Who's under center?: A complete look at the quarterbacks Notre Dame will see in 2022

Just as head coach Marcus Freeman named Tyler Buchner his starting quarterback during fall camp, several of Notre Dame’s opponents are doing the same. Here is a look at the 12 teams on the schedule, with signal-callers organized by their status.

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Opponents with named starters

Ohio State (Sept. 3): CJ Stroud

2021 stats: 4,435 yards, 44 touchdowns, six interceptions over 12 games

The Heisman finalist is back for his second season as a starter and will chase college football’s most prestigious award once again. Surrounded by elite talent like wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Stroud won’t struggle to pick up yardage. Welcome back to college football, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden.

Marshall (Sept. 10): Henry Colombi

2021 stats (at Texas Tech): 1,291 yards, five touchdowns, five interceptions over seven games.

Colombi, a Texas Tech and Utah State transfer in his fifth year of college football, seemingly had the edge all spring, but he was formally named the starter this week. He has thrown for 2,816 yards with 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions over 24 career games.

UNC (Sept. 24): Drake Maye

2021 stats: 89 yards, one touchdown over two games

North Carolina is one of a handful of teams set to play a Week 0 game, so the country will get an early look at Maye. The former Alabama commit and brother former Tar Heels basketball star Luke Maye won the job earlier this week. It was a hard decision, per head coach Mack Brown.

“We just felt like Drake should walk out there first,” Brown said. “There’s very little difference between the two. If one quarterback is not moving the ball, we’ll put the other one in. We’re going to give each one a chance. If you’re moving it, you stay in. If you’re not, let each one have a chance.”

If Maye doesn’t play well, however, expect Jacolby Criswell to see some playing time. For now, Maye is the guy.

BYU (Oct. 8): Jaren Hall

2021 stats: 2,583 yards, 20 touchdowns, five interceptions in 10 games

A veteran quarterback with a veteran offensive line is always a difficult situation. Hall’s track record as the signal-caller — 6-1 against the Power Five, including 5-0 against the Pac-12 last season — makes it even scarier. The fifth-year quarterback led a top-30 offense last year and is the No. 8 draft-eligible signal-caller on ESPN’s Mel Kiper’s 2023 Big Board.

Stanford (Oct. 15): Tanner McKee

2021 stats: 2,327 yards, 15 touchdowns, seven interceptions over seven games

Stanford’s offense has potential this fall with a batch of talented skill players. How much the struggling Cardinal are able to tap into those riches is the question. It’s fitting the Irish will face McKee just after Hall, as Kiper lists the former as the No. 9 quarterback draft prospect heading into 2022.

Syracuse (Oct. 29): Garrett Shrader

2021 stats: 1,445 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions over 12 games

The former Mississippi State signal-caller is a pure dual threat quarterback; in addition to his passing stats, Shrader led the Orange with 14 touchdowns on the ground. He will be working with a new offensive coordinator in Robert Anae, who helped bring a struggling Virginia offense back into the limelight over the last few seasons.

Clemson (Nov. 5): D.J. Uiagalelei

2021 stats: 2,246 yards, nine touchdowns, 10 interceptions over 13 games

Whether Clemson makes the College Football Playoff for the seventh time is contingent upon Uiagalelei. The Tigers defense will be elite, but the offense has to put points on the board, which was a massive struggle in 2021. Of course, the last time Uigalalei played at Notre Dame Stadium he threw for 439 yards. Which one will show up on Nov. 5?

Navy (Nov. 12): Tai Lavatai

2021 stats: 449 yards, five touchdowns, two interceptions in 10 games

As a first-year starter, Lavatai won just one of his first four contests before leading Navy to a 3-2 finish. According to head coach Ken Niumatalolo, he’s continued to progress to new heights this spring.

“Tai’s confidence level, his overall grasp of the offense, he just looks like a totally different player,” Niumatalolo said.

Unsurprisingly, Lavatai’s rushing statistics in a triple-option offense essentially matched his body of work through the air: 371 yards and seven touchdowns on 170 carries.

Boston College (Nov. 19): Phil Jurkovec

2021 stats: 914 yards, seven touchdowns, four interceptions over six games

Welcome back to South Bend, Jurkovec. The former four-star recruit and Irish quarterback will return to Notre Dame for the first time since since he transferred after the 2019 season. Jurkovec has his eyes on the NFL, and former Irish tight ends coach and new Boston College offensive coordinator John McNulty will be tasked with helping to get him there.

USC (Nov. 26): Caleb Williams

2021 stats (at Oklahoma): 1,912 yards, 21 touchdowns, four interceptions over 11 games

The freshman phenom followed his head coach to USC where he will now be tasked with turning around a college football blue blood. Williams has plenty of transfer reinforcements around him, including the 2021 Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison. Where he’ll be in late November is tough to predict, but he’s definitely one to watch.

Opponents with projected starters

Cal (Sept. 17): Jack Plummer

2021 stats (at Purdue): 864 yards, seven touchdowns over seven games

Others in the mix: Kai Millner

At Pac-12 media days in July, head coach Justin Wilcox said that Plummer would be the guy if the season were to start then. But the Bears have yet to make things official. Whoever takes over the gig won’t have to do anything crazy on offense, but game-manager skills are a must. With Plummer’s experience, he’s a good candidate for the job.

Opponents with quarterback battles still raging

UNLV (Oct. 22): Harrison Bailey or Doug Brumfield

Like North Carolina, UNLV has a Week 0 game. Unlike North Carolina, the starting quarterback remains a mystery.

“We don’t know that yet,” head coach Marcus Arroyo said when asked about the identity of his No. 1 QB, per the Las Vegas Sun. “Once we get to Saturday kickoff, you’ll have a guy out there in the game.”

Bailey is a former top-100 recruit and Tennessee transfer who attempted just three passes in 2021. Brumfield entered the transfer portal last spring but elected to remain with UNLV just a week later. He attempted just 17 passes in 2021. Mountain West Freshman of the Year Cameron Friel appears to be out of the running at this point.