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Ex-Wisconsin QB named starter at Notre Dame for Week 1

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Notre Dame has named its starting quarterback heading into its Week 1 showdown against Florida State. It’s a familiar name to B1G fans.

Jack Coan, the former starting quarterback at Wisconsin, has won the job for the Fighting Irish. Head coach Brian Kelly made the announcement on Saturday.

“Jack Coan will be our starting QB,” Kelly wrote on Twitter. “All three quarterbacks distinguished themselves in the spring and preseason camp. Clearly, each has the skills necessary to lead, but Jack proved to be more consistent and therefore, going into our opener, gives us the best chance for success.”

Coan was Wisconsin’s starter during the 2019 season, leading the Badgers to a 10-4 season and a B1G West title. He threw for 2,727 yards and 18 touchdowns while completing over 69% of his passes with just 5 interceptions.

Last season, Coan suffered an offseason injury that kept him from playing. The Badgers moved on to Graham Mertz to be the leader under center, a spot he didn’t relinquish.

With the writing on the wall in Madison, Coan hit the transfer portal and made the move to Notre Dame. Clearly, that decision paid off as he’s already won the job with three weeks until the opening kickoff.

Notre Dame will play Florida State to start its season.

Adding another element of intrigue is Notre Dame’s showdown against Wisconsin on Saturday, Sept. 25. The game will be played in Chicago at Soldier Field, home of the NFL’s Bears.

Coan being under center should make that game between two high-profile programs even more interesting.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB