Phil Jurkovec’s transfer from Notre Dame is not a sign of the Irish; it is a sign of the times. It is not a reflection of his progress or lack thereof; it is a reflection of Ian Book’s steadying development. It is not an exception or an abnormality; it is the modern reality.
Jurkovec arrived at Notre Dame a heralded quarterback, not the most so in some extraordinary amount of time, but one nonetheless expected to carry a revived Irish program to its next level by the end of his career. Head coach Brian Kelly stoked those fires when he described Jurkovec as “the best quarterback in the country” in a moment of National Signing Day hyperbole.