Tyler Buchner Ready To Be The Face of Notre Dame Football
Saturday night might be a homecoming for Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman, but it also marks the start of the Tyler Buchner era for the Fighting Irish.
The sophomore quarterback will make his first start in Columbus and Buchner plans on embracing the opportunity and
“I think there’s a lot of emotions,” said Buchner. “It’s my first start playing at Ohio State - a night game. I think I would be lying if I said there wasn’t a little bit of nerves. I think that’s pretty normal and human. I’m definitely really excited. I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to my family coming out and watching me play - some relatives who haven’t seen me play in a while.
“I’m looking forward to our offense going out there and playing.”
Buchner won’t just be tasked with playing the No. 2 team in the country, but the California native will be expected to outscore with perhaps the nation’s top offense.
Freeman has emphasized the importance of winning in the trenches and Notre Dame’s offensive line gives Buchner confidence he can go toe-to-toe with CJ Stroud and Ohio State.
“We’re really good up front,” stated Buchner. “We have a lot of playmakers outside. I think our backs are really good. If I can get the ball out to those guys and let them make plays and we can continue to run the ball, I think our offense will be really good.”
Another goal over the last eight months of Freeman and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees was to build Buchner’s confidence and leadership.
The 6-foot-1, 215-pounder was put into situations where Buchner’s leadership grew organically, which led to Freeman naming him the starter early in preseason camp.
Freeman has also seen positive steps for Buchner since being named the starter and that’s why he made the call earlier than some were expecting.
"He's done a really good job since we named him starter of just continuing to be consistent,” Freeman said. “That's what we're looking for out of him, that consistency, and I think there's a little bit of that confidence in the offense in terms of knowing who's the starting quarterback. That's why we named the starting quarterback when we felt like it was right. The earlier we can name it, the earlier you can build that confidence and that consistency amongst that offensive unit.”
Buchner fully admits the early decision gave him some added confidence combined with allowing the Notre Dame offense to build an identity over the last few weeks.
“It just helps build that confidence,” explained Buchner. “I think that was part of the reason the coaches wanted to name it early in camp. You can start building around a certain goal. I had less stress on the competition every day in practice.
“Obviously, you’re still competing and trying to make each other better. But more so to work on building an identity of the offense and less about, ‘Oh, did I do well today? Did I do bad?’ and more so focus on preparation and getting better every day.”
And don’t think Buchner wasn’t confident because the coaching staff wanted to build it up during the offseason.
“My personal confidence, I’d like to think that it doesn’t waver,” Buchner said. “I’d like to have the idea that my confidence will stay the same, no matter the external factors. Try to keep it level at all times. Try not to get too high, too low. But I’d say honestly, since ball, through camp and until now, my confidence has just kind of gone like this, up and up. I feel like I’m in a good spot.”
Buchner’s confidence comes from his desire to be great, but also because he’s played college football.
In 2021, Buchner played in 10 games and finished the year with 634 total yards and six touchdowns, but the most significant lessons might have come from the road game at Virginia Tech where he saw extended action.
Buchner had ups and downs that night. He threw for 113 yards and became the first true freshman quarterback to record a passing and rushing touchdown in the same game in program history. Yet, there were downs as Buchner threw a pick six and experienced moments that he’ll take into the showdown this weekend.
“One of the plays, I forgot a motion against Virginia Tech with the signal and all the noise and things like that,” Buchner recalled. “That’s one of the things I can learn from - the emphasis on communication and making sure everyone knows the play. The calls I’ve got to make and everything that’s going on.
“Coach Freeman has done a great job at practice, playing the sound to get used to it, that’s been my big emphasis to work on communication and going on a silent cadence and being able to communicate non-verbally.
Freeman has made sure Buchner and his team are prepared for the hostile environment in The Shoe with crowd noise, but also music Notre Dame will hear in Ohio Stadium.
Rees has also challenged his young quarterback during practice to be ready for anything the Buckeyes throw at him.
“He expects more,” Buchner stated. “Not in a bad way but he really pushes me every single day. Like if I miss a throw in a scout period like today, he’s really on me like, ‘You’ve really go to… We’ll do it again until it’s perfect.’
“So it’s like the constant coaching and things to prepare me to be the best player I can be and I know he’s doing it because he wants me to be the best player and to help this team. He has coached me harder.”
All eyes will be on the clash in Columbus and Buchner understands the position he’ll be in Saturday night, but also moving forward past Ohio State.
“Just how you carry yourself, how you handle yourself, the way you act,” Buchner said of the expectations of being the Notre Dame quarterback. “Like off the field on a Saturday night, what are you doing? You’re the Notre Dame quarterback. You’re in South Bend. You have a bigger reputation and you represent Notre Dame football. So you need to represent the team the right way.”
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