He was a shockingly 'uncompelling' guy. Personal shot or not. ND journalists working at the time commented on it! That it was almost as if he were autistic or something. He was that personally awkward. Obviously he was never going to be a charismatic or charming figure and you could see that from a mile away. But it was even worse than feared when he got to ND and people were interacting with him on a regular basis.
I mean, sure, I guess.... it is true that people who are immature eventually mature, but why does it have to be ND's problem? I don't resent JC on some deep level, he never wronged me personally. Nor was he much of a prima donna. And I would imagine he's doing just fine living regular life. But everything about his time at ND with respect to the football program, and with respect to him on a personal level for lack of a better term, is something I could genuinely say I wish ND had not had to go through. I personally did not want him to commit to ND at the time, and was worried it might not go well... and it didn't! Way worse than I ever anticipated. The one good thing about it, and the ensuing overnight collapse of the Charlie Weis regime is we got BK! So I'm happy about that. The football gods eventually rewarded us for our suffering....
So it's a mystery why he is so weirdly beloved by so many ND fans, while Ian Book is regarded with casual contempt in comparison. I have my theories on that which I will keep to myself.