Notre Dame WR Room Focused on Stacking Days with QB Tyler Buchner
Notre Dame announced sophomore Tyler Buchner would be its starting quarterback on Saturday and it’s clear the decision is fully backed by the receiver room.
Yes, it would be foolish to criticize a teammate and the player getting them the ball, but it’s much more than that.
In Braden Lenzy’s case, the graduate student has seen his fair share of quarterbacks and Buchner’s playmaking ability is something he hasn’t seen during his time in the blue and gold.
“There are times he'll make a throw or choose to go option two, three or four when you think it's going to someone else,” stated Lenzy. “It's just a play when you look at quarterbacks and go 'How'd he make that throw? How'd he see that?'
"Just being in practice, I can be like it's coming to me, but then it gets thrown to someone who never gets that ball on that play. You're like, 'Dang, how'd he make that throw?'
"I'd say his overall playmaking ability is just insane. I think he brings a very dynamic element to the offense. I'm really excited to see him this year."
Sophomore Lorenzo Styles echoed Lenzy as he’s witnessed multiple examples of his classmate making plays out of nothing.
“It's just really when there's a defender in his face or sometimes when he has to put his arm a different angle to get the throw off,” said Styles. “He has the ability to do that."
Notre Dame receivers coach Chansi Stuckey knows a thing or two about the quarterback position. Stuckey played quarterback for Clemson before making the move to receiver and he’s enjoyed the pressure Buchner’s skillset can apply to a defense.
"He's not a runner, but he's athletic,” stated Stuckey. “That's a lot of the quarterbacks you see today - they can really spin it, but also avoid pressure, get out of the pocket and throw on the run. That's always a tough dynamic for any defensive coach when you have a guy who can sit in the pocket vs. a guy who can slide, move up and take off an run. He's just a dual-threat guy that expands our offense."
Buchner’s playmaking ability is why Notre Dame signed him, but Stuckey has also been impressed with how the sophomore has led the team by his actions.
"I love his moxie,” Stuckey explained. “He's never rattled. He'll have some issues in practice with tipped balls, picked here or the wrong read, but he's never rattled.
“You look at his face and he's always locked in and confident. That permeates throughout our offense. Our receivers see that and we're going to make mistakes, but we have a guy in this huddle who can lead us to everything we're trying to do."
Control is important for a quarterback.
Controlling emotions after a good or bad play is crucial to long-term success, but also in leading a team, which Buchner has also demonstrated during camp.
"He's really dynamic,” Styles stated. “He can really run the ball and throw the ball, but he's a smart football player. He can control the offense and the game how he wants to control it. I think he handles that really well."
Sophomore Jayden Thomas has known Buchner longer than most as they played on the same team at an FBU All-American event in middle school.
The Georgia native saw Buchner’s talent then, but also in the present as Thomas has started to ascend up the receiver depth chart.
"He's really smart,” said Thomas. “I talk to him all the time and pick his brain. He's dual-threat and he can make explosive plays with his feet and take a hit. He can make that throw no one else can make."
Now that Notre Dame has starting quarterback, Stuckey has made an effort to get his receivers to start building even more of a rapport with Buchner over the next few weeks.
"The key word is rapport,” Stuckey stated. “It takes time. Naming Tyler the starter, it's like, 'Hey guys, I need you to lock into how the ball spins, arm angle, anticipation in how he likes to throw. Does he like to throw when he sees you? Does he like to throw it when before you're out of your break? All those little things and nuances are critical for that receiver-quarterback relationship."
Thomas understands the importance of listening to his coach and the receiver room started building that rapport with Buchner long before Saturday’s official announcement.
"He's been working all summer,” said Thomas. “We've all been running routes with him since last year. We all pretty much know his style and he knows our style.
"Practice reps are important, so every day, we need to practice getting one percent better and stacking the days."
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