The unique journey of current Notre Dame walk-on wide receiver Tyler Buchner could take yet another interesting turn. The one-time quarterback of the future for the program could be headed back to quarterback for the Fighting Irish, according to head coach Marcus Freeman. It would be a full-circle moment for Buchner to return to where his career started four years ago.
“Yeah, that’s something we’ve discussed,” Freeman said in his final media session of spring football. “We’ll look at the total number of arms, bodies that we have to practice, but it’s definitely under consideration to be able to move Tyler back into the quarterback room as we look into the summer and fall camp.”
Tyler Buchner’s Unique Collegiate Timeline
Few collegiate athletes have careers quite as unique as Tyler Buchner’s. He came to Notre Dame as a highly-touted recruit before transferring to Alabama and then ultimately returning to Notre Dame to play lacrosse. Here’s a timeline of how Buchner got to this point.
- 2021: Played as a change-of-pace quarterback during Notre Dame’s 11-1 regular season, including sparking a comeback on the road at Virginia Tech, but battled through injuries afterward.
- 2022: Named starting quarterback to start the season, but lost his first two starts before getting injured in Notre Dame’s home loss to Marshall, and missed the rest of the season.
- 2023: Transferred to Alabama after losing quarterback battle to Sam Hartman in spring, but had minimal success and even less playing time.
- 2024: Returned to Notre Dame originally for lacrosse but walked back onto the football team as a wide receiver. Won a national championship with the LAX team and played on special teams for the Irish on the way to the national title game.
- 2025: Under consideration for a move back to quarterback at Notre Dame.
Current Quarterback Situation at Notre Dame Could Necessitate the Move
Notre Dame’s quarterback room has significantly changed since the loss to Ohio State in the national championship. Riley Leonard is getting ready to hear his name called during the 2025 NFL Draft, and Steve Angeli committed to Syracuse after entering the Transfer Portal last week. The movement has left junior Kenny Minchey and sophomore CJ Carr battling it out for the starting quarterback position at Notre Dame. Freeman spoke in-depth about the competition between Minchey and Carr on Wednesday.
After Carr and Minchey, Notre Dame has freshman Blake Hebert and sophomore walk-on Anthony Rezac. The four quarterbacks on Notre Dame’s current depth chart have attempted three passes in aggregate. Buchner has 138 attempts and started a game on the road in the Horseshoe in Columbus. That kind of experience in the room could benefit the young Irish signal-callers.
Buchner won’t factor into the mix at starter, but would Buchner as the #3 quarterback let Notre Dame have Hebert on the scout team, where he’d get far more reps than as the third quarterback. Given that Hebert is a bit on the raw side, that could be more beneficial to his development in the long term than getting a few snaps here and there with the offense.
Evaluating Buchner’s Potential as a Quarterback
We’ve seen enough of Buchner at quarterback at Notre Dame and Alabama to know he probably isn’t going to come out of nowhere to challenge Carr or Minchey this summer, but he does have some unique skills. If needed in an emergency relief role, his running skills would allow the offense to run a specific package that could keep the offense moving, at least in a situation where a defense had no time to prepare for it. Such a scenario happening probably means a lot has gone wrong for Notre Dame, but after the rash of injuries last season, it’s not that far-fetched.
We also saw the benefit of having a quarterback who could run a lot of QB power near the goal line. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I think Mike Denbrock used it too much with Leonard, but it’s a redzone/short-yardage package that Buchner can execute.
Tyler Buchner’s potential move back to quarterback isn’t a headline grab for a QB controversy—it’s a practical decision grounded in experience, depth, and team development. While CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey continue their battle for the starting role, Buchner offers something Notre Dame’s young quarterback room desperately lacks: live reps, game experience, and a readiness to step in if needed.
For Buchner, it’s not about reclaiming lost glory or rewriting his story—it’s about embracing a role that helps the team. His presence adds value to whether he’s running scout team reps, contributing in short-yardage packages, or simply offering insight to younger QBs. And for Notre Dame, that kind of versatility and humility from a former starter might be just as crucial as any touchdown pass.
It’s almost inevitable that Buchner will be on the field in a critical role this season. You probably have to be as old as me to know this is the way fate(karma?) works. It will a helluva story in the annals of the Irish