia
Micale Cunningham, Louisville
K.J. Costello, Mississippi State
Kyle Trask, Florida
Tier 4: Big Shoes to Fill
Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma
Bryce Young/Mac Jones, Alabama
Jacob Sirmon/Dylan Morris, Washington
Myles Brennan, LSU
Tier 5: Non-Power 5
Brady White, Memphis
Dillon Gabriel, UCF
Levi Lewis, Louisiana
Zac Thomas, Appalachian State
Trey Lance, North Dakota State
Shane Buechele, SMU
Tier 6: Game Managers
Charlie Brewer, Baylor
Ian Book, Notre Dame
Sam Hartman, Wake Forest
Sean Clifford, Penn State
Chase Garbers, California
Brandon Peters, Illinois
Tier 7: Up-and-Comers
Bo Nix, Auburn
Jayden Daniels, Arizona State
Holton Ahlers, East Carolina
Hank Bachmeier, Boise State
Max Duggan, TCU
Hendon Hooker, Virginia Tech
Davis Mills, Stanford
John Rhys Plumlee, Ole Miss
Tier 8: Wild Cards
Jarret Doege, West Virginia
Spencer Petras, Iowa
Tommy DeVito, Syracuse
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
Jake Bentley, Utah
JT Daniels, Georgia
McKenzie Milton, UCF
Tier 9: Open Competitions
Joe Milton/Dylan McCaffrey, Michigan
Jack Coan/Graham Mertz, Wisconsin
Jarrett Guarantano/Brian Maurer, Tennessee
Tier 10: We Could be Convinced
Ryan Hilinski, South Carolina
Jack Plummer, Purdue
Peyton Ramsey, Northwestern
Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State
Chase Brice, Duke
Adrian Martinez, Nebraska
James Blackman, Florida State
Michael Penix Jr., Indiana
Skylar Thompson, Kansas State