Notre Dame ends preseason QB competition, naming sophomore Tyler Buchner the starter

As a new question pops up to plague the Notre Dame offense, the Irish at least finally answered an obvious one: Sophomore Tyler Buchner will be Notre Dame’s starting quarterback in three weeks at Ohio State, officially beating out junior Drew Pyne in a competition that always seemed headed for this resolution.

“An extremely difficult decision, one that me and [offensive coordinator Tommy Rees] spent an enormous amount of time talking about,” Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said Saturday. “It’s not really a seven-practice decision. This is something we looked at last year, we looked at spring, we looked at the summer and the start of fall camp, an entire body of work.

“We just felt like it was time. It was time to give the offense clarity on who is going to be the starting quarterback.”

Pyne began last season as Jack Coan’s backup, but Buchner gradually moved into that role. Neither finished the year as a particularly efficient passer, but Buchner’s 46 rushes for 336 yards and three touchdowns offered a dual-threat aspect that Pyne’s laudable mobility still lacked.

“Those guys can both give us a chance to win,” Freeman said. “We just think Tyler brings an element, a dynamic element with his feet, the ability to extend plays, to have a QB-running game, that really added into this decision.”

That ability should only increase in the next three weeks now that this nominal competition is concluded. That was, in part, why the coaching staff wanted to make this decision after only one week of preseason practices.

“Part of this decision is to allow [Buchner] that platform to really not be apprehensive about every play, every decision,” Rees said. “It allows him the freedom to go out there and operate, knowing that this team has