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Former Notre Dame QB Drew Pyne to transfer to Arizona State

IMG_9992by: Tyler Horka12/19/22tbhorka
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Brian Rothmuller | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Former Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne has his mind made up. He announced Monday he is transferring to Arizona State.

The decision came one day after Pyne concluded a weekend official visit to the school. He will have three years of eligibility left to play for the Sun Devils, who hired Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham as their head coach Nov. 27.

Pyne started 10 games for the Fighting Irish in 2022. He went into the year as the backup to sophomore Tyler Buchner, but Buchner suffered a shoulder injury that held him out of the rest of the regular season in Week 2. It was Pyne’s season from then through the USC game on Nov. 26.

Pyne led Notre Dame to an 8-2 record in his starts. He threw for 2,001 yards in those games with 21 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. He also threw 1 touchdown pass and 1 interception in addition to 20 passing yards in mop-up duty vs. Marshall in Week 2.

Pyne did not start a game until this season. In two seasons as a backup in 2020 and 2021, He completed 17 of 33 passes for 226 yards with 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. It was trending toward Pyne being a backup — or even a third-stringer — if he stayed at Notre Dame for the 2023 season. He announced his decision to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 2, just six days after he threw for a career-high 318 yards on the road against the Trojans. He also had 3 touchdowns and 1 INT in that matchup.

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Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman told Pyne in the days after the loss to USC that the Irish are looking to bring in a quarterback from the transfer portal. Couple that with Buchner coming back from his injury for the Gator Bowl vs. South Carolina on Dec. 30, and Pyne felt it was in his best interest to continue his career elsewhere.

Freeman did not hold that against him.

“I love Drew Pyne,” Freeman said. “But part of that love for him was to say we’re possibly looking to the transfer portal to take a quarterback. I could have not told him, lied and said we’re not going to take a quarterback or waited until after the game to say we’re looking for a quarterback. But that’s now what we’re built on.

“We’re built on real authentic relationships and having those honest conversations. Drew made the best decision for Drew. I say it’s the best because he made it.”

Pyne will forever be remembered as the signal-caller who helped salvage Notre Dame’s first 0-2 start since 2011. His best days as a starting quarterback at the college level could be ahead of him, though.

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