I believe he's a talented college quarterback who benefited from playing on an elite team that showcased his skills exceptionally well. If he was under center in South Bend last year, it's highly likely that he would be taking snaps for the Sun Devils right now if he had eligiblity, rather than being referred to as a very very good college quarterback by people on this forum or anywhere else.
I've been pretty critical of Buchner but I won't be shocked if he has a great year and bama makes a run with him. I think he has two hurdles to jump this year, assuming he's the starting QB coming out of camp. First, he needs to step up and dominate against Texas in week 2. This game is crucial for him to prove himself as the rightful starting QB. It's at home and in prime time, providing the perfect opportunity for him to hammer down the starting job for good. I think he makes the most of his opportunity though I could be wrong.
The second is staying healthy. He's injury prone and runs the ball like an unhinged lunatic. I think he'll adjust his style of play a bit, but he'll need a horseshoe up his ass to stay healthy all year. I guess we'll see.