Former Notre Dame QB Ian Book set for first NFL start

Due to injury and COVID-19 issues for the New Orleans Saints, rookie quarterback Ian Book will get his first start on Monday.

Ian Rapport and Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network were the first to report the news.

New Orleans’ top-three quarterbacks are unavailable for the game against the Miami Dolphins, paving the way for the former Notre Dame quarterback to get the nod. Starter Jameis Winston has a torn ACL, Trevor Siemian tested positive for COVID-19, and Taysom Hill is being put on the COVID-19 list because he is a close contact.

Book is now the only healthy quarterback signed with the team, and according to Mike Triplett of ESPN, running back Alvin Kamara would be the emergency backup behind the rookie. Former Navy quarterback turned Saints running back Malcolm Perry is also on the roster.

The Saints are currently operating without head coach Sean Payton, who tested positive for the virus on Friday.

Both teams are 7-7. The Saints are coming off a 9-0 shutout win over the division-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while the Dolphins have won six consecutive games, and their defense is rolling. They are allowing an average of 13 points per game in those six contests.

The game kicks off from the Caesars Superdome at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Book is a three-star recruit turned NFL starter

Book, a California native and former three-star recruit, is the all-time winningest quarterback in Notre Dame history with 35 starts, 30 wins and two starts in the College Football Playoff. He also took Notre Dame to their first and only appearance in a conference title game, the 2020 ACC Championship Game which they lost to Clemson.

He totaled 8,948 yards, 72 touchdowns and 20 interceptions plus 1,517 rushing yards and 17 scores on the ground over four years of playing time in South Bend. He was the first quarterback in school history with at least 2,500 passing yards, 500 rushing yards and 30 touchdown passes in a season. It happened in 2019, and Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts was the only other quarterback to achieve the milestone in college football that year.

Additionally, he was a two-time captain and finished ninth in the 2020 Heisman Trophy voting. Book was drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by New Orleans and has been the No. 4 quarterback since then.