Notre Dame Football: 3 early 2021 class signees who’ll have instant impact

Signing early is one thing, but when a kid enrolls early, it gives him a leg up as he progresses faster and requires less time in the offseason to learn playbooks and get caught up to speed. Essentially, when the rest of Tyler Buchner’s freshmen class teammates are getting adjusted to college life, he’ll already have a semester under his belt.

Buchner may have a tough time winning the starting job next season, but with Ian Book likely gone, he’ll at least have a shot to compete for the No. 1 spot.

Drew Pyne, a former four-star in the 2020 class, is the early favorite to replace Book and Brendon Clark, a current sophomore, could also push for that spot, but how can you overlook the No. 65 prospect in the 2021 class who is also the No. 3 dual-threat in the nation. He could be that perfect Book-like prospect who could take over with his arm and legs.

Brian Kelly loves quarterbacks who can move and Buchner is going to be just that for the Irish for years to come and maybe that’ll set him apart.