Notre Dame QB Drew Pyne Fired Up for Spring
Notre Dame football underwent an offseason of change and that includes at quarterback.
There is no longer an experienced veteran on the roster as Drew Pyne and Tyler Buchner battle it out to be QB1.
For Pyne, it's always been about the work, as he's always embraced the process dating back to middle school. The junior quarterback spent his spring break working with David Morris of QB Country as a final tune-up for the next month of practice and focused on Matt Balis' workouts during January and February.
"I always think you can get better at every single part of your game," said Pyne. "You want to work on your strengths and then you become the best you can possibly be and you become the best in the country at your strengths. That's what we did.
"Working with Coach Balis, I really pressed myself to go as hard as I could in every single run and every single lift to really work on my speed, get faster, and incorporate that more into my game."
The chance to compete for the starting quarterback is something Pyne was born to do, but don't think he's overwhelmed heading into this spring.
"Coach Freeman says one day, one life, so we're trying to get better every single day," explained Pyne. "I'm pretty excited.
"If you want to talk about a goal, our goal of every single player on the team is to win a national championship. We're gonna do that every single day. We're gonna work for that every single day. That's the overall goal. One day, one life, we're trying to get better every single day to reach that goal."
The Connecticut native has also found comfort in a daily routine.
"I have a pretty good routine of watching film, meeting with Coach Rees, going to bed at a certain time," said Pyne. "I don't do anything. I live, breathe and bleed football right now. That's my main focus. I'm gonna put everything I have into this offseason and I'm gonna have no looking back."
While Pyne isn't overwhelmed, it's safe to say he's excited. Offensive coordinator Tommy Rees has implemented a few schemes to make things more favorable to Pyne and Buchner as they both can run.
"Coach Rees hired a great offensive staff," stated Pyne. "He's put in some unbelievable plays that highlight me and Tyler. We're different from Jack. We're our own players. He kind of lets us be free. The way he runs his offense allows us to be at our best."
To be at his best, Pyne will also rely on a receiver corps that has much to prove in 2022.
Pyne has not only been impressed with the receiver corps, but also new receivers coach Chansi Stuckey.
"I've seen a group that works really hard," Pyne said. "Coach Stuckey came in here and they got right into the film room. They've worked really hard off the field, but really hard on the field. Those guys can't stop talking about how great he is. It really shows on the field.
"We've had two really good days of practice, but for us, it's not good enough. We're always striving to get better every single day and Coach Rees is really putting that on our offense. We're getting better every single day."
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