Takeaways from Notre Dame’s Blue-Gold Game rosters, otherwise known as Hartman-Buchner Game rosters

The “Buchner-Hartman Game” would not have the same ring or Notre Dame-implied branding as the Blue-Gold Game does, but it would save some Irish confusion on Saturday when Notre Dame concludes its spring practices with the annual intrasquad scrimmage (2 ET, available exclusively on Peacock).

Fortunately, someone in the football program made it easy to remember which quarterback is on which team by placing rising junior Tyler Buchner on the Blue team and thus Wake Forest graduate transfer Sam Hartman on the Gold. Looking at what each quarterback will have to work with, the deck may be stacked in Buchner’s favor. The Blue team has five of the nine Irish scholarship receivers, and it could be argued it has five of the 8.5. Furthermore, it has the only scholarship tight end who is available to play, rising sophomore Holden Staes.

Furthermore, Blue’s secondary features sixth-year safety DJ Brown, senior cornerback Clarence Lewis and preseason All-American cornerback Benjamin Morrison.

If Hartman outscores Buchner — which is different than saying if Gold beats Blue, given early-enrolled freshman Kenny Minchey (Blue) or rising sophomore and reigning Blue-Gold Game MVP Steve Angeli (Gold) is more likely to lead the final few scores — then Hartman should put to rest any summer speculation about a prolonged quarterback competition in South Bend.

The connection Hartman will almost certainly most lean on is rising junior Jayden Thomas. The big-bodied target emerged as a vital chain-mover in 2022, establishing himself as a frontrunner to be Notre Dame’s No. 1 receiver in 2023. A proven connection with Hartman would embolden that thinking.

The most revealing aspect of the Blue-Gold Game rosters is along the offensive lines .