A Rejuvenated Phil Jurkovec Ready to Tango with Notre Dame

Phil Jurkovec's decision to transfer from Notre Dame came as a shock to many, but wasn’t a surprise to many at the same time.

The Gibsonia (Pa.) native wanted to play like any other player, but there were various levels that went into his decision to leave South Bend. 

"It was tough," Jurkovec said of the decision to leave the Irish. "Notre Dame was my dream school growing up. There's a lot of great things about Notre Dame - the school, how much they win, the culture of it and the players. There's a lot of good people there."

Despite his love for the Irish and those in the program, Jurkovec needed a fresh start and a change in culture. 

Notre Dame fan or not, the fact Jurkovec was looking to switch positions was telling. The talent was there, but the development and confidence never quite came.

"Football was really changing for me," explained Jurkovec. "I was debating switching positions because I don't think I could have done another year just sitting on the bench. I had to go play somewhere. I was really down and basically on the brink of not playing quarterback. At that point, I was talking to my family and they said I had to go somewhere to play." 

The 6-foot-5, 226-pounder entered the transfer portal and quickly found a landing spot at Boston College. 

He took his heart out of the process and made a decision on where he could develop, but also where he could get back to a good mental space. 

"Notre Dame has a great brand for its school and football," said Jurkovec. "Whenever I hit the transfer portal, I didn't want to go to a school based off the school, based off the fans, or anything that really didn't matter to me." 

Enter Jeff Hafley and Frank Cignetti. 

Hafley, a first-year head coach, needed a quarterback to build his program around and a player to put his faith into. 

Cignetti, also a Pittsburgh native, coached quarterbacks for years at the NFL and collegiate levels. If there was a coach to maximize Jurkovec's talents, it would be the guy who has coached Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning and Sam Bradford. 

"Sitting down with my parents, they said I had to throw everything out of the window other than what coaches are really looking to help me out and develop me and be on my side," Jurkovec explained. "That's really the main thing I was looking for. I found it with Coach Hafley and Coach Cignetti." 

It's worked out for Jurkovec because he found the love of football again. It's not a shot at his time at Notre Dame, but a little belief goes a long way. 

"Throughout this whole season, I feel I keep getting better week by week," stated Jurkovec. "It's had ups and downs, but it's been a joy playing and competing. It's really switched it around for me. 

"I feel I'm in the right place. There were a number of reasons why it wasn't working out at Notre Dame and I grew very frustrated. Now, I'm just having fun with it and looking forward to getting better." 

Jurkovec currently leads the ACC in passing with 2,083 yards. He's thrown 15 touchdowns to four interceptions. 

It's also worked for Notre Dame as the Irish are No. 2 in the country and Ian Book is right behind Jurkovec with 1,844 yards, nine touchdowns and one pick. 

Notre Dame will now face Jurkovec and Boston College this week and it's a game both sides have been looking forward to playing. 

"I haven't said anything to Phil this week," said Notre Dame captain Ade Ogundeji. "Phil was a great teammate. He was a cool and a funny guy. He's a great guy. 

"Watching him on film, he can make every throw. He's a big guy. He can throw on the run and do a lot of different things. He's a playmaker out there. It'll be an exciting challenge for us. I'm ready for it and hype for it." 

Linebacker Shayne Simon was part of the same recruiting class as Jurkovec and the two stay in contact to this day. 

"Phil is my guy," said Simon. "We still talk to him pretty frequently. He's part of our class, so we all stay pretty close. We're all still cool and looking forward to playing against him. May the best man win. 

"We're looking to go compete just like he is and we're going to go after him." 

The Boston College signal-caller also admitted it would be fun to play ball against familiar faces on Saturday. 

"We've been talking throughout the year, especially the guys in my class," said Jurkovec. "We're still pretty tight. This week, we haven't talked too much. I know they want to beat me badly and the same with me. We're not friends out on the field, but I have good relationships with a lot of those guys." 

Jurkovec can't hide from the spotlight this week as it's rare for a quarterback transfer to get a shot at his old school less than a year after leaving, but he's already had somewhat of a tune-up. 

Boston College knocked off Pitt earlier this year, a game Jurkovec also wanted to win as he has many ties to the hometown program. 

"At the end of the day, you have to focus on the numbers and the players out there," Jurkovec stated. "You can't let it affect you as any personal connection that you know. You have to focus on the defense and the offense and play the game. 

"It makes it a little more fun when you know the guys you're playing against." 

All in all, Jurkovec's transfer will be as dramatic as the eye of the beholder. 

Jurkovec got a fresh start and Notre Dame hasn't looked back. 

Notre Dame taught Jurkovec important lessons and he'll look to implement those on the field this weekend. 

"I think I learned a lot," said Jurkovec. "They've won a lot of games and been in big primetime games that I didn't play in, but I saw how they prepare - a lot of good players and NFL players. Just being able to practice with them and be around them, I learned a lot for sure."