Former Notre Dame QB Tyler Buchner transferring to Alabama: Could he win the starting job?
Tyler Buchner will be transferring to Alabama, the former Notre Dame quarterback announced via social media Thursday. Here’s what you need to know:
— Tyler Buchner (@tylerbuchner) April 27, 2023
How does Buchner fit into Alabama’s QB room?
The surprise in Buchner’s decision isn’t the reunion of Rees, it’s the fact he’s a quarterback in desperate need of playing time going to a place that chews up and spits out talent at a breakneck pace. Buchner has essentially missed four of his past five seasons due to injury, depth charts and a COVID-19 cancelation. He’s a quarterback with a negative touchdown-to-interception ratio, three career starts and four pick-sixes. The developmental decision of Buchner felt like one that could lead him to Stanford or Cal, two spots that need a quarterback. Alabama already has four quarterbacks on scholarship, even if the lead candidates for the jobs struggled in the Crimson Tide’s spring game.
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Rees is unlikely to have the autonomy on naming a quarterback that he did at Notre Dame, not with coach Nick Saban running the program. Buchner knows Rees’ offense frontward and backward, which should give him an edge out of the gate. But if he struggles against Texas in Week 2, will Rees be able to stick with Buchner with the talent waiting in the wings?
Notre Dame’s history of outgoing quarterback transfers has been poor. Everett Golson (Florida State), Malik Zaire (Florida), Gunner Kiel (Cincinnati), Brandon Wimbush (UCF) and Phil Jurkovec (Boston College) all flopped.
Side note, Rees and Buchner versus LSU coach Brian Kelly on Nov. 4 would be must-see television for Notre Dame fans, even with the Irish playing at Clemson that weekend. — Sampson
What adding Buchner means for Alabama
Rees walked into an interesting situation this offseason. He needed to replace potential No. 1 pick Young and inherited an inexperienced room full of blue-chip recruits. Milroe has one career start. Simpson is a redshirt freshman. Freshmen Dylan Lonergan and Eli Holstein just joined the program as early enrollees. That group had a lot to learn and prove this spring.
Maybe Saban and his new OC just want to bring in more competition and push Milroe and Simpson to keep improving. But it’s hard not to interpret this move as sending a message about their level of confidence in what they saw from their QBs this spring. Buchner wouldn’t have picked Alabama and canceled his other visits if he didn’t like his chances of winning the starting job. Another interesting question now, with the transfer window closing on Saturday, is whether Alabama’s QB room is about to experience some attrition. — Olson
What does Buchner’s decision mean for Notre Dame?
It doesn’t change the starter, with Sam Hartman established as the No. 1, as if his Blue-Gold Game performance didn’t seal the deal. Hartman closed spring with leading Notre Dame on three scoring drives. He went 13-of-16 passing for 189 yards, two passing touchdowns, plus one rushing touchdown. Buchner went 8-of-18 for 44 yards, took two sacks and threw an interception. For Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman’s protests that it was just one practice in the spring schedule, it’s not clear anybody believed him.
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In the short term, freshman Steven Angeli is Notre Dame’s new No. 2 quarterback with mid-year enrollee Kenny Minchey at No. 3. Both are developmental projects for new quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli and offensive coordinator Gerad Parker, which could lead Notre Dame to look for a more established backup option in the transfer portal this summer. It’s not clear if Cincinnati quarterback Ben Bryant, who played for Guidugli last fall, would be interested in backing up Hartman for his final year of eligibility. Bryant entered the portal last month following the offseason coaching change at Cincinnati paired with the arrival of incoming quarterback transfer Emory Jones from Florida.
Bottom line, Notre Dame is now all-in on Hartman. And after how the Wake Forest transfer closed spring practice, that’s not the worst position for Notre Dame. — Sampson
Backstory
Buchner backed up Jack Coan in 2021, appearing in 10 games and finishing with 298 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
After winning the starting role in 2022, he opened the year with a 177-yard, no-touchdown performance in a loss to Ohio State then threw two interceptions without any touchdowns before getting injured in a loss to Marshall.
His strong return performance in the bowl game flashed the promise that helped him earn the starting job in the first place, but the arrival of Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman’s transfer changed the position’s outlook entering 2023.
What they’re saying
Buchner thanked his Notre Dame teammates and coaches in his statement before announcing his transfer to Alabama.
“Sometimes life brings opportunities that are beyond anything you can imagine and that is what has happened today,” he said. “I have committed to play football for the University of Alabama and head coach Nick Saban. I know this is the best decision for my future, and I can’t wait to get to Tuscaloosa and begin the next step of my football journey.”
Required reading
(Photo: Jeremy Reper / USA Today)
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