Notre Dame Fall Camp Preview | Quarterback

It’s only fitting that the final Notre Dame fall camp position preview is the most important one. The position that can largely determine whether or not the Irish offense will sink or swim this season is quarterback.

There’s no graduate transfer coming in to ease the transition of losing a long time starter like last year. This year it’s all about developing the quarterbacks they have on the roster and the one they are counting on to take a big leap is Tyler Buchner.

At this point it would be shocking if he wasn’t named the starter at some point during camp. It’s less about him winning the job this August and more about him proving that he is ready to take a step as someone who can deliver on 3rd downs and the red zone with his arm as opposed to his legs.

If he can grow in those areas while Tommy Rees is still able to utilize his skills as a dual-threat, then the potential for what the offense can do will be sky high.

How much will the offense be built around what he can do and his decision-making with RPOs? That’s the next part that everyone wants to know and the expectation is that Rees will tailor the offense around what Buchner does best.

I don’t believe it’s an overreaction to state that Drew Pyne won’t be a contender to win the starting job after how poorly the Blue-Gold game went for him. Yes, it’s technically one practice, but it will likely take him being much better than Buchner throughout camp for Pyne to make it a serious conversation.

Anyone discounting him as the backup is getting ahead of themselves, though. He’s still the same guy who stepped in and helped them win a game against a very good Wisconsin defense last year and he’s a better option than most backup quarterbacks in college football.

The one thing that will be important for him during camp is protecting the football without getting too conservative with his decision-making.

There weren’t a ton of passengers during his recruitment, but the flashes Steve Angeli showed in the spring game certainly got some people to hop on the Angeli bandwagon. I still believe it’s unlikely he’d unseat Pyne as the backup, but being number three should get him more reps than some freshmen have received in prior preseason camps.

It will be interesting to see what he can do with those additional reps.

No one has any expectations that Ronnie Powlus will be a factor on Saturdays and what he showed in spring ball didn’t flip anyone’s views on him. He’s going to be working with the scout team this season and I don’t believe he will get many reps during 11 on 11 drills this August.

He is on scholarship, though, and to earn it, he needs to be a really good practice player. It would be a welcome sight for Notre Dame fans to see some positive developments from him when he gets his opportunities.

Of course depth is important at quarterback, but all eyes will be on Buchner. It would be a great thing for the offense if coaches, teammates, and media are raving about him over the next few weeks. Men’s Gray Notre Dame Slides