For the third straight year, Notre Dame’s first commitment was a quarterback. New Canaan (Conn.) High standout Drew Pyne committed to the Irish in April, giving them a top-ranked signal-caller to build their 2020 class around.
Pyne camped at Notre Dame prior to his sophomore season and earned a scholarship offer soon after. He was the only quarterback in the class to get an offer from the Irish staff, making it the second time in three years that Notre Dame offered just one passer in a class. He joins Phil Jurkovec, who was Notre Dame’s clear-cut pick in the class of 2018, just like Pyne was in the 2020 class.
During his junior season, Pyne passed for 2,602 yards and 30 touchdowns while completing 64.7 percent of his passes. He was picked off just six times and rushed for 220 yards and two scores. He led New Canaan to a 10-3 record and a runner-up finish in the Connecticut Class LL playoffs.
For his career, Pyne has already thrown for 7,304 yards and 81 touchdowns while rushing for 923 yards and 12 scores.
He also earned offers from Alabama, Oklahoma, Auburn, Florida State, Penn State, LSU, Texas A&M, Michigan, Miami (Fla.), Baylor, Boston College, Maryland, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Missouri, North Carolina and Arizona.
Here is the breakdown of Pyne’s game:
Pyne certainly doesn’t have ideal size for the position, checking in at just 6-1 and 175 pounds. He has a relatively thin frame and will need to add a significant amount of strength and size in order to hold up in college. His frame reminds me of current quarterback Ian Book, but like Book there is time for Pyne to make the necessary gains. He still has a full year of high school remaining and he likely won’t be asked to play on day one when he arrives at Notre Dame.
Despite his lack of size, Pyne graded out well when it comes to toughness and being able to handle the rigors of playing football. He is able to play through contact in the pocket and he is willing to take a shot if he needs to. Pyne will step out of bounds or slide when he needs to, but he also shows a willingness to make a defender miss or to put his shoulder down and pick up extra yards.
With more strength, I expect Pyne’s ability to play in the pocket to grow substantially.
