At one point during this odd recruiting cycle, Notre Dame quarterback commit Tyler Buchner was a consensus 5-Star prospect. Without having a senior season, California opted to play in the spring and Buchner will be enrolling in January, Buchner’s ranking fluctuated a good amount.
Today, 247Sports looked at superlatives for the 2021 quarterback group and Buchner was given the boom or bust designation. Barton Simmons wrote that “the California native is an enigma. He missed his sophomore season due to injury. He dominated his junior season but it was against subpar competition.”
Buchner then just had camps to show his talents off but “he brought high expectations into the Elite 11 Finals and laid an egg.” It wasn’t all bad news however, as Simmons believes that Buchner will be more on the boom side of things than the bust. “Given his ranking, we expect the first scenario (Heismans and national championships) is more likely,” which gives plenty of hope for the signal caller.
It may take Buchner a little while to get acclimated to the fast paced collegiate game, which is why I suggested yesterday that going into the transfer portal and finding a quarterback with some experience would be a smart idea for head coach Brian Kelly and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.
Buchner will be in South Bend soon, with many eyes watching his every more. It’s way too early to know what he is and the trajectory his career will take. Hopefully the 2021 season see the return of spring football, and a glimpse of what Buchner could be.