How former Notre Dame QB Ian Book is writing his next life chapter

SOUTH BEND —Football training camps have opened around the NFL, yet former Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book remains in professional limbo.

>Now 28 with a 1-month-old (Hudson Michael) at home, Book continues to work out daily at Notre Dame just in case an NFL team shows interest.

>“If I got a call, I’m gone tonight,” Book said recently after conducting a youth skills camp at the Mishawaka Fieldhouse.

>Does that mean the door remains open for the career backup?

>“Always.”

>A fourth-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2021, Book bounced around to a handful of other teams over his four years in the league: Philadelphia, New England, Kansas City and back to Philadelphia, where he won a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles just 18 months ago.

>The former three-star recruit who willed his way to a 30-5 career record as the Irish starting quarterback, including two trips to the College Football Playoff, was given just one start in the NFL.

>That was Dec. 27, 2021 in a 20-3 Monday night loss to the Miami Dolphins. Playing behind a makeshift Saints offensive line, Book was intercepted twice and sacked eight times.

>He could have continued his pro career north of the border or in a spring league in hopes of earning another chance, but that was never the point.

>“I decided not on Canadian or UFL,” he said. “I wanted to do the NFL. It’s always been my dream. Got a Notre Dame (marketing) degree and know I can do something else. I’ve played football for a long time and loved it, but I really wanted to go NFL or nothing.”

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'Writing might be on the wall,' Ian Book saysWatching Book effortlessly fling passes downfield to some of the 50 youth campers, ages 9 to 15, on a recent Sunday afternoon, it’s hard to believe his playing career might be over.

>The youthful joy was still evident as he interacted with former teammates Josh Lugg, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, Cole Mabry and Nolan Henry — guest coaches on this day at “Train Like a Pro” — and Book’s leadership was on display as well during 90 minutes of on-field drills, instruction and motivation.

>Later, Book and the other instructors guided the kids through 30 minutes of detailed instruction at the OSMC performance recovery lounge. Campers learned how to stretch properly during a cooldown while others got a chance to try out the massage chair, massage gun or compression boots.

>Should Book get another shot somewhere, all that veteran savvy would be put to good use.

>“We’ll see,” he said. “The writing might be on the wall for me that way, but I’m doing a ton of new things now. Really busy. New dad. A lot to look forward to, but football could be coming to an end.”

>What was harder: Keeping 50-some campers in line as they moved from station to station or helping wife Kendall with the daily challenges of first-time parenthood?

>“Ugggh,” Book said with the unmistakable tone of a sleep-deprived dad. “Baby is a lot harder.”

>Chase Klopfenstein, a freshman running back and linebacker at NorthWood High School, gave Book high marks for his patience and attentiveness at the clinic.

>“I think he was a great coach,” said Klopfenstein, 15. “We have a lot of great coaches at NorthWood, but (Book) is something special. We don’t have many guys from up in the big leagues come here to work with us.”

>Book, after patiently drawing up plays with his finger on the back of the football in 1-on-1 drills, made it clear he hasn’t ruled out coaching someday.

>“I will never say ‘no coaching,’ but I just have my hand in a lot of different things right now,” he said. “I’m around the program. I love it. I love training kids. I love doing this. We’ll see.”

>In between autographs and this interview, Book willingly threw a few more passes to eager young campers. He seemed to be having as much fun as they were.

>“You can always come back and coach,” Book said. ‘I don’t think that will ever leave me, but for right now I’m just trying some new things.”

>

The many endeavors of Ian BookAs director of investor relations at South Bend’s Golden Legacy Partners, the real-estate management company Lugg and former Irish teammate Tommy Kraemer formed in 2025, Book has found new ways to push himself professionally.

>He spent a full year auditing a real estate private equity class and has found fulfillment in the chance to add new skills almost daily.

>“I’m learning everything,” he said. “I love that it’s the guys I’ve been with. We’re running a different playbook now, but it still feels the same, like we’re back on a team and investing in a community like South Bend that invested in us.”

>The northern California product maintains a home in South Bend for eight months a year, but the winter months are spent out west.

>“Just having a new goal of underwriting an apartment building, going out and getting it, making it better,” he said. “That’s been my new thing.”

>Media work has become a new avenue for Book as well. In addition to hosting “The PlayBook,” an NIL-focused podcast that’s part of Notre Dame’s Rally initiative, he served as an on-air analyst for Peacock’s coverage of Notre Dame’s Pro Day and Blue-Gold Game in the spring.

>“I really enjoyed my time in the booth,” he said. “Got to see football from a different perspective. Just want to stay around the game somehow, so that was really cool. Anything I can do for Notre Dame is an honor.”

>With longtime Notre Dame radio analyst Ryan Harris’ recent decision to focus on law school at the University of Colorado, there’s a rare opening in the Irish football radio booth.

>Book seems like a leading candidate for that role alongside third-year radio voice Tony Simeone, his partner on the spring game.

>“That would be a great experience,” Book said. “We’ll see what happens.”

>Harris and NBC’s Mike Tirico have been among Book’s early broadcasting mentors.

>“I had a great call with Mike Tirico,” Book said. “He was awesome. I’ve called all those guys. They were very supportive.”

>Analyzing football seems to come naturally to Book, but some nuances require adjustment.

>“It’s definitely challenging,” he said. “There’s a lot of studying going on, but once you get talking -- I forgot I was on air. But that first series, I was like, ‘This is a little different.’ “

>The radio analyst’s role would provide more time to expound on particular points without the stress of breaking down replays and pre-packaged visuals on TV.

>“(Radio) is a whole new ballgame,” Book said. “That will be new. Everything was new. All of it will be new for me. We’ll see what I can do.”

>One might think the responsibilities of fatherhood and his lingering interest in playing again would make a full-time broadcast commitment difficult for Book, but he sounds up for that challenge as well.

>Smiling again, Book said: “I can be flexible.”

>Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.

>This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: How former Notre Dame QB Ian Book is writing his next life chapter