Changes keep coming Tyler Buchner’s way. The rising junior has gone from change of pace quarterback as a freshman in 2021 to season-opening starter after winning a brief preseason quarterback derby to back into a quarterback competition with a more experienced grad transfer this spring. All that, plus a new offensive quarterback coach have all come Buchner’s way in the span of less than two full calendar years.
That’s a lot of change.
“I just sort of take what happens and roll with the flow, roll with the punches,” Buchner said of the rapid change after a recent practice. “Change can be good, so just kind of adapt and adjust and keep going.”
Buchner missed 10 consecutive games after injuring his non-throwing shoulder against Marshall last September. He returned to practice in late November and ramped his way up to a Gator Bowl start against South Carolina.
After throwing for three touchdowns and running for two more in the 45-38 win over the Gamecocks, Buchner was greeted with new competition for the starting job in the form of Wake Forest sixth-year graduate transfer Sam Hartman.
“Competition breeds success,” Buchner said of Hartman’s arrival at Notre Dame. “So, you're going to bring in the best guys possible and give this team the best chance to win as many games as possible. Sam's been an unbelievable addition to the room. I can't say this enough, like, just been a really good friend of mine since he's gotten here.”
Hartman and Buchner actually knew each other before Hartman’s transfer. They both work with former Arizona State quarterback Taylor Kelly, who is based in Southern California, near Buchner’s home. That previous friendship has helped keep the bond tight in the quarterback room, despite the two vying for the same job.
“I know there's like a stigma around quarterback competitions, like, oh they hate each other, whatever,” Buchner explained. “That's not fun for anyone in that. You spend so much time with the other quarterback, and so we've done like a really good job of spending time with each other. Enjoying it. He's one of the better friends in the Gug and I hang out with him on weekends.”
Buchner’s first two seasons were with Tommy Rees as the offensive coordinator. After his departure for the same position at Alabama, it’s now Gerad Parker calling the shots in an offense that bears similarities to Rees’s system but has some tweaks as well.
“It's a lot of the same,” Buchner began. “It's still pro-style. They added some new things that I think are really good and took out some stuff that was too much or took a couple of things off our plate that should make it easier for us to just go out and play ball and not have to think so much.
“I've already had a great relationship with Parker coming in,” Buchner continued. “Parker, he's just a very good teacher, a very good coach and a very good person. I think people are bought in on the offense, and everyone bought in pretty quickly when they found out he was going to be the coordinator just because of the quality of human he is and what he means to everyone on this offense.”
Rees was the quarterbacks coach as well. That role is now manned by Gino Guidugli, who helped develop Desmond Ridder into a third round NFL draft pick last spring.
“There's a lot of ways to skin the cat a lot of ways to coach offensive football and quarterback play,” Buchner said of Guidugli. “I think Gino's done a really good job. He simplified some of our reads and made them a little more friendly and that's been great. You pick up nuggets on like things on defenses. Things we never touched on but there was not as much of an emphasis on. So, every different coach has a different emphasis on what they love to teach. So just learning from different people helps you just build up you know, more and more football knowledge.”
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