Notre Dame announces their starting quarterback for Week 1

Oct 2, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish Defensive Coordinator Marcus Freeman enters Notre Dame Stadium before the game against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have made their quarterback decision with a big season opener against Ohio State looming.

In a hype video posted to the football team’s Twitter account Saturday, the Irish announced that sophomore Tyler Buchner would get the nod for the team’s first game at Ohio State on Sept. 3. Buchner will start ahead of junior Drew Pyne, who had been the other competitor for the job.

QB1@tylerbuchner #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/QYR3nHSZ9p

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 13, 2022

Buchner, a highly-touted dual-threat quarterback, was a consensus four-star recruit upon his arrival in South Bend for the 2021 season. He completed 21 of 35 passes for 298 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions in limited duty backing up Jack Coan last year. He was mostly used as a runner out of the backfield, tallying 336 yards and three touchdowns on 46 carries.

Buchner is younger than Pyne, but neither player has a lot of experience at the college level. With that as a non-factor, Pyne’s struggles during the spring helped serve as a tiebreaker between the pair.

The Fighting Irish are trying to keep momentum going in their first full campaign under new coach Marcus Freeman after an 11-2 year in 2021. The Buckeyes are the highest-ranked team on Notre Dame’s schedule, so Buchner will be facing some pressure to perform well immediately.