SI All-American Candidate Tyler Buchner Highlights and Evaluation
Prospect: Tyler Buchner
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 200 pounds
Position: Quarterback
School: La Mesa (Calif.) Helix
Committed to: Notre Dame
Projected Position: Quarterback
Frame: Broad, muscular build on adequate frame. Some room to add weight down the line.
Athleticism: Few quarterbacks have the ‘juice’ Buchner does as a pure athlete. Despite a major knee injury in 2018, he bounced back with head-turning 1,610-yard rushing total as a junior. When he takes off with the football he can beat angles with acceleration and hold up with above-average long speed, too. Buchner gets to top speed in a hurry. Runs with great body control and balance in the open field and at the tail-end of plays.
Instincts: Natural feel inside the pocket with consistently strong sliding ability to climb the pocket or evade the initial defender. Can move behind the pocket to provide targets with more time. Very comfortable off platform. Unafraid to take risks and push the football down the field.
Polish: Classic, three-quarter release point with quick and fluid delivery. Strong pocket presence and athleticism fit well with rational internal clock. Has enough velocity to drive the ball but awareness to know when to take something off of it, too. Anticipates well, especially vertically. Uses athleticism to square up while on the run, where he flashes the ability to drop his arm angle at times.
Bottom Line: Buchner has the dual-threat tools, including a pure arm and gaudy prep production to immediately be the man at Notre Dame. He’s gone through physical adversity, played in multiple offensive systems and excelled anyway. There’s an ‘it’ quality with the future Irish quarterback that seems easy to bet on when projecting him to be the face of a major college football program one day.