WATCH: Former Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan drops dime to Samson Nacua for six
The Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Jack Coan set his team up with an opportunity to win their second preseason game against the Detroit Lions with a beautiful touchdown pass to another rookie Samson Nacua.
On a second-and-13 from the Lions 27-yard line, with just 44 seconds left in the game, the former Notre Dame Fighting Irish star dropped back in a trips-left formation. From the middle receiver position, Nacua hits his defender with an outside move on a fade route, beating him off the line. Seeing that the former BYU star beat his man to the outside, Coan drops in a pass just over the defender’s head for the score. You can check out the exciting play below.
Colts pick up Coan after the draft
The Colts signed Coan as an undrafted free agent just after the 2022 NFL Draft, keeping him in-state in Indiana. In 2021, the New York native started 13 games for the Irish, throwing for 3,150 yards with 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He completed 65.5 percent of his attempts.
Prior to his arrival in South Bend, Coan was a four-year player and two-year starter at Wisconsin. His senior season was wiped out by injury. But he started 18 games between 2018-19 for the Badgers. His complete stat line from Wisconsin is as follows: 3,278 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight picks.
With the Colts, Coan reunites with former Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor, and also Colts offensive coordinator Marcus Brady, who coached Coan at the East-West Shrine Bowl.
The Colts went 9-8 last season; just barely missing out on the playoffs after falling to AFC South rival the Jacksonville Jaguars. Indianapolis just needed to win in the final game of the regular season to make it, but came up short, with last year’s starting quarterback Carson Wentz paying for it. Wentz was traded to the Washington Commanders in the offseason. Afterward, the Colts brought in veteran Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons.
The Colts will look to Taylor, last season’s rushing leader, to carry the load and help lead them to the playoffs.