Notre Dame QB Tyler Buchner to Undergo Surgery on Shoulder Injury; Out 4 Months

Marcus Freeman's first season as Notre Dame head coach is shaping up to be a long one.

Freeman announced Monday that quarterback Tyler Buchner suffered an AC sprain to his non-throwing shoulder and is expected to miss four months. Buchner is slated for surgery Tuesday.

The sophomore was injured late in Saturday's loss to Marshall and replaced by Drew Pyne, who will likely take over under center for the remainder of the 2022 season. Pine struggled in his limited action against Marshall, throwing for 20 yards and a touchdown against an interception as Notre Dame tried to fight its way back into the game.

Freeman's team is off to the program's first 0-2 start since 2011 after back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Marshall. Brian Kelly's replacement has lost each of his first three games as a head coach dating back to last year's Fiesta Bowl.

Notre Dame had just one losing record in Kelly's 12 seasons at the helm; no first-year head coach has finished below .500 in his first year with the program since Lou Holtz in 1986. After beginning the year as the fifth-ranked team in the country, the Irish have fallen out of the Top 25.

This Notre Dame roster is not stacked at quarterback. Pyne has thrown only 39 passes in his college career, and the team's new backups are freshman Steve Angeli and sophomore Ron Powlus III, who have taken a combined zero collegiate snaps.

If Freeman turns things around this season, it'll likely be due to his work on the defensive side of the ball.