Friends Amidst Competition? Hartman, Buchner Bond Through Notre Dame QB1 Battle
Tyler Buchner almost failed to understand why reporters repeatedly asked him different versions of the same questions on Friday.
Notre Dame brought in Sam Hartman to take his spot. So why doesn’t bad blood or constant bickering exist between Buchner and Hartman inside the Fighting Irish quarterback room?
Buchner knows he could’ve acted like a jerk when Hartman arrived, but he’s a laid-back kid from Southern California who brings a healthy perspective to a quarterback competition.
“Why would I not become friends with him, be a great teammate and be supportive in every way I can?” Buchner said. “ That will make life better for the both of us, right? Or I can choose to totally block out the guy and be like, 'no, I'm the guy.'
“We spend probably six hours a day with each other. That would be miserable.”
His open-arms approach fostered yet another Notre Dame quarterback battle where mutual admiration exists between both parties. Media members also questioned Buchner’s friendship with quarterback Drew Pyne last year before Buchner won the QB1 job early in fall camp.
Of course, that competition was between two young and inexperienced quarterbacks recruited to Notre Dame out of high school.
The 2023 QB battle, on the other hand, is a lopsided matchup based on past production.
Hartman is the presumptive favorite. He played in 48 games over five seasons at Wake Forest and produced 13,826 total yards for 127 touchdowns and 41 interceptions. He could’ve declared for the NFL last fall but chose to transfer to Notre Dame to play in a pro-style offense.
Buchner has only played in 13 games due to a shoulder injury that sidelined him for 10 games in 2022. The dual-threat quarterback has produced 1,408 total yards for 13 scores and eight picks.
He may have one-tenth of Hartman’s career yards and touchdowns, but he possesses more raw talent, which even Hartman recognizes.
“Tyler and I have a great relationship brewing, and it's been fun to get to know him. His athletic ability combined with his arm — I envy it,” Hartman said. “He's a really great player. You see it every single day, just make some really cool plays. Again, it comes with the hard work that he puts in.”
They knew each other before Hartman transferred to Notre Dame. Both have previously worked with private quarterback coach Taylor Kelly of 3DQB SoCal.
So Buchner and Hartman got together frequently over spring break and threw together.
It appears they’ve become fast friends.
“There’s a stigma around quarterback competitions, ‘oh, they hate each other or whatever,’” Buchner said. “That's not fun for anyone in that. You spend so much time with the other quarterback, and so we've done a really good job of spending time with each other. Enjoying it. He's one of the better friends in the Gug and I hang out with him on weekends.”
Splitting Practice Reps
The Notre Dame football beat viewed Saturday’s open practice. Hartman and Buchner split reps evenly, each getting the chance to play behind the first and second-team offensive lines throughout the team portions of practice.
The defense dialed up a plethora of blitzes while the wide receivers ran crossing routes against press coverage. As a result, the offense struggled no matter who took snaps under center.
ISD’s Matt Freeman noted how Hartman made several poor decisions and off-target throws on Saturday, but he’s still learning the Notre Dame offense and developing his timing with the receivers. Up to this point, he’s only had six practices with the Irish.
His relationship with Buchner could significantly aid in his development. Quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli arrived on campus a month ago and is still learning the offense as well. That means Hartman’s best resource is often his competition.
“It’s like these guys grew up together,” Guidugli said. “That’s how I perceive it. Even though they’re competing, there is a great relationship there.
“They look to help each other and cheer each other on. Tyler is helping Sam just with the foundation of the offense. He’s obviously got a great understanding having played in the offense, and I think there’s been an exchange of information there that’s been very good and really beneficial for our football team.”
Buchner also had an up-and-down practice, but his mobility and familiarity within the offense made him look more poised and make more plays amidst frequent pressure.
He’s also a much more confident quarterback now that he’s on campus for his third spring.
Coach Marcus Freeman preaches “one play, one life,” an onus to be in the moment and give that snap everything you’ve got. In the past, Buchner’s mistake was holding on to a negative play long after it was over.
“You realize, in the grand scheme of things, one play and one practice really don’t matter that much,” Buchner said. “So having that mindset, like, you don't dwell on that play. My freshman year, if I threw a pick, I'd be in the tank.”
No matter who wins the job, Buchner should become a better quarterback with Hartman on campus, which he says is his main goal this year — that and eclipsing his 3.5 GPA last semester.
“Competition breeds success,” Buchner said. “So you're going to bring in the best guys possible and give this team the best chance to win as many games as possible. Sam's been an unbelievable addition to the room. I can't say this enough; he’s just been a really good friend of mine since he's gotten here.”
An Uncertain Future
Near the end of Saturday’s practice, running back Audric Estimé ran up the middle for a 3-yard touchdown, capping off a Bucher-led drive with seven points.
He then walked off the field as rising sophomore Steve Angeli took snaps under center. Buchner approached Hartman, who gave him a quick hug in celebration.
“You learn at the end of the day, there's only one [starting quarterback], and I think you got to have fun with it,” Hartman said. “You’ve got to have guys in your room that understand it and get it. Tyler has played. He understands the highs and lows of being a quarterback, of getting hurt, losing the job and everything in between.
“It's been cool to just kind of see him and how he handles different things.”
Fans are understandably concerned Buchner will transfer if he doesn’t win the job.
Could that happen? Absolutely. It’d be foolish to assume it wasn’t possible in the one-time transfer era, which comes with instant access to the transfer portal.
At the same time, even if Buchner loses the job, his athleticism would still be an asset to the offense. He played in 10 games as a freshman, taking offensive series from fifth-year senior Jack Coan in order to spark the Fighting Irish run game.
So it’s certainly possible he fill a similar or expanded role in 2023.
Buchner’s younger sister, Paige, will also be a freshman on the women’s soccer team next fall, which provides the Southern California native with an extra incentive to stay on campus for another year or two.
For now, Buchner and Hartman are deadset on pushing one another through Notre Dame’s nine remaining spring practices.
“We're both out there for the same reasons, trying to just improve,” Buchner said. “It’s the same thing in practice. He's trying to improve every day and help one another to do that. We're out there.
“It's helpful to have another guy who's in the same system as you because you can talk through concepts and you can run things that are very specific to Notre Dame and what we're doing here.”