JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat

Notre Dame Football Live Chat

Eric Hansen

2:18

That's going to do it for today. Thanks for coming back to the live chat and also to those who submitted their questions early. Tom Noie will be doing a live hoops chat next week, likely Thursday. I'll come back in late May and do another one of these football chats. I'll let you know via Twitter and the ND Insider Facebook page. Keep your eyes open for news about how to order the 2019 ND Insider Preview Mag.

2:16

I think he's been so good, so quick and so early there, O-line coach Jeff Quinn would be really hesitant to go away from him at center. He and Zeke Correll give ND two really good young prospects at the position. The entire line could conceivably stay intact through 2020, which would be a great thing for the offense. If Liam Eichenberg and/or Hainsey come out early. I think the coaching staff feels good about Quinn Carroll, Cole Mabry and Andrew Kristofic. Josh Lugg could also swing out to tackle. For now he's the O-Line Swiss Army knife.

Matt, Nappanee, IN

2:11

Curious if you see Patterson staying at center throughout his career or if he'll shift outside to a tackle? He seemed to be highly thought of as a tackle prospect.

Eric Hansen

2:10

Last call for questions.

2:06

I am neither, but I might have a shot this season.

Guest

2:05

Punter,kicker ?

Eric Hansen

2:02

Tom, that's a great question that I haven't asked the coaches. I did ask the players about it, but didn't pose it in terms of a percentage breakdown of their time. I certainly can do that and report back to you on that. Some of the film study, especially in the summer, comes outside the 20-hour rule — in other words players doing it on their own time and at their own initiative.

Tom Kennesaw, GA

2:00

Eric, LB's seem to be the biggest ??? for this season. We all believe that the talents are there but the inexperience leads to slower reaction times and also reading the formations. From what the coaches have told you what is the % breakdown between watching films and learning versus going through reps in practice and games? Maybe 60/40 Reps versus film??? Also, how far into the season should we expect to see some improvement in the LB group as a whole?

Eric Hansen

2:00

Thanks Ryan. Glad to have you back. We need to find Manny !!!!!!!!! from San Pedro, and we'll be all set. Now when you say elite teams, you're talking Clemson and Alabama (and Georgia), and that's a high standard. I think Book improved a lot in the spring. I think Tua and Trevor Lawrence are better, though. Jake Fromm is also really, really good. Notre Dame has more speed at WR now and good depth, but Clemson and Alabama have more proven commodities. I think ND's offense line will be comparable. Georgia may have the best there. ND may have the best tight ends. ND does not have the best running backs in that group or the depth that the others have. Having said that, I still thing this offense is good enough to get to the playoff. The question is whether the defense and special teams are.

Ryan from Brighton mi

1:55

Hey Eric, great to have the chat back, This offense is looking like the most talented all around since 15. on the offensive side of the ball, do we have similar talent/experience as the elite teams of college football?

Eric Hansen

1:54

I do plan on trying to track to Kevin. I reached out to both him and his high school coach a few months ago and didn't hear back from either one. I will try again this month. McKinley is still on the team, and I think, barring a backward step, he will remain on the team. He is very close to graduating and it would be a shame if he doesn't get that opportunity.

Chris from Nashville

1:52

Any update on Kevin Stepherson and Javon McKinley?

Eric Hansen

1:52

I like him a lot, and more importantly, the ND coaches do too. I think why he kind of shuffled to the back burner is that he was injured early in the season and had a long recovery. And that kept him out of the contact portions of spring football. But if he's healthy, there's a nice 1-2-3 punch at nose guard with Hinish, Lacey and Franklin.

Bob Rodes Manchester, TN

1:50

Hi Eric. It looks like Ja'mion Franklin has become sort of the forgotten man, often not even mentioned in discussions about the DL depth. What's your take on him?

Eric Hansen

1:50

Stan, thanks and great to be back live. I'll admit, I'm pretty excited about today and there's a VERY GOOD chance the live chats are back for good. Again, the good part is people will be able to submit questions a couple of days before the chat starts in case they can't join us live. Haven't had a chance to try to fix the Stancakes, but will give it a whirl next weekend. Ca't wait. To your question, I think the biggest concern on offense after spring ended is the running backs, though it's much less of a concern than going into spring. Jafar Armstrong needs to stay healthy. On defense, it's the linebackers , boundary corner and nickel. I think Houston Griffith is going to fit well at the boundary corner, but he needs to have a good summer.

Stan from Chris Tyreeville

1:46

So glad to have you back live. Really enjoy your insight and fine reporting. What is the area of most concern in development both offensive and defensive this fall? And do you think all the QBs will get some field time this season or will it be just Book and PJ? Also, have your grandcritters had a chance to sample those Stancakes yet?

Eric Hansen

1:46

Harvey, Notre Dame actually has a commitment in its 2021 class from Greg Crippen, a 6-4, 280-pounder from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. As far as the 2020 class, the top tackle prospect on the board is Tosh Baker from Arizona, and the Irish feel pretty good about eventually landing him. With Jimmy Christ off the board to Virginia, there's some recalibrating going in when it comes to a second tackle. Andrew Gentry is a good one from Colorado, but he's going to take a Mormon Mission early in his career, so he's more like a 2022 recruit than a 2020. There's no shortage of standout interior types, including Zak Zinter, Peter Skoronski and Reece Atteberry, all of whom are in line to visit during a monster recruiting weekend June 21-23.

1:36

This one is from Harvey from South Philly: E, hope all is well. Who are we recruiting @ the O-Line for the 2020 class, and if we are a betting man who are we likely get commitments from? Thank you....Go Phillies...

1:33

Nick, that's not a true statement universally, but there are players who did benefit from coming back, and Jerry Tillery is one of them.

1:32

From Nick in Barrington, Ill.: Eric, It appears to me that every ND player who leaves school early “to pursue my dream” winds up getting drafted lower than he expected, if at all. What will it take for these kids to learn to perfect their skills in school for as long as thy can?

1:31

I'm going to sneak in a couple of question quickly from people who emailed me, kind of going by the old format ....

1:30

I haven't had a chance to ask Brian Kelly about that yet, but I plan to here soon. When I saw that, i wondered if he'll find my injury questions any less annoying in the future. Then again, maybe I won't have to ask any.

Joe Columbus, GA

1:29

Is ND supporting the new injury reporting mandate (Available. Possible. Unavailable)? If not, would the ACC force compliance?

Eric Hansen

1:29

OK since there's so much turnover in assistants, I'll just do this by head coaching regimes: 1. Holtz, 2. Kelly, 3. Weis, 4. Davee, 5. Willingham.

Michael from Chicago

1:27

Top 5 ND coaching staffs in their totality (recruiting, development, success, etc.) back to Holtz era (or since you started covering ND if you prefer). If staff did not changeover please only list that staff as one.

Eric Hansen

1:27

Pat, I appreciate the feedback. I'm not sure if there's a question there. Some of this gap at linebacker comes from poor recruiting in the VanGorder Era. some players outgrowing the position and the game evolving which necessitates different skill sets. I do think having Clark Lea as both the position coach and the coordinator is good reason to keep the finger off the panic button for now.

Pat from Evergreen Colorado

ok, so I screwed that up my test run. Did not know return would send. Eric, I love this new format. Great job working to make Live Chats the best possible.

1:24

EricMany seem worried about replacing DT and Coney. But they solved the LBP recruiting gap by returning last year. Now there are a number of talented players competing and a coach who flat knows what he is doing.

Eric Hansen

1:24

There's contract language regarding night games, though it continually seems to get modified. If NBC had its way, it would love to have all night games. If Notre Dame had its way, it would prefer a majority of day games. I don't think concern about attendance is a factor at all. The prime time games theoretically are better for TV ratings. There are fewer of them, for one thing to compete against each other. ND likes the day games, in part because people don't have as much "antifreeze" in them. Now one or two a year seems to be a good balance.

Gerry Swider

1:14

Hometown - Sherman Oaks CA. NBC has decided on only one night game this season:USC. Is NBC afraid they could not compete ratings-wise if they put any of the other pedestrian home games in prime time? Is ND afraid that playing any of those six games at night might hurt attendance? Or is ND just trying to be considerate to fans who don't like driving home at 2:00 a.m.?

Eric Hansen

1:12

Hi Megat. If you're talking about in general, twitch pass-rush ability, yet strong enough to hold up on running downs. If you're talking about ND's edge players, if Julian Okwara improves in 2019 at a similar increment to what he did last season, you will see him go in the first round. His areas of potential improvement is turning some of his QB hurries into sacks, putting on about 10 pounds and keep improving against the run. Khalid Kareem also has a chance to go fairly high with a strong season.

Megat Muzaffar, Malaysia

1:08

Hi Eric, with the high number of DE’s selected in the first 2 rounds of the NFL, what is in ur analysis / opinion the single most attractive criteria of a potential high pick DE in 2020?

Eric Hansen

1:07

Jim. thanks. I definitely think Brian Kelly will work Phil into some games this year. There should be opportunities early against Louisville, New Mexico and Bowling Green for Phil to get some work. And he's got a lot on his plate this summer. Brian Kelly wants him to simplify. He's got a little impatient with himself, has started worrying about who he IS SUPPOSED TO BE. He needs to relax, keep learning the nuances of the offense and he'll start progressing again.

Jim Middletown, OH

1:02

Hi Eric, great work. What will be Phil Jurkovec chance to see action this year and how ready is he in your opinion ?

Eric Hansen

1:02

A lot of them were around for the near miss in South Bend in 2017. I don't think confidence is going to be the biggest hurdle. It's Georgia's talent.

Joe Columbus, GA

1:01

From where can/will the lads summon actual belief they will vanquish the Dawgs between the hedges?

Eric Hansen

1:01

Ken. I wrote about this recently. The only two that I think are absolutes are Kyle Hamilton at safety and Harrison Leonard at kicker. As to the other June arrivals, I think the other three with the best chance to get involved are safety Litchfield Ajavon, DT Howard Cross III and CB isaiah Rutherford. Here's the link to that article if you want to read more in depth: https://www.ndinsider.com/football/analysis-key-impressions-and-projec...

Ken, from Morrisville, IN

12:58

Will any of the incoming freshman this summer have a good chance of being in the 2 deep rotation for the 2019 season?

Eric Hansen

12:57

JT, I don't have a quibble with your question, but the two teams the Irish lost to on the big stage were clearly better. That doesn't mean a lesser team can't pull the upset. My issue in the Clemson game was not using the tight ends more. I think there was a favorable matchup there. I also thought Clark Lea was pretty aggressive on defense until Julian Love went out of the game.

JT Abilene, TX

12:55

Do you think BK is too conservative in game planning to win the “big one”? Seems like in the past two championships ND has hoped to hang around and avoid the big mistakes rather than letting it rip and showing their team they are confident. For instance, against Syracuse (lesser opponent obviously) they came out with their foot on the gas pedal in play calling and going for it on 4th down and totally took any hope away from their opponent. Seems like a better strategy to play boldly and land the first punch rather than hope your opponent sleep walks through 3 quarters.

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