Notre Dame Football: All-Time Single Season Passing Leaders
Notre Dame football is as big of brand as there is in all of college football and it didn’t get that way from being mediocre.
Instead, it was a lot of winning that went into building a tradition that stands up as well as any in the history of the game.
But who is the best player at the most important position in the history of Notre Dame football?
We’re talking about quarterback of course and the numbers we have for you today won’t give that answer, but they will show you some of the most memorable seasons by quarterbacks in Notre Dame history.
Here are Notre Dame’s top-10 all-time single season passing leaders:
2015 DeShone Kizer: 2,884 yards
DeShone Kizer stepped in for an injured Malik Zaire early and 2015 and came within seconds of leading Notre Dame to a College Football Playoff appearance.
2016 DeShone Kizer: 2,925 yards
A quarterback competition to start the year between Kizer and Zaire didn’t do any favors to Notre Dame early as the Irish would play to just a 4-8 record. Kizer would leave Notre Dame following the season and be drafted by the NFL’s Cleveland Browns.
2019 Ian Book: 3,034 yards
Ian Book‘s first full-season as Notre Dame’s starting quarterback resulted in an 11-2 record. Book nearly guided the Irish to what would have been a massive upset win at Georgia early in the season but played at a high level all season.
2021 Jack Coan: 3,150 yards
Jack Coan made the most of his one season at Notre Dame after transferring from Wisconsin. Coan started the entire season while Tyler Buchner would be used to change pace (and usually run) in the 11-win campaign.
2008 Jimmy Clausen: 3,182 yards
Jimmy Clausen grew significantly from his freshman to sophomore season, throwing for what at the time was the third-most passing yards in a single season in Notre Dame history. It wasn’t his fault the defense could hardly stop anyone in a 7-6 campaign.
2013 Tommy Rees: 3,257 yards
Tommy Rees started for parts of all four of his seasons as a Notre Dame player, finally being the regular starter in 2013, his senior year. Rees threw for a career-high 346 yards to open the year in a win over Temple.
2006 Brady Quinn: 3,426 yards
Brady Quinn finished his college career by being invited to New York a second time as a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2006. At the time, his 3,426 passing yards on the year were the second most in a single season in program history. Who did he trail? Stay tuned.
2014 Everett Golson: 3,445 yards
Everett Golson returned to Notre Dame in 2014 after being away from the program the year before. He put up one of the biggest offensive seasons in program history for the Fighting Irish despite the team struggling down the stretch.
2009 Jimmy Clausen: 3,722 yards
The 2009 Notre Dame football team was ultimately a disappointment as they went just 6-6 after stumbling in November. However, the offense was one of the best in program history. Aided by NFL wide receivers Golden Tate and Michael Floyd, Jimmy Clausen threw for over 3,700 yards and became a second round draft pick of the Carolina Panthers the following spring.
2005 Brady Quinn: 3,919 yards
Brady Quinn flat-out thrived in the Charlie Weis offense and did so from the very start. Quinn threw for over 430-yards four different times in 2005 and wound up being a Heisman Trophy finalist in the biggest single-season passing year ever by a Notre Dame quarterback.
