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Eric Hansen

3:04

That's going to do it for this week. Thanks for all the great questions I'll be back to do it all over again next Thursday at noon EDT.

3:03

Lawrence, thanks, and I hesitate to try to answer that question in a chat format, because I can't do it justice. I have written about it in depth and commented on it. The short answer is Brian Kelly's game-day demeanor, Chip Long's handling of the offense and Tommy Rees' chemistry with Book are all reasons I believe that trend won't continue this season.

Lawrence from Denver

3:01

Big fan of your work! You’re the best at what you do, and I really appreciate the diligence, judgement, and narrative you inject into your writing.

A question for you, and for Brian if you get a chance to ask: why has there been so little development (and even examples of regression) for Kelly quarterbacks over their years at ND? BK has shown his ability to continue his own growth even after so many years of coaching experience, so what is he doing to reverse this trend with Ian and his current QB crop?

Eric Hansen

3:01

The read option plays pretty much is in the form of RPOs, with most of those plays having actual pass options. So yes, they run those every practice.

Jon Pyfer, Mishawaka

2:59

Do you think ND will run read option running plays with Ian Book? Have they ran any in practice?

Eric Hansen

2:58

Shame on the Tyler James impersonator, but good question anyway.

2:57

The reason Crawford is cross training at safety has several layers. What is one of the starters get hurt? What if both of them do? What if you don't want them to play a zillion snaps each and wear down? As we saw in the Cotton Bowl, having good backups (or not having them) at all positions matters. ... Crawford could end up as a starting cornerback. He could be the No. 1 option at nickel. The coaches are still sorting through that. Jalen Elliott is also a strong nickel option. In that alignment Hamilton comes in and plays strong safety. When ND lined up in dime the other day, the six DBs were Pride, Bracy, Crawford, Hamilton, Elliott and Gilman. It was effective.

Daniel Bunn VA

2:55

Why is there talk about Crawford moving to safety when the safety’s are both back and Hamilton is thriving? Who plays the nickel if not Crawford? That was the weakest spot on the team last season while he was hurt.

Eric Hansen

2:51

I know Chase would like to play on even more special teams that he did last year. We'll see what Kelly thinks. The roster is stronger from players 60-85, so I think you'll see a blend of starters and young, athletic players such as S Litchfield Ajavon, for instance. ... To the experience question, I'm not sure I understand it. If you're holder and snapper are good, and people block well. I'm not sure experience matters. Jay Bramblett is likely to be the holder with Nolan Henry a second option.

Joseph from South Bend

2:45

I think I noticed in some replays of last years' games how much crucial players like Gilman and Claypool were on the field, especially punt coverage and other special teams plays. Are efforts being made to find replacements or are they vital in these positions. Also, does the experience in other aspects of special teams help the actual kickers? And finally, who is our holder?

JT Abilene, TX

2:41

I know everything is optimistic in the preseason but realistically how concerned should we be about the lack of experience at LB?

Eric Hansen

2:41

Georgia and Stanford.

bob from fanklin, tn

2:41

your foresee a 10-2 season, which teams to you see beating us?

Eric Hansen

2:41

Yeah, Jafar Armstrong is the clear No. 1 and Tony Jones Jr., the clear No. 2. Of the other three, freshman Kyren Williams is surging as of late.

Nick Blacklick, OH

2:40

One more quick question - any of the RB's starting to emerge/take more snaps over the others? Thanks!

Eric Hansen

2:40

it is nice here today. As you know Michigan and Georgia are on the road, so those don't factor in. I would imagine it's going to be hard to move Bowling Green and New Mexico tickets especially.

Nick Blacklick, OH

2:38

Hi Eric! I hope the weather is a beautiful in the Bend as it in Cbus today. I thought I saw only the Virginia and USC home games are sold out. Any word if the same struggles exist with the exceptions being Michigan and Georgia?

Eric Hansen

2:38

Punter Jay Bramblett tops the list, because he has the clearest path to playing time. Others with high impact: S Kyle Hamlton (I know, duh), NG Jacob Lacey, RB Kyren Williams, maybe K Harrison Leonard, LB JD Bertrand, DE Isaiah Foskey, CB KJ Wallace, DT Howard Cross.

Brian- Detroit

2:34

Which freshman do you see making an impact this season?

Eric Hansen

2:33

I have a feeling Michigan is going to serve chicken. And while I like chicken, my instincts tell me Georgia is going to be phenomenal.

Tyler James from down the hall

2:33

Road trip food you are most looking forward to this season?

Eric Hansen

2:32

RK, don't know what city or planet you're from, but don't expect a lot of recruiting news until the season starts and official visits start occurring. Remember, there are not a lot of spots left to fill in the 2020 class.

2:30

Any recruiting news? 2020 class or 2021?

Eric Hansen

2:30

Special teams, and not close. There are options at safety. They just need to decide which ones make the most sense.

Joseph from South Bend

2:29

Bigger concern: Special teams or lack of depth in safety positions

Eric Hansen

2:29

The talent shift from the Midwest, Pennsylvania and the Northeast have made it more difficult, but not impossible, for the Irish to recruit the elite talent. They've recalibrated. Right now they've got five players in the Rivals 2020 Top 100. That's a move in the right direction.

2:23

Elite talent is import. Elite talent and fit is even more important. It doesn't do any good for Notre Dame to recruit a player like Aaron Lynch if he's going to leave after a year.

Of the 281 Rivals five-star prospects recruited nationally between Kelly’s first cycle at Notre Dame (2010) and last season’s freshman class (2018), only 11 percent became Associated Press first-team All-Americans.

Even if you exclude the 2017 and 2018 classes and include only players who have at least completed their junior years in college, the number rises to a modest 13.7 percent.

2:22

Lemming said some recruiting services skew their rankings based on the player’s offers rather than his talent. “If you’ve got offers from Alabama and Clemson, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll end up a five-star,” he said.

Some are distorted based on exposure — or lack of it — to national camps and competitions. Other players have seen a drop in their rankings, Lemming said, because they committed so early in the cycle that there’s not an interest from the fan base of following them anymore.

“I always tell players to take the ratings with a grain of salt, mine included, because that’s really all they’re worth,” Lemming said. “When you look back at it and you see all the guys like J.J. Watt in the NFL and they have zero, one or two stars, it’s kind of ridiculous.”

It’s also not predictive of ultimate success on the college level.

2:20

James, I don't have time to research the exact number in a chat setting, and I'm not sure if you saw my magazine piece on Kyle Hamilton (STAR SEARCH: Notre Dame's elite freshman Kyle Hamilton brings welcome dose of normalcy to twisted recruiting world ). I addressed the whole five-star phenomenon extensively in that story. Here's an excerpt:

James, Dallas

2:16

How many 5-star recruits have taken visits to Notre Dame in each of the last three years? I read where Georgia has a 5-star player in every position group. They have signed 16 5-stars in four years. That suggests that Georgia hosts full weekend visits from a dozen or so 5-stars each year. I'm convinced that 5-star visits and signings are, at this point, the critical measure of Notre Dame's future program growth.

Eric Hansen

2:15

Joe. I'm not getting the same gushing vibe you are. He certainly isn't gushing about freshman safety Kyle Hamilton, and has every right to. I think there's a mix of truth and politics/purpose in his answers. My only nit with Brian is his apparent lack of expertise when it comes to knowing the value of a digital recording device.

Joe from Georgia

2:11

I am strangely ill at ease seeing all the near-gushing by Kelly since camp began. I do believe this team will be better than Team 130 (12-0). It just seems so unnatural for an ND coach to talk this way before the first whistle even blows. Talk me down, Eric? Is the current rhetoric more standard than not in your experience?

Eric Hansen

2:11

it really depends on who the rover is. When it was Drue Tranquill in 2017, he stayed on the field in nickel and dime. In 2018, Asmar Bilal came off the field in those situations. In 2019, I anticipate Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah to stay on the field in nickel. In fact, the Irish may play less nickel because of JOK. What they do in dime depends on who is playing inside. I would think JOK or Jack Lamb would be the one linebacker on the field if Lamb indeed stays in the running for a role at buck linebacker.

ND65

2:08

SRQ Florida - Appreciate if you'd describe the responsibilities of the ROVER and the NICKEL and DIME formations.

Eric Hansen

2:07

Haha. Good call.

Stan from Chester

2:06

Comparing coaching demeanor: Lea vs. BVG / Waikiki vs. Mauna Loa?

Eric Hansen

2:06

Notre Dame has chaos periods, a bout of unexpected conditions that the players have to react to, to get them ready in general for tough environments they'll face during the season ... and other forms of adversity. In terms of Georgia-specific prep, I would expect Kelly to address that the week of the Georgia game and not before.

KJ near Cal. Channel Islands

2:04

Is Kelly doing any special drills this year to try and ready this team for the chaos of the UGA environment ?

Eric Hansen

2:03

I can only answer definitively how I view those teams. I can only speculate why/how others do. Georgia has recruited better than Notre Dame the past several years. They have more talent, and more margin for error. They have the more proven QB against elite defenses. They may have the best offensive line in the nation. I think other media see the same thing. As far as Michigan, I have the Wolverines 11th in my AP preseason poll. Don Brown as defensive coordinator is part of the reason why, even though the Michigan defense got shredded its last two games of 2018. One reason a lot of media are high on the Michigan offense is the notion of head coach Jim Harbaugh modernizing the offense and handing over the joystick to new OC Josh Gattis. I'm less confident than some other media on how that dynamic will play out.

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