Notre Dame junior quarterback Tyler Buchner announced Tuesday that he is entering the transfer portal after going through spring practice with the Fighting Irish. Buchner began last season as the Notre Dame starting quarterback before a shoulder injury knocked him out of action for the majority of the season. In his announcement, Buchner did point out that returning to Notre Dame for the 2023 season is an option on the table.
"I love Notre Dame," Buchner wrote in a Twitter post. "The people, and especially my teammates, are what makes this place special to me. I have decided to enter the transfer portal in order to explore my options and decide what is best for my future. After discussions with coach [Marcus] Freeman, remaining at Notre Dame is thankfully an option that I'm continuing to consider. I am truly grateful to everyone for their support through this process."
Buchner threw for 651 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions last season while adding 123 yards and four scores on the ground. The shoulder injury suffered in the Week 2 loss to Marshall knocked him out for the remainder of the regular season. Buchner returned under center in the Gator Bowl vs. South Carolina, throwing for 273 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions while gaining 61 yards on the ground with two rushing touchdowns in the 45-38 win over the Gamecocks.
Buchner was unlikely to start at Notre Dame this season, however, after former Wake Forest signal-caller Sam Hartman transferred to South Bend. That gap seemed to widen after the spring game in which Buchner completed just eight of his 18 passes for 44 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception. Freeman, though, said after Notre Dame's spring game earlier this month that Buchner and Hartman were still battling for the top spot on the depth chart.
"I think we still have a quarterback battle," he said (via 247Sports). "You can't determine a winner or a loser based off one practice, practice 15. And again, you can't base a decision off of what we view is a certain outcome. There's a lot that goes into it … Everybody's going to praise Sam for how he played today; they're going to criticize Tyler. They both probably played pretty well. We have to look at the film. I know the stats might not say it. But listen, both of them are tremendously talented. And we'll go back and evaluate all 15 practices and continue to look at it as we move forward."
With Buchner out of the race (for now), it's safe to assume that Hartman will be the starting quarterback for the Fighting Irish in 2023.
Where could Buchner land, though? All eyes turned to Alabama when Buchner announced his decision to leave the Fighting Irish due to multiple reasons. One of which is Buchner's connection to first-year Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who was calling plays for Notre Dame last season when Buchner won the starting job. Rees was also listed as his primary recruiter when Buchner was coming out of high school, according to 247Sports.
Alabama, meanwhile, could be in the market for another option under center after neither Jalen Milroe nor Ty Simpson looked like world-beaters during Saturday's spring game in Tuscaloosa. Coach Nick Saban spoke on Saturday about where the two top contenders stand after spring practice.
"I think we've gotta work on going through progressions and develop confidence in the passing game so that we can distribute the ball to other people who can make plays more effectively and more efficiently," he said (via: 247Sports).
Players have until Saturday, April 29 to enter the transfer portal.
