Drew Pyne to enter transfer portal
Liam Coolican | Friday, December 2, 2022
Notre Dame starting quarterback Drew Pyne will enter the transfer portal, he announced on Twitter Friday afternoon. He is not expected to compete in the team’s upcoming bowl game, according to multiple sources.
“One of my proudest honors is to have been a student-athlete at the University of Notre Dame,” Pyne wrote on Twitter. “I have been blessed to be among great coaches and teachers and play with teammates I consider brothers. Now, it’s time for me to take on a new challenge, and I will be entering the transfer portal.”
The junior signal caller was thrust into action when sophomore quarterback Tyler Buchner went down with a shoulder injury late in the second game of the season against Marshall. After assuming the starting role, Pyne completed 65 percent of his passes for 2,021 yards this year. He threw for 22 touchdowns against six interceptions, also adding two scores on the ground.
It was an up-and-down season for Pyne, yet he finished with the fourth-highest passer rating in Notre Dame’s history and went 8-2 as a starter.
The former four-star recruit from New Cannan, Conn. arrived in South Bend prior to the 2020 season, where he served as the third-string quarterback behind Ian Book and Brendan Clark. Last year, alongside Buchner, he backed up Jack Coan, but all three quarterbacks saw meaningful action. He entered the game in the second half against Wisconsin at Soldier Field in September, and completed 6 of 8 passes for 81 yards and a score, helping lead the Irish to victory with a 31-point fourth quarter.
This year, he was expected to challenge for the starting job but was outperformed by Buchner in fall camp, who was named the starter prior to the season opener. But after Buchner’s injury, Pyne got his chance.
Head coach Marcus Freeman had hinted that Buchner could be cleared to play in the bowl game, and Football Scoops writer John Brice tweeted Tuesday after Pyne’s announcement that the true sophomore is expected to suit up. Without Pyne in the mix and if Buchner is left off the roster, it will come down to four-star freshman Steve Angeli who has seen very limited action this season. Notre Dame also recently received a commitment from Kenny Minchey, a four-star quarterback in the class of 2023.
The Irish will find out their postseason fate Sunday.
