Buchner Roundtable

By Observer Football Beat

The news of Tyler buchner entering the transfer portal brought a host of questions along with it. buchner says he remains open to returning to notre dame, but will he? if not, where will the Gator bowl mv P take his services? a nd what are the ripple effects both on buchner’s career and notre dame’s quarterback situation. The observer’s football beat delved into those questions.

Where do you think Tyler Buchner might go?

a ll writers agreed that a labama is a plausible option, but here’s a look at some of the reasoning beat writers gave for the Tide or another team landing buchner’s services. a nother team listed as a potential option was TcU who is looking to replace max duggan under center.

Andrew McGuinness: auburn everyone is hyping up a labama as a potential landing spot, and with good reason. but the Tigers showed signs of life with last year’s mid-season coaching change. one of the things that could eliminate that progress is poor quarterback play. between robby a shford, TJ Finley and holden Geriner, auburn has bodies but certainly no clear-cut no. 1. The Tigers give buchner a great balance of exposure in the sec without the sky-high, potentially crushing expectations that would come if he joins their biggest rival instead.

Matthew Crow: UcL a

There hasn’t been much buzz about buchner looking at UcL a, but it seems like a strong fit. The bruins are in the market for a new quarterback after the graduation of five-year starter dorian Thompson-robinson, and buchner brings a similar dual-threat skill set to the one that helped Thompsonrobinson lead UcL a to a 9-4 season last year. buchner fits the archetype of a long list of star quarterbacks in chip Kelly’s dynamic offense, and UcL a provides him the opportunity to join a competitive team and return home to southern california.

J.J Post: a labama, Florida or stanford a labama is the obvious option. a ll the buzz out of Tuscaloosa has indicated that neither Ty simpson or Jalen milroe has assertively grabbed the starting job for next fall. buchner’s principle recruiter out of high school was Tommy rees, the new offensive coordinator at a labama. The optics of a consensus top five team taking an ostensible backup from a lower ranked team are wacky, but there are stranger moves. stanford wouldn’t be a glamorous option by any means. stanford’s rebuild makes Florida’s look like a walk in the park. There’s no way around it — the cardinal have a new coach, a difficult schedule and not much in the way of returning talent from a bad team. but buchner is from california, and the chance to play closer to home could appeal to him. he’d also have the chance to be the face of a return to glory if all went well. a nd that’s without touching the obvious value of a stanford degree.

Florida head coach billy napier was about as clear as possible after Florida’s spring game about wanting to check the Portal for quarterback options after an underwhelming quarterbacking display. buchner is currently by some distance the quarterback in the portal with the highest pedigree, and he could jump to one of the biggest brands in college football for an immediate starting job. his long-term eligibility would also fit napier’s likely rebuild.

Aidan Thomas : notre dame a labama might become a betting favorite, but to be honest, this move feels like buchner trying to find a spot where he can start this year. To get a shot in the nFL, you have to start in college. starting at a high level is a bonus. a s of now, buchner is the clear favorite to start for notre dame in 2024. is he willing to follow rees into a murky a labama quarterback situation that provides no guarantees?

There’s other Power-5 options out there, but at this point in the spring, buchner is going to almost certainly have to win a quarterback battle wherever he goes. i agree with most of the listed options as possibilities, and i’d even throw cal into the mix. but unless someone essentially guarantees buchner a starting job, i still think buchner sticks it out in south bend, where he can take over the starting role next year.

Madeline Ladd: san diego state or ... Wake?

Though a labama is a possible option for buchner to reconvene with Tommy rees, buchner may look to scale down. With that being said, san diego state could be a potential move for buchner as he heads back home to the West coast to a Group of six school where