Notre Dame Names Tyler Buchner Starting QB; Fighting Irish Open Season vs. OSU

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman named Tyler Buchner as the team's starting quarterback ahead of the 2022 season.

The sophomore will be under center when the Fighting Irish face off with Ohio State on the road in their season opener.

Notre Dame lost its leading passer from a year ago when Jack Coan moved on to the NFL. Coan signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent.

That left Buchner and Drew Pyne battling for the starting job. The former probably had the inside edge from the outset based on how he and Pyne were used in 2021.

Buchner went 21-of-35 passing for 298 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions and ran for 336 yards and three scores. Pyne went 15-of-30 for 224 yards and two touchdowns and only appeared in two games.

Still, Freeman made it clear during a press conference on Aug. 5 he wanted to see more from Buchner before putting him atop the depth chart.

"In terms of Tyler Buchner, you know what? We all know he can run," he told reporters. "So it's really good for him to progress in terms of being a passer, staying in the pocket, making good decisions, you know, because it's always easy to take off and run."

Buchner was a 4-star recruit and the No. 11 quarterback in the 2021 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings, so he carried reasonably high expectations when he arrived in South Bend.

Freeman should know pretty early on whether the San Diego, California, native is the long-term answer at quarterback. In addition to the opener against Ohio State, Notre Dame plays North Carolina on the road on Sept. 24 and then BYU in Las Vegas in its next game.