Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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6 MARCH 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED N otre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was quick to call the Fighting Irish's courtship and ultimate marriage with Wake For- est graduate transfer quarterback Sam Hartman a "win-win." That's what he coined it during a live tele- vision hit on ESPN Jan. 6, just one day after Hartman announced he'd head to South Bend via a nonde- script social media message Jan. 5. Hartman tweeted "Onward. #GoIrish" with two photos of himself wearing blue and gold threads on his body and a big smile on his face. The smile is telling. It's similar to the one Freeman displayed a day later on TV sets across America. The grins indicate Notre Dame has its quarterback, but it does not have its "quarterback of the future." That's a term reserved for a signal- caller people around the program can see starting for years to come. Turning 24 on July 29 and with five years of college experience in tow, Hartman doesn't have years to come. He has a year to come. Singular. Not plural. One. Not two, three or four. That's fine. While teams should always have sights set on long-term sustainabil- ity, they should also be mindful of short- term success. Hartman, with his all-time ACC-best 110 touchdown passes and 45 career starts, opens an avenue for Notre Dame to have plenty of it in 2023. But as soon as the exit sign appears through the windshield in December or January, the Irish need to have someone to step into the driver's seat in 2024. Enter junior Tyler Buchner. Let's not forget that less than a week before Freeman spoke so highly of Hart- man on ESPN, he sang the praises of Bu- chner in the aftermath of a 45-38 Tax- Slayer Gator Bowl victory for the Irish over nationally ranked South Carolina — a formidable, well-coached SEC foe. Buchner accounted for 5 touchdowns and was named Gator Bowl MVP. "He's special, man," Freeman said. His demeanor when he uttered those words? Almost identical to when he first spoke of Hartman as Notre Dame's new quarterback. Notre Dame might not have felt the need to nab someone like Hartman from the portal if Buchner had never injured his non-throwing shoulder in Week 2 of 2022. Buchner might have started every game, gotten better as the weeks went on and given his coaching staff every reason to think he'd remain the starter as a ju- nior in 2023 and as a senior in 2024. But he did get injured. He did lose a multitude of reps during a multi-month recovery from surgery. He did throw 3 interceptions — 2 of which were turned for pick-sixes — versus the Gamecocks. The Irish justifiably bolstered their depth chart with a player of Hartman's caliber. Now they just can't forget about Buchner in the aftermath of the roster reconstruction. Liken it to losing the recruiting battle for five-star class of 2024 QB Dante Moore after securing the commitment of four-star CJ Carr. This may not be a close competi- tion during the offseason. Hartman might beat Buchner in a runaway like Jack Coan did in 2021 and Buchner did in 2022, both beating out even- tual 10-game Notre Dame starter Drew Pyne. But it does feel different than both of those situations. Buchner is a player who has al- ready proven himself to be wor- thy of the starting job. As it stands now, he'd start in 2024 over Steve Angeli as a junior, Kenny Minchey as a sophomore or Carr as a fresh- man. Notre Dame is in a delicate spot with Buchner. Keep him happy. If the relationship turns sour and Buchner enters the trans- fer portal — which is easier and more alluring to do now more than ever — Notre Dame is worse for it. What does keeping Buchner happy look like? That's for the coaching staff to decide. But from the outside looking in, it hinges on rep distributions in practice and off the field conversations. Making him feel wanted. Freeman has harped on roster enhancement over and over since he assumed his role as the pro- gram's head coach in December 2021. Part of enhancing a roster in 2023 is making sure players as important as Buchner do not defect. Notre Dame could withstand Pyne's departure. It was assumed one QB would walk out the same door Hart- man was fixing to walk in. But can the Irish overcome a second player packing his bags, especially if it's the one who beat out Pyne for starting status to be- gin last season? No. That's the opposite of roster enhancement. That's roster degradation. Buchner might not be a vital compo- nent of Notre Dame's success in 2023. But losing him would be like severing a main vein. One can only lose so much blood. ✦ GOLDEN GAMUT TYLER HORKA Tyler Horka has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2021. He can be reached at thorka@blueandgold.com Buchner might not be in line to start in 2023, but he's still an important piece of the Fighting Irish's future. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER Tyler Buchner Cannot Be An Afterthought