Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM JUNE/JULY 2023 11 Junior quarterback Tyler Buchner wasn't the only notable name to enter the transfer portal for Notre Dame near the conclusion of spring practice. The Fighting Irish also lost two former top-100 recruits and one of their top ball carriers. On the eve of the Blue-Gold Game April 22, ju- nior wide receiver Lorenzo Styles announced his decision to leave South Bend. Then during the week following the annual spring game, junior line- backer Prince Kollie (April 24), Buchner (April 25) and junior running back Logan Diggs (April 27) also declared their intentions to leave Notre Dame. Styles, the No. 70 overall recruit in the 2021 On3 Industry Ranking, explored a move from wide receiver to cornerback during the second half of spring practice and determined that he wants to pursue that full-time. He has two sea- sons of eligibility left and plans to play defensive back at his next stop, which will be Ohio State. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound Styles led all Notre Dame wide receivers in catches (30) and receiv- ing yards (340) last year. His role decreased as the season went on, though, mainly due to is- sues with drops that he later admitted became a mental hurdle. Pro Football Focus credited him with 6 drops, including 4 in a five-game span. He had just 7 catches in the final six games of the 2022 season. He finished his Irish career with 54 catches for 684 yards and 2 touchdowns. Playing time was hard to come by for Kollie in his first two seasons in South Bend. As a sophomore, the 6-0½, 228-pounder played 136 defensive snaps per Pro Football Focus, which ranked only 22nd on the team. During this spring, Kollie said he felt he should have been a starter in the latter stages of last season despite the presence of steady seniors Maris Liufau, Jack Kiser and JD Bertrand. Notre Dame is losing a special teams staple in Kollie. He led the team with 231 special teams snaps in 2022 and scored a touchdown on a blocked punt in the Irish's blowout win over then-No. 4 Clemson last November. Kollie, the No. 100 overall player in the 2021 On3 Industry Ranking, concluded his Notre Dame career with 32 total stops, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Last year, Diggs paced the Irish in rushing at- tempts (165), was second in rushing yards (822) and tied for second in rushing touchdowns (4). The 6-0, 214-pounder also led the running backs with 10 receptions for 211 yards and 2 scores. However, Diggs has been plagued by injuries during the past calendar year. He tore his labrum in the 2022 Blue-Gold Game. He had shoulder surgery and was not cleared to fully participate in practices until mid-August. This spring, Diggs missed practice time with a lower-body injury and did not play in the 2023 Blue-Gold Game. Diggs, a Louisiana native, brings two years of eligibility and 217 carries for 1,052 yards and 7 rushing touchdowns to his next stop. — Patrick Engel and Tyler Horka Tyler Buchner needed less than two days to choose his transfer destination after entering the portal April 25. The former Notre Dame quarterback is headed to Alabama and will reunite with former Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, he announced April 27, ruling out the possibility of withdrawing from the portal to stay with the Irish. "My time at Notre Dame allowed me to grow and develop as a football player while building lifelong relationships that were forged under fire," Buchner said in a statement. "I love my teammates and I will take those rela- tionships with me for the rest of my life. Sometimes life brings opportunities that are beyond anything you can imagine, and that is what happened today. I know this is the best decision for my future." The Buchner-to-Alabama possibility surfaced almost immediately after he said he would enter the transfer portal. Alabama has Rees, who recruited Bu- chner to Notre Dame and offered him before his high school sophomore sea- son. The Crimson Tide hired Rees as their offensive coordinator in February. Buchner was on campus at Alabama within 24 hours of his name appearing in the portal. He canceled other visits after that one and committed to the Tide. At Alabama, Buchner will enter a quarterback race that doesn't appear to have a clear favorite among the incumbents. Redshirt sophomore Jalen Milroe and redshirt freshman Ty Simpson combined to complete 31 of 63 passes for 400 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in Alabama's spring game. Buchner was staring at a 2023 season behind Sam Hartman at Notre Dame — the likely outcome when the Irish added Hartman as a graduate transfer in January and re-enforced with Hartman's performance in the Irish's spring game. Hartman connected on 13 of 16 throws for 189 yards with 2 touch- downs. Buchner, after some impressive showings in open practices, went just 8-of-18 passing for 44 yards with an interception in the Blue-Gold Game. Buchner won Notre Dame's starting job last summer, but he suffered a severely sprained shoulder in the Irish's second game, a 26-21 home loss to Marshall. He returned for the Gator Bowl and totaled 5 touchdowns and 273 yards passing in a 45-38 win over South Carolina. All told, he completed 46 of 83 passes for 652 yards with 3 touchdowns and 5 interceptions last season. He added 36 rushing attempts for 123 yards and 4 touchdowns. Including three games from his freshman season, Buchner — the No. 94 overall player in the 2021 On3 Industry Ranking — leaves Notre Dame with career marks of 67-of-118 passing for 949 yards with 6 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He added 459 rushing yards and 7 scores on 82 carries. — Patrick Engel FORMER NOTRE DAME QUARTERBACK TYLER BUCHNER TRANSFERS TO ALABAMA FIGHTING IRISH LOSE THREE MORE TO THE TRANSFER PORTAL IN APRIL Buchner will reunite with former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees (left) at Alabama. PHOTO COURTESY BY CHAD WEAVER NOTRE DAME HIRES ASSISTANT AD FOR PLAYER PERSONNEL Marcus Freeman said on March 22 that Notre Dame would soon have a new assistant athletic director for player personnel. Freeman called it a director of player personnel position back then. Whatever you want to call it, it's an important role. Nearly a month later, Freeman filled it. And it's someone the program is familiar with — Butler Benton, who spent a year on Brian Kelly's staff as an assistant director of player development, engagement and academic en- hancement from summer 2013 to 2014. Benton, a 2008 Cincinnati graduate, arrives in South Bend for the second time fresh off a two-year stint as Arkansas' general manager on Sam Pittman's staff in Fayetteville. Benton's experience in the role he's taking on at Notre Dame is extensive. He was Georgia Southern's director of player personnel in 2020, and he was Michigan State's player personnel coordi- nator from 2016-19. A native of Detroit, Benton began his coach- ing career at Kent State as an internal op- erations assistant before his one-year stay at Notre Dame. Before Benton got to Michigan State, he was the director of student-athlete enrichment at the University of New Orleans. Benton replaces Dave Peloquin, who shifted titles in January to become the assistant ath- letic director for football strategic initiatives. — Tyler Horka