One College Quarterback Is Taking the Transfer Portal to Its Extreme

Monday was the first day that the college football transfer portal was open for players to declare that they want to play at different schools. One of the biggest bombshells from that first day was Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel entering the portal, while other talented quarterbacks like Ohio State's Kyle McCord and Georgia's Brock Vandagriff are transferring.

An astonishing 149 wide receivers jumped into the transfer madness, including players from Ohio State, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina, and a whopping 174 defensive backs have entered the portal.

It's no secret that the transfer portal has gotten out of control, but one quarterback has taken it to a whole new level. Tyler Buchner, a backup QB at Alabama, isn't just switching schools; he's changing sports, too. It all started last year when Buchner took a chance and transferred from Notre Dame to Alabama.

"Back in the spring, Buchner faced a tough decision," recounts The Athletic's Max Olson. "Should the Notre Dame transfer go to Alabama to reunite with offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and compete for the job? Or should he pick a less prominent school where he’d be a lock to start? He bet on himself and joined the Crimson Tide, where he got one big opportunity — 26 snaps against USF — before spending the rest of the year as Jalen Milroe’s backup."

Instead of playing football at another school, Buchner has entered the portal as a lacrosse athlete. He has expressed his desire to head back to Notre Dame, which is closer to home for him than Tuscaloosa, to play on that school's championship lacrosse team.

But ESPN reports that Buchner hasn't necessarily closed the door on football.

"He was considered one of the top lacrosse recruits in the country while in high school," writes ESPN's Blake Baumgartner. "He hasn't ruled out a return to football, but a source close to Buchner told ESPN's Pete Thamel that Buchner is expected to explore his lacrosse options this spring."

Terry Foy of Inside Lacrosse indicates that Buchner's mind is more made up than ESPN claims. "A source tells IL that Buchner intends to re-enroll at Notre Dame with the intention of joining the men's lacrosse team in advance of their NCAA title-defending season in 2024," he reports. "The source tells IL that Buchner returns to South Bend with two years of lacrosse eligibility remaining, and the prospect of appealing for a third."

Foy also explains just how hot a commodity Buchner is in that sport, writing, "Buchner was a highly touted midfielder before he began focusing exclusively on lacrosse. In April 2017, he committed to play lacrosse at Michigan when he was in eighth grade; he was one of six players to make a verbal commitment in the Class of 2021 before the NCAA rule change went into effect to eliminate early recruiting."

Buchner will remain with the Crimson Tide as it plays in the College Football Playoffs (I have no polite comment on the CFP Committee at this time), so he'll get to take part in postseason activities with the team. But if he decides to say goodbye to football to follow his heart by playing lacrosse, more power to him.

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