Ex-Notre Dame QB Buchner transferring to Alabama

Former Notre Dame quarterback Tyler Buchner announced that he’s transferring to Alabama this morning.

Buchner will join a QB competition that includes Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson.

Buchner was named Notre Dame’s starting QB last August, but he suffered a knee injury in a Week 2 home loss to Marshall. He returned to play in the Gator Bowl against South Carolina, helping his team to a 45-38 win by producing five touchdowns.

Buchner completed 18-of-33 throws for 273 yards and three TDs against the Gamecocks. He also had 61 rushing yards and two TDs on 12 attempts.

However, Buchner was intercepted three times, including a pair of pick-sixes. In a 21-10 loss at Ohio St. in the season opener, he connected on just 10-of-18 passes for 177 yards.

Buchner went down injured in the second half of a 26-21 setback against the Thundering Herd. He completed 18-of-32 passes for 201 yards, but he was intercepted twice. Buchner had 44 rushing yards and two TDs on 13 attempts.

Buchner was offered a scholarship by Nick Saban when he was a four-star prep prospect out of Helix High School in La Jolla, CA. According to 247Sports, he was the nation’s No. 71 overall player, the No. 5 player out of California and the No. 11 QB.

Buchner elected to commit to Brian Kelly’s Fighting Irish on March 8 of 2019 despite being a member of the 2021 class. He didn’t take any other visits but had other offers from Arizona and Arizona St.

As a true freshman in 2021, Buchner appeared sparingly in 10 games. He completed 21-of-35 passes for 298 yards with a 3/3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Buchner had 336 rushing yards, three TDs and a 7.3 yards-per-carry average.

Buchner has played in 13 career games, connecting on 56.8 percent of his throws for 651 yards with a 6/8 TD-INT ratio. He has 459 career rushing yards, seven TDs and a 5.6 YPC average.

With Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman entrenched as Notre Dame’s starting QB in 2023, Buchner was looking for a new environment. With his former offensive coordinator Tommy Rees leaving South Bend to take the same gig under Saban at Alabama, Tuscaloosa was a natural fit for the signal caller who has three years of eligibility remaining.

Milroe appeared in eight games last season. Most notably, he replaced an injured Bryce Young in the second half of a 49-26 win Arkansas. However, the Crimson Tide only led 28-23 early in the fourth quarter.

Facing a third and 15 from its own 20, Alabama got a monster play from Milroe when he escaped the pocket and turned on the jets for a 77-yard run. The Tide extended its lead to 35-23 one play later. Then in the course of five plays, Alabama got a three and out and a 72-yard TD run from Jahmyr Gibbs to put the game out of reach.

With Young still nursing a hand injury a week later, Milroe got his first career start vs. Texas A&M. He struggled mightily, though, and the Tide had to get two stops – resulting in only three points – deep in the red zone late in the fourth quarter to hold on for a 24-20 victory.

In 12 career games, Milroe has completed 34-of-60 passes (56.7%) for 338 yards with a 6/3 TD-INT ratio. He has 320 career rushing yards, one TD and a 7.0 YPC average.

Simpson was a five-star recruit in the 2022 class. 247Sports had him ranked as the nation’s No. 26 overall prospect, No. 3 QB and the second-best player out of Tennessee. Simpson appeared in four games as a true freshman, completing 4-of-5 passes for 35 yards.

FanDuel has Alabama with the second-shortest odds (+500 behind Georgia’s +220 ‘chalk’ status) to win the College Football Playoff. Saban’s team has +195 odds to win the SEC Championship Game, while UGA is the +105 favorite.

FanDuel has Buchner’s odds to win the Heisman Trophy at 50/1, while Milroe has 100/1 odds.