Notre Dame quarterback Tyler Buchner, still nominally in a battle with Sam Hartman but having been drastically outplayed in the Blue-Gold Game, will enter the transfer portal.
A redshirt sophomore who returned from shoulder surgery to win MVP honors in the Gator Bowl, Buchner made the announcement on social media Tuesday.
Buchner said the step, which comes in advance of an April 30 deadline to enter the spring transfer portal for undergraduates, was taken “in order to explore my options, and decide what is best for my future.”
Buchner cited discussions with Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and said via Twitter that “remaining at Notre Dame is thankfully an option I’m continuing to consider.”
Hartman, a graduate transfer from Wake Forest, went 13 for 16 passing for 179 yards and two touchdowns in the Gold’s 24-0 win on a rainy Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. Hartman, who turns 24 in late July, added a rushing touchdown in a nearly flawless showing.
Buchner, however, struggled mightily in going 8-for-18 passing for 44 yards and an interception. Buchner, who started three games last season and is more of a running threat than Hartman, also was sacked twice.
Freeman, perhaps with the portal deadline in mind, refused to name, at least publicly, a starting quarterback even after the disparate showings.
“We still have a quarterback battle,” Freeman said after the Blue-Gold Game. “You can’t determine a winner and loser based off one practice, practice 15. There’s a lot that goes into it: a quarterback battle but also quarterback play. …
“Everybody’s going to praise Sam for how he played today and they’re going to criticize Tyler. They both probably played pretty well. I know the stats might not say it, but both of them are tremendously talented.”
Drew Pyne, who went 8-2 as Buchner’s injury replacement last season, transferred to Arizona State in December.
Steve Angeli, a redshirt freshman who took seven game snaps but had no pass attempts in 2022, is the third-string quarterback. Angeli went 8 for 12 passing for 72 yards but was sacked four times on Saturday.
Buchner has three years of eligibility remaining.
