Tyler Buchner Gets A Second Chance To Shine At Quarterback After Drew Pyne's Transfer
The quarterback room at Notre Dame has gone through a great deal of upheaval over the last year, and that certainly is true over the last 24 hours with the news that Drew Pyne was leaving the program, and sophomore Tyler Buchner was poised to return to the lineup.
Buchner earned the starting role after a strong spring and fall camp session, and he played solid football in the season opener against Ohio State. Buchner battled in that game and showed some playmaking ability with his arm, but the lack of a complementary run game and struggles from the line did the offense in.
Things took a turn for the worse in week two as Buchner struggled mightily in Notre Dame's 26-21 loss to Marshall. Late in the game, Buchner was driven into the ground and injured his shoulder. At the time it seemed like a season-ending injury and it thrust Pyne into the starting lineup.
Pyne was up-and-down as a starter, showing some very impressive moments mixed around some major struggles. The last game of the season was indicative of his season, as Pyne had some impressive throws and numbers (23-26, 318 yards, 3 touchdowns), but his two unforced turnovers did the offense in.
It was expected that Buchner wouldn't return until the spring, but he apparently healed faster and is on pace to play in the bowl game. We have a lot of background intel on how the Pyne transfer happened, and Buchner's role in that, which you can find on the Champions Lounge premium board, which you can find HERE.
Buchner seems to be poised to step back into the starting lineup and freshman Steve Angeli stepped into the number two role. There will be some pressure on Buchner to step up (and remain healthy) now that Pyne is off the roster. Should he struggle or go down again there won't the junior ready to step in.
Buchner has the physical tools to be an impact player, and he showed flashes of that as a freshman in 2021. Whether it was making plays off script, getting the ball down the field or using his athleticism to make plays with his legs, Buchner entered the 2022 season with high expectations and a lot of promise.
We just never saw him turn those tools loose. Instead, Buchner showed accuracy issues, he struggled to show the anticipation that made him a top prospect and helped him earn the job, and he was just unwilling to attack the opposition with his arm. Sure, he wasn't helped by the offensive line and some pass catchers, but there were plenty of mistakes that were on him.
He's been able to spend the last two months watching, absorbing, learning and seeing the game from a different perspective. It would seem he's gotten healthier much faster than expected, and Buchner is now poised to take back the quarterback job, at least for the bowl game.
For all of his great intangible qualities, Pyne showed over the last 10 games that he's limited as a quarterback and playmaker. The offense will always have a lower ceiling with him at the helm. Buchner wasn't effective in his two starts, but the physical tools are better. The sample size for him this season wasn't much, and the fact is the line and weapons around him played poorly the first two games. That likely won't be an issue in the bowl game, even if the Irish don't have veterans like Michael Mayer and Jarrett Patterson playing in that game.
Notre Dame needs to find out what it has in Buchner, and it should be able to learn even more about him in the bowl game with a different looking offense around him. Notre Dame will bring in a transfer quarterback, of that I am almost certain, and that player won't be brought in to sit the bench. He'll be brought in to compete for the starting job, and if Buchner wants to have any chance to battle for that job he'll need to take advantage of the next 14 bowl practices and the bowl game to show he belongs in that competition.
Talking to sources around the program, Buchner threw the ball very well in the last couple weeks of the season and in the first bowl practice, but that's never really been the issue. Buchner needs to start translating that onto the field when it matters. The key for Buchner will be taking those lessons and applying them to how he plays. He needs to play with greater urgency, he needs to hit the layups, he needs to be able to attack down the field with accuracy and he needs to show he can command the huddle and get the offense moving.
It's a lot of pressure to put on a player for one game, but that's life as the quarterback at Notre Dame. Buchner will go into the spring with a chance to battle for the starting job no matter how he plays, but there is no question that how he plays in the bowl game will have an impact on how he is viewed heading into that battle.
This is Buchner's chance to finally turn his potential into production and become the quarterback so many thought he would be.
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