Tyler Buchner: "I have to keep recruiting"

June was a massive month for the 2021 recruiting class as Notre Dame gained commitments from four-star offensive lineman Blake Fisher‍, four-star tight end Cane Berrong‍ and four-star defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio‍ along with four-star safety Bryce Steele‍ made a trip to campus. 

Notre Dame also hosted the face of its 2021 class as quarterback commit Tyler Buchner‍ made it to South Bend for a multi-day visit before the Dead Period started. 

“It was a super fun trip,” the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder told Irish Sports Daily. “It was chill and I didn’t have much planned. It was fun to hang out with the guys on the team and get to know guys I hadn’t met before. It was pretty helpful to get to know the team and be around them. I was able to connect with some coaches I hadn’t connected with before and hang out with the staff.” 

The Bishop’s School (Calif.) star committed to the Irish in March and this was the first time back on campus since committing. 

Quarterbacks Ian Book and Phil Jurkovec made sure Buchner knew the nuts and bolts of the program in March and all three players had the chance to reconnect during this visit. 

“I watched them do their summer workouts and spent a lot of time with them,” explained Buchner. “I was able to hang out with Ian and Phil. It was just a great time.

“It gave me more confidence that I made the right choice. One of the things I wanted to do was go to a team who had a good culture and good guys around the team. I can honestly say the culture at Notre Dame is so great. It’s a winning culture and everyone works hard. Everyone is friends with each other and it’s a close-knit group of guys. It’s a great team to be around.” 

The visit also allowed Buchner to get around the offensive staff. It was different as Tommy Rees and Chip Long weren’t recruiting him but rather continuing to build on the strong relationship.

“What I thought the staff was like was how the staff was like,” stated Buchner. “All the coaches were the same. They all checked out. They were the same to me as a committed guy. It was nice to be able to talk to them when I wasn’t being recruited to get to know them better.” 

Rees also made sure to get the four-star prospect in his quarterback room with his current quarterbacks. 

“I was able to sit in on some quarterback meetings,” Buchner said. “They were going through their first couple of installs.  I went through some of the playbook. I also sat in on some defensive meetings Coach Rees was helping out in. 

“It’s definitely a step up from high school, especially a special place like Notre Dame. Being around smart guys like Coach Rees showed me I have a lot to learn. I loved soaking it in and even if I didn’t totally understand what was going on, it was great to be around.” 

Some wondered if Buchner would be vocal on the recruiting trail and those questions have been answered early. 

Buchner will be the first to point out the work isn’t close to being done, but as a quarterback, he was fired up to hear Fisher decided to join the Notre Dame family.

“I’m talking to Lorenzo Styles Jr.‍,” said Buchner. “I worked hard on Blake Fisher, so I’m glad he’s finally committed. I’m very happy about that. That was big. I talked to Coach (Jeff) Quinn when I was there and I’m going to start talking to Landon Tengwall‍. 

“I connected with Drew Pyne‍ this week and let him know I was wishing him good luck at the Elite 11. I’m starting to build relationships with a lot of the Notre Dame guys. I have to keep recruiting, so I’m always working on it.” 

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