Alabama quarterback Tyler Buchner transferred from Notre Dame to the Crimson Tide ahead of this season with the expectation of competing with Jalen Milroe for the starting job in Tuscaloosa.
While Buchner did replace a benched Milroe for a game against South Florida back in September, he only threw 19 passes for Alabama. The former four-star recruit from Southern California is now headed his way out of town.
According to Max Olson of The Athletic, Buchner has entered the transfer portal. There is also a caveat here. He wants to play lacrosse at his next school. Yeah, that’s a thing.
With Milroe having excelled since initially being benched by Nick Saban and Alabama preparing for the College Football Playoff, it makes sense that Buchner would want to latch on with another program to continue his college football playing career. It also must be noted that he was a star lacrosse player at Helix High School in La Jolla.
Alabama Crimson Tide prepared to move forward with Jalen Milroe
A red-shirt sophomore, Milroe has tallied 35 total touchdowns compared to six interceptions in replacing 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young under center for Alabama. He has the Crimson Tide in the midst of an 11-game winning streak heading into their matchup with Michigan in the College Football Playoff Semifinals.
It stands to reason that Milroe will be Alabama’s starting quarterback in 2024 and beyond as long as he doesn’t declare for the NFL Draft prematurely. A native of Texas, he was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2021.
Milroe’s ascension to stardom also leads us to wonder whether fellow Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson will transfer, too. The former five-star recruit saw limited action as a red-shirt freshman and drew offers from other top-end programs during the 2022 recruiting cycle.