What's Alabama getting in Tyler Buchner, Notre Dame transfer QB?

Notre Dame’s starting quarterback for the 2022 season opener - Tyler Buchner - entered the transfer portal, and has now chosen to join his former offensive coordinator Tommy Rees at Alabama. He’s expected to have 3 years of eligibility remaining.

Now, let’s go ahead and say this… it doesn’t mean that he’s going to immediately be the starter. Obviously there are things he’s got to fix, because Nick Saban won’t put up with him putting up 3 passing TDs and 5 interceptions in only 3 games. He threw 3 picks against South Carolina in the bowl game, but ultimately won the game with 3 TD passes and 2 rushing TDs.

Alabama was in on recruiting him initially, back in 2018. His primary recruiters in 2019 were Jeff Banks and Steve Sarkisian, but no players get an offer unless Nick Saban says so, and the Tide had offered him a scholarship in May 2018, after his sophomore season in high school, and before Sark even came back to Tuscaloosa.

Buchner was the #11 QB in the same class that had North Carolina’s Drake Maye as the #9 QB and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe as the #13 QB in the 247 Composite.

Buchner is 6’2” 215 lbs, and was Notre Dame’s starter last year before going out with an injury in the 2nd game of the season - a loss to Marshall. He’s obviously familiar with Tommy Rees, but he’ll have to learn a new offense this summer to prep for fall camp. He’ll be competing with Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson, who was the #3 QB in the 22 class behind Cade Klubnik and Connor Weigman, and potentially 2023’s #8 and #11 QBs, Eli Holstein and Dylan Lonergan.

There’s a lot to like about Buchner’s game - he’s got some wheels, and his passes have a little zip on them… but I think it says quite a bit about what the Alabama QB room is missing if Alabama was willing to bring in another QB when there’s already 4 on the roster. I’d expect somebody to transfer out in the next week, before the window closes.

Can Alabama win a national title with Buchner at QB? Yes. They won titles with Jake Coker, AJ McCarron and Greg McElroy... and Georgia just won back to back titles with Stetson Bennett at QB. If Nick Saban is looking at what Georgia has done with moving back to a style of play that he's more comfortable with... it's absolutely a possibility.

Clint Lamb from On3 pointed out something interesting that could play into this, by the way... his tweet says: "Interesting note: Since 2009, Alabama has only had four seasons where it didn’t make postseason (NC game or Playoff) — 2010, 2013, 2019 and 2022.

It’s also the only four seasons since 2009 where Alabama failed to average at least 36 rushing attempts/game."

From Thursday 4/27/23 full show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN1AGxcCf8M

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