SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Will anybody be left to catch Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book’s passes next fall?
In the days after Book announced his intention to return as a fifth-year senior, he saw multiple teammates apply for early entry into the NFL Draft. In addition to leading rusher Tony Jones Jr., a valuable outlet out of the backfield, tight end Cole Kmet reversed his November announcement and said he, too, was headed to the pros.
Kmet, a two-sport standout from St. Viator High School, had been looking forward to pitching with younger brother Casey behind the plate for the Fighting Irish baseball team in the spring, but a second-round draft grade from the NFL’s College Advisory Committee changed those plans.
Frank Kmet, the boys’ father, played defensive tackle at Purdue from 1988 to 1991 and was a fourth-round pick of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.
‘‘This was an incredibly difficult decision,’’ Cole Kmet wrote Thursday on his Instagram page, ‘‘because while I am ready for the NFL, I was not sure I was ready to say goodbye to Notre Dame.’’
Battling back from serious injuries to his ankle and collarbone the last two seasons likely contributed to his decision.
And, just like that, along with graduating seniors Chase Claypool and Chris Finke, Book watched more than 65 percent of the Irish’s total receptions this season walk out the door. If senior Javon McKinley opts for a graduate transfer, as his late-season fade would suggest, that means Notre Dame would lose receivers responsible for 28 of its 37 touchdown receptions in 2019.
Leading the way next season will be third-year sophomore tight end Tommy Tremble, who had four touchdown catches among his 16 grabs for 183 yards. No other returning target had more than two touchdown receptions.
Larger roles no doubt await returning wideouts Braden Lenzy, Lawrence Keys III and Kevin Austin Jr., who is coming off a seasonlong suspension, as well as block-first tight end Brock Wright. A talented group of incoming freshmen, led by five-star receiver Jordan Johnson of St. Louis and four-star tight ends Michael Mayer and Kevin Bauman, should get early looks, too.
There’s also former Northwestern captain Ben Skowronek, who announced his graduate transfer this week, to provide another option at receiver. But it’s easy to see the merit in the idea of using freshman All-America safety Kyle Hamilton, a two-way terror in high school, for selected snaps at receiver in 2020.
Another area of uncertainty is at offensive coordinator, where demanding Chip Long was fired after three highly successful seasons. Former Lake Forest High School and Notre Dame quarterback Tom Rees, who now coaches the Irish quarterbacks, shared game-planning duties with running backs coach Lance Taylor ahead of the Camping World Bowl.
But it was Rees, a well-known Book favorite, who called the plays in Notre Dame’s 33-9 blowout of unranked Iowa State. Book completed 20 of 28 passes for 247 yards and a touchdown.
He also came within an eyelash of having two passes intercepted, but he still managed to finish on a four-game pick-free streak with 13 touchdown passes. Well-regarded backup Phil Jurkovec, who already burned his redshirt season in 2018, threw only three passes in the final six games and 15 total in 2019.
If Rees is elevated to offensive coordinator at age 27 — he will turn 28 in May — it figures to help ease the transition for Book and a fresh corps of receivers.
Book calls Rees ‘‘the smartest coach I’ve learned from,’’ and the narrow gap in age has helped them forge a strong working relationship.
‘‘I believe in him wholeheartedly, no doubt about it,’’ said Book, who is 20-3 as the Irish’s starter. ‘‘Everything I’ve learned is from him. When his opportunity is called, he’ll be ready. I’m not worried about that at all.’’
And if that time is now, even with coach Brian Kelly expected to interview outside candidates?
‘‘I’d be extremely excited about it,’’ Book said. ‘‘But I know coach Kelly, whatever he does, will put us in the right situation.’’
Losing Kmet, a trusted third-down and red-zone weapon after 43 catches and six touchdowns this season, won’t make the situation any easier for Book.
Mike Berardino is a freelance writer based in South Bend, Ind.
