The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have made their quarterback decision with a big season opener against Ohio State looming.
In a hype video posted to the football team’s Twitter account Saturday, the Irish announced that sophomore Tyler Buchner would get the nod for the team’s first game at Ohio State on Sept. 3. Buchner will start ahead of junior Drew Pyne, who had been the other competitor for the job.
Buchner, a highly touted dual-threat quarterback, was a consensus four-star recruit upon his arrival in South Bend for the 2021 season. He completed 21 of 35 passes for 298 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in limited duty backing up Jack Coan last year. He was mostly used as a runner out of the backfield, tallying 336 yards and three touchdowns on 46 carries.
Buchner is younger than Pyne, but neither option has a lot of experience at the college level. With that as a non-factor, Pyne’s struggles during the spring helped serve as a tiebreaker between the pair.
After an 11-2 year in 2021, the Fighting Irish are trying to keep momentum going in their first full campaign under new coach Marcus Freeman. The Buckeyes are the highest-ranked team on Notre Dame’s schedule, so Buchner will be facing some pressure to perform well immediately.
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