Notre Dame football: Quarterback options for 2023

With Drew Pyne transferring to Arizona State, Notre Dame football is searching for some competition for the quarterback room. Tyler Buchner and Steve Angeli are the only viable starting options for next year besides soon-to-be true freshman Kenny Minchey.

It’ll be an exciting couple of weeks, to say the least, as Notre Dame will navigate the transfer portal to find their guy. Hudson Card and Sam Hartman are often mentioned when discussing Notre Dame’s possible options. Hudson Card has been in the portal for quite some time. Hartman, however, is still yet to decide on his future though a decision should be coming soon.

There are other options in the portal as well. According to a ranking of the available transfer portal quarterbacks by 247Sports, of the top 10, 5 remain uncommitted. Among them are Grayson McCall, Hudson Card, and DJ Uiagalelei. Brennan Armstrong, the former Virginia quarterback, has also been lightly connected to the Irish.

Given his sustained success over the past two years and Devin Leary’s injury, should Hartman enter the portal, he’d be the top-ranked QB to do so. Of course, that isn’t a guarantee, but I’d be shocked if it wasn’t the case. Some other names that make sense for the Notre Dame football program are Spencer Sanders and Kedon Slovis. Frankly, if I’m Tommy Rees and Marcus Freeman bringing in a transfer portal QB, I’m looking for someone that moves the needle.

Of course, the team could rely on the trio of Buchner, Angeli, and Minchey, but that wouldn’t seem prudent in this situation. They’re immediately in playoff conversations if Notre Dame football lands an above-average to an elite quarterback. With all due respect to many of the guys previously mentioned, only a few would move the needle that much for me. Card and Hartman are both included in that conversation.

It remains to be seen what Card can do over an extended period. Still, I feel he has the necessary skill set to be an elite quarterback. We’ve all seen or heard the Sam Hartman rumors, but with the current landscape of college football, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.