Auburn football will likely be battling Iron Bowl rival Alabama for Notre Dame transfer portal entry at quarterback, Tyer Buchner — this at least according to 247Sports’ Brandon Marcello, who said as much on April 25:
I expect Alabama and Auburn to show interest in QB Tyler Buchner when he officially enters the Transfer Portal. https://t.co/mQ6sHSBlJV
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) April 25, 2023
ESPN’s Pete Thamel relayed that the Crimson Tide could be a logical landing spot for Buchner due to their needs under center and the presence of former Fighting Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees on Nick Saban’s coaching staff.
“One logical landing spot for Buchner would be Alabama,” Thamel wrote. “Former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees left the Irish for the Crimson Tide this offseason. It became increasingly clear in Alabama’s spring game on Saturday that the program lacks a clear-cut starter. Nick Saban was lukewarm in his endorsement of any Crimson Tide quarterback after the spring game, and the coach left the door open in his postgame comments about the Crimson Tide looking at the transfer portal as a possible solution at the position. Jalen Milroe and Ty Simpson, the two Alabama players vying to replace Bryce Young as starting quarterback, struggled during the spring game, throwing a combined three interceptions while completing fewer than half of their passes.”
Thamel also listed TCU and Stanford as potential landing spots for Buchner should he decide not to return to South Bend after leaving a return to Notre Dame on the table.
Auburn football would be a surprising Tyler Buchner landing spot
Buchner isn’t exactly the type of quarterback prospect Auburn football fans would expect Hugh Freeze to pursue at this point. The Tigers have two quarterbacks with more big-game experience (Robby Ashford, TJ Finley) and one with arguably more potential (Holden Geriner).
Buchner could provide competition under center, but he’d also likely not receive a guarantee from Freeze to get any snaps.