Notre Dame QB Drew Pyne Embracing Process, Focused on Preparation

Drew Pyne has dreamed of this moment since he was a little kid wearing his Brady Quinn jersey on Saturdays.

Pyne will make his first start for Notre Dame on Saturday at Cal, but he’s not focused on the game as the junior quarterback knows the preparation is crucial to leading the Irish to a victory. 

“I need to prepare as hard as I can and I need to practice as hard as I can,” Pyne stated on Tuesday. “I need to take every single day every single detail with as much care as possible and that I need to help lead these guys and be in a good spot for Saturday.”

The road to start has been challenging as Pyne was involved in quarterback competitions over the last two years. It would have been easy for the 5-foot-11, 198-pounder to transfer or be content with a backup role, but that’s not Drew Pyne. 

The Connecticut native’s work ethic has earned him respect in the locker room and this moment won’t change how Pyne prepares as a starter. 

“I think the guys know that I'm someone who is gonna be playing for them and like playing for one another and doing everything I can for the guys,” explained Pyne. “The guys know that I'm going to be able to go in and watch as much film as I possibly can. We had our off day yesterday and I was in The Gug more than I was at home or in class. I was watching film. I think the way to lead is coming out to practice every day and being sharp.” 

Marcus Freeman and his staff have preached leadership within the entire team over the last 10 months and Pyne is someone who has embraced it through his actions and with his words. 

“Coach really says it all the time,” said Pyne. “It's easy to lead when you execute and when you go out and practice and you execute and you run the offense smooth. That's a good way to lead and you can't really lead when you're not executing. So, just going out on the field and practicing as hard as I can every day and being mentally prepared every single day is something that I pride myself in doing.  

“I'm going to do it every single day and when game time comes and when competitive periods happen in practice I'm gonna be loud. I'm gonna be fired up.” 

While his life isn’t changing within the walls of The Gug, Pyne knows being the starter comes with a lot more attention off the field whether he wants it or not. 

Film has become Pyne’s escape when things do get hectic, which can only be a good thing for the Notre Dame offense. 

“I really almost threw my phone away the past two days,” explained Pyne. “I didn't really want to see anything. The opportunity for our team to be able to come back and have a great week of practice and hopefully have success on Saturday is something that can really turn us around and for myself, I've been here for two years. It's my third season and I'm just gonna do everything I can to play here.

“It's always been my dream, but I don't let any of this anything get to my head. Anytime that anything starts to become somewhat overwhelming I go straight to watching film. That's what's important for me. That's what's important for our offense and that's what's important for our team.” 

Pyne has been in the fire and played with emotion, which could be something Notre Dame can feed off of as the Irish need a spark at 0-2. 

Yet, Pyne has always been thrust into a tough situation as he’s come in cold and not been able to control the game from snap one. 

“I think every single time I've played here and played football my whole life I played with a lot of passion,” Pyne said. “I played it with 100 percent effort. I've played it with love for the game and love for my teammates and with a lot of confidence and with a lot of energy. I don't think any of that will change. Playing for four quarters gets you in a good flow and you will see how that goes on Saturday.” 

Confidence is something Pyne has never lacked dating back to high school. Pyne was never arrogant or cocky, but it was clear he was the most confident person on the field. 

UFC fighter Conor McGregor is another athlete who doesn’t lack confidence, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that Pyne is a big fan or plays with a similar passion. 

“I love Conor McGregor,” Pyne stated. “One of my idols because he has a lot of confidence in himself and he's from Ireland and my ancestors are from Ireland. He always talks about being obsessed with the game and being obsessed with it to the point where no one else can. Like it's a true love for the game.

“I started doing that because I was watching film and I was understanding things way more and I was understanding what defenses were doing. I was understanding what spaces are gonna be open and stuff like that. I think my mind was just accelerated by being with Coach Rees more and doing everything else and watching more film. So kind of just becoming obsessed with it helped me.” 

On Saturday, Notre Dame fans can expect to see a quarterback with a chip on his shoulder and someone who has put in the work to lead the Irish to a victory. 

“A guy who was extremely prepared, someone who plays for his teammates, will lead guys on the field,” said Pyne. “Someone who will never, ever give up and never back down to anything.”

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