Notre Dame class of 2021 quarterback pledge Tyler Buchner will finish his decorated prep career at a different school.
Buchner played his first three seasons at La Jolla (Calif.) The Bishop's School but is transferring to La Mesa (Calif.) Helix Charter for his senior campaign.
The Highlanders finished the 2019 season with an 11-2 record and graduate their starting quarterback, Kamryn Brown, from last fall.
Buchner led The Bishop's School to an undefeated record before falling in the 2019 CIF San Diego Division II sectional final. At Helix Charter, he'll be playing in San Diego's open division, the biggest in the area. Helix has about 2,500 students, triple the size of Bishop's.
The Buchner family released the following statement on Wednesday:
“Our family is relocating and Tyler will be transferring to Helix for the fall.
“First and foremost, Tyler has had a great experience at Bishop’s and will always love his coaches, teachers, classmates and teammates. It is a special school and he is grateful for all it has done for him.
"This was a really hard decision. It started because of his interest in enrolling early at Notre Dame and was centered around his focus on being the best student athlete he can be. Ultimately we all agreed that this would be best for our family and Tyler.
"For now, he doesn’t want to do any interviews or comment further on this decision and won’t do so until he is enrolled at Helix. Thank you for your understanding.”
Buchner will be coached by Robbie Owens, who has posted a 42-12 record during his time as Helix's head coach. He led the Highlanders to a CIF San Diego Open Sectional championship victory in 2017.
The only current prospect at Helix who has a star ranking from Rivals is Joshua Simmons, who ranks as the No. 227 overall prospect and No. 27 offensive tackle in the country. He is committed to Oregon.
During his junior season, Buchner completed 267-of-402 passes for 4,474 yards with 53 touchdowns and six interceptions for a QB rating of 137.2. On the ground, he rushed 128 times for 1,610 yards and 28 scores.
He received several prestigious honors for his incredible season, including the Silver Pigskin, which is essentially the Heisman trophy in San Diego, and Buchner was the first junior to win the award since Reggie Bush nearly two decades ago. He was also named to three different Maxpreps first-teams (all-state California, national small schools and all-junior team).
Buchner will be playing at Bush's former high school as well.
Buchner, who is expected to graduate from Helix Charter in December, committed to Notre Dame March 8, 2019, picking the Irish over the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Nebraska and many others. Rivals ranks Buchner as the nation's No. 43 prospect and No. 2 dual-threat quarterback.
"It's just as strong as it's ever been," Buchner said of his Notre Dame pledge. "I can't wait to get up there this spring. I'm ready to recruit guys to build the best class we can."
Notre Dame has eight commitments in the 2021 class and the class currently ranks No. 4 in the nation.
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