BlueandGold.com was on site at the Elite 11 in Nashville, Tenn., earlier this summer, and spoke to a number of people about Notre Dame quarterback commit Tyler Buchner. Learn more about the future Irish signal-caller in this week’s Gold Standard.
Yogi Roth, Pac-12 Network Analyst & Elite 11 Coach
Roth, a former wide receiver at Pittsburgh in the early 2000s and quarterbacks coach at USC from 2005-09, wasn’t on site at the Elite 11 in Nashville this summer due to his wife having a baby, but he was still involved in a lot of meetings via Zoom. He’s very familiar with Buchner the player and gave his thoughts on the Irish pledge.
“I’m a big fan of Tyler. His game is legit,” Roth said. “Going into the Elite 11 Finals, we rank the guys based on their film and regional camp experience, and Tyler was No. 1 on my board coming in. I was really impressed with his tape. I watched him at his regional camp in Los Angeles and he was one of the few [Elite 11 finalist] guys I got to see in person. He’s really impressive.
“When you go through his story with his injury and the pressure he dealt with so young — most guys don’t deal with that adversity until they get to college. When I pair that with how he plays on tape, the type of young man he is, what his family is like and what he’s driven by, he’s a special man. Two years in a row, Notre Dame is getting really talented players at the position. Tyler has the chance to be big, big time. He has the tools to be one of the top guys in his class at the college level.”
On Buchner heading to Notre Dame with only one year of starting high school experience at quarterback …
“I think it comes down to makeup. I’ve always felt that to play quarterback and have success, you need to be a pure passer, be an insane competitor and be a seeker — find out and learn everything possible and apply it. And that’s who he is. From talking to every coach on our [Elite 11] staff about him, he wasn’t resting on his laurels. He wasn’t a guy who came in too cool for school. He’s driven and motivated.
“He has the ‘it’ factor and can elevate those around him. I think Tyler is a baller. Some of the [inexperience] points are fair, and fans should temper their expectations fundamentally on freshmen coming in and thriving — it’s not the easiest thing to do. So Tyler has a great ceiling and has time to develop, but he’s going to miss out on like 700 snaps at the high school level. He’s the best one Notre Dame has had in a while.
“We’re in an era where the best athlete is also the best passer. That’s the name of the game. You have to make off-platform throws, and he does and thrives. That’s his first pass on his film; he flips his hips and, ‘Whoa.’ I think he’s a pure passer with athletic traits. He reminds me of Sam Ehlinger, but with a better burst and a more pure passer at this stage of his career.”
Trent Dilfer, Super Bowl Winning QB & Elite 11 Head Coach
“[Buchner] didn’t have the greatest week [at the Elite 11 Finals], but I think he learned some stuff, and that’s good. His film is as good as I’ve seen in a long time. This was a great week for him; it’s the first time they’ve competed in a while. Typically, they’ve played dozens of seven-on-sevens and done a ton of camps. There was some rust with Tyler and some nerves, and that’s natural.”
Greg Holcomb, Private QB Coach Based In Chicago
“[Buchner’s] film is impressive. He had a phenomenal season in 2019. This class in general is so deep, and he’s clearly one of the top guys in his class. There were some guys who struggled this week [at the Elite 11 Finals] who you would have thought would do better. It’s an interesting environment here because you’re put into situations you’re not used to, but overall he’s just such a talented kid.
“I saw him as a freshman when he came to my Rising Fire camp in Sherman Oaks, California. He’s continued to do well. He’s going to be a heck of a player for Notre Dame.”
On Buchner’s mechanics at the Elite 11 …
“When I first saw him a couple years ago, I thought he had really clean mechanics and was fundamentally sound for a freshman going to be a sophomore. I saw a little more of a hitch in his mechanics this week — kind of a short-arm delivery. I saw him tighten something up. I did see a different motion in his mechanics.
“I don’t know if it affected him in a bad way, but it did look different. It just looked like he’s changed something.”
Buchner Making The Most Of His Time During The Pandemic
Game nights are always fun in the Buchner household.
“It’s definitely competitive,” Buchner’s mother, Audrey, said. “We’re a family that loves to spend a lot of time together. It’s hard when everyone is busy with their sports schedules, but we try to reserve time to enjoy each other.”
Of course, Tyler has been a standout football player for La Jolla (Calif.) The Bishop’s School, especially last fall, when he accounted for 81 touchdowns and 6,084 yards.
His older sister Brooke signed with the Cal beach volleyball team in the 2020 class. She was named to the All-CIF first team in both 2017 and 2018 for her work with the indoor volleyball team at The Bishop’s School.
Tyler has two younger sisters as well, a 15-year-old soccer player and 12-year-old volleyball player. His parents have quite the athletic background as well. Tyler’s father, Todd, played football at Colgate in the mid-1980s, while his mother was a member of Yale’s equestrian team.
The coronavirus pandemic has shut down high school football in California for this fall, which might mean that Buchner won’t get to play his senior season because his plan was to enroll early at Notre Dame.
While that’s a negative, Buchner has seen a positive in the worst of the pandemic because his busy family has been able to spend a lot of time together these past few months.
“He’s got a great head on his shoulders,” Audrey said. “He’s always been mature. I think it really helps him to remove himself from the noise. It’s been a great thing that he went to a small, private school that doesn’t get too wrapped up in the football hype because it keeps him really grounded.”
It’s also given Buchner a lot of time to train and renew his focus.
“He’s uber competitive and it’s been great to have this time for him to work on his craft,” Audrey said. “He’s also working out with his Helix team and is doing a lot on the mental side — watching film, breaking down tape and learning concepts with his coaches, including his coaches at Notre Dame.
“They all know that it’s possible his next season may be on the collegiate field and there is a huge concerted effort to prep him for that.”
South Bend is far from the Buchner family’s home just north of San Diego, but distance isn’t an issue with how well traveled the family is. Tyler’s mother is from Virginia, while his father hails from Colorado. Tyler was born in Wilmette, Ill., and lived in the Chicago area for eight years before moving to California.
Notre Dame was a superb fit for Buchner, which includes the two main factors most speak about.
“It’s such a perfect combination of football and academics,” Audrey noted. “One thing that I’ve been particularly proud of him for is that he’s always known that it’s a 40-year decision. We never talked to him too much about that. We’ve always stressed academics to him. It’s just become a part of his DNA.
“Tyler has a great relationship with Tommy Rees. They talk pretty often, a few times per week. He talks quite a bit with Coach [Brian] Kelly, too. We really like them as people and coaches. We feel comfortable with them.”
During the fourth play of Tyler’s sophomore season, he was running down the field and tore his ACL on a non-contact play. His offensive coordinator at the time, Danny Mitchell, called the injury a “sickening feeling.”
The following day, Notre Dame quarterbacks coach Tommy Rees got in contact with the Buchner family to assure them that the injury did not change their opinion of Tyler. They informed the Buchners of a handful of players who came back from ACL tears and succeeded.
Most colleges stayed in touch with Tyler after the injury, but none like Notre Dame.
“They had a lot of faith in Tyler,” Audrey stated.
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