Notre Dame left picking up the pieces at QB after surprising decision

Pyne started 10 games for the Fighting Irish in 2022, posting an 8-2 record. He was 163-of-254 (64.6 percent) for 2,021 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Both Pyne's and Notre Dame's futures are uncertain after the announcement. 

The Fighting Irish's opening-day starter for the 2022 season, Tyler Buchner, struggled before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury during the team's shocking loss to Marshall. In two games, the Irish went 0-2 with Buchner as the starter. He was 28-of-50 (56 percent) for 378 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions.

Pyne took the reigns and turned Notre Dame's season around. He'll look to do the same wherever he goes next.

As for Notre Dame, the team will likely lean on the transfer portal itself to find a starting QB for 2023. Buchner could regain the starting role, but as CBS Sports's Shehan Jeyarajah notes, the team will need to secure depth via the portal regardless. Per Jeyarajah, Buchner's "85 career attempts are the only collegiate throws on the roster."

Fortunately for the Irish, there are options available, and more QBs will inevitably enter the portal. One potential addition is Texas QB Hudson Card, who announced his intent to enter the transfer portal earlier this week. (h/t Pete Thamel)

Whatever the team decides, Notre Dame's next QB will be forced to confront the narrative surrounding the team's signal callers. While they've been good enough this past decade to lead to multiple 10-win seasons, none were transcendent.

Per Sports Reference, four QBs in the top 10 for most passing yards in Notre Dame history played since 2010, and none are names that jump off the screen: Tommy Rees, Everett Golson, DeShone Kizer, and Ian Book.

It doesn't seem possible that a program with the rich history of Notre Dame has had such horrible luck finding QBs over the years. Even two of the most legendary Fighting Irish QBs -- Joe Theismann and Joe Montana -- produced stats far below what they did at the pro level. Theismann finished his Notre Dame career completing 57 percent of his passes for 31 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. Montana completed 52 percent of his passes and threw the same number of touchdowns as interceptions (25).

The standard-bearer of Notre Dame QBs is Brady Quinn, the leader in yards (11,762) and touchdowns thrown (95). Even with those numbers, Quinn only completed 58 percent of his passes while QB.

Pyne's decision to enter the transfer portal doesn't close the door on his return to South Bend. Multiple players have entered the portal only to return to their initial team. That doesn't seem likely in this instance. One glimpse at the lineage he was up against at Notre Dame may be why Pyne is running far, far away.