Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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18 APRIL 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TYLER HORKA T he dichotomy was overt. Sitting on the second floor of the Irish Athletic Center, Notre Dame junior quarterback Drew Pyne had three reporters at a table with him after the second practice of the spring. It wasn't hard to get a ques- tion in. Pyne spoke openly and candidly without much pressure. The conversa- tions felt personal and direct. No more than 15 feet away, Notre Dame sophomore quarterback Tyler Buchner sat and answered questions as well. There were at least 10 reporters surrounding his table. No empty chairs like there were next to Pyne. Standing room only. Tough to get a question in without cutting someone else off. It felt as if Buchner was speaking to the masses, not necessarily to one specific person. Only when Buchner was escorted downstairs by the Notre Dame sports information department did Pyne get the same sort of attentive treatment Bu- chner had moments earlier. He didn't seem to mind. He probably didn't even notice. Pyne isn't one to get caught up in what's out of his control. He has plenty of experience in that. Two years ago, he was the clear backup to Ian Book. Last year, Jack Coan held the top spot on the depth chart. This year, it seems many have already written him off as a second-stringer yet again. Buchner has been anointed the new starter by many despite a decision that drastic being far from official. Buchner is a year younger, but he played much more in 2021. Pyne didn't play at all in the second half of the season after relieving Coan in back- to-back games against Wisconsin and Cincinnati. After Coan struggled against the lat- ter and Pyne nearly led Notre Dame back from a 17-0 deficit, there were calls for Pyne to start against Virginia Tech. Coan got the nod anyway. And when he was ineffective, the Irish turned to Buchner. Then they went back to Coan to finish things off. Pyne never got another shot. But he hasn't had as good of a shot at start- ing since he arrived in South Bend as he does this season. He's not battling a seasoned veteran for the job. He's battling someone else who has never started. "I feel very comfortable in this uni- versity, in this team, with these coaches and on the field," Pyne said. "These first two practices, I feel like I know the of- fense like the back of my hand. I feel comfortable telling every single player on the team what they need to do. "I've never felt out of place here. I love Notre Dame. I think right now, I'm at a good spot." Buchner is a year behind Pyne in pro- gression and only played one year of high school football as a starting quar- terback, but he has more collegiate playing experience. He also has just as much confidence. And, though he won't say it himself in the spirit of a quiet competition, more upside. That's why it might not matter at all how much Pyne loves Notre Dame or how comfortable he feels in the offense. If Buchner is plain better than Pyne, he'll get the nod. And that's entirely possible, if not probable. "Tyler has an extremely high ceil- ing," offensive coordinator Tommy Rees said. "He has an innate ability to play the position. He has talent in the run and pass." Notre Dame isn't necessarily making it a requirement for the quarterback to have that running ability. Coan couldn't run much. Book could, but perhaps did so too much. Head coach Marcus Free- man said "escapability" is more impor- tant than being a true dual-threat QB anyway. Buchner has a bit of both in his arse- nal. Run when you tell him to run. Run when his instincts tell him the same. Pyne might only have capability of the latter. Still, that could be enough. Buchner isn't going to win the job because he's bigger, can run faster and greatly helped the Irish offense as a package quarterback who supplemented Coan's passing prowess in 2021. If he's going to win the job, it's going to be be- cause he proves he's a better all-around quarterback than Pyne. All-around quarterback is an all-en- compassing term. "You have to take care of the football," Freeman said. "You have to be able to put the football where it belongs. You SEEING DOUBLE Quarterbacks Tyler Buchner and Drew Pyne are both eager to compete for the starting job