JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat April 13, 2022

Notre Dame Football Live Chat April 13, 2022

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Eric Hansen

1:44

Surprised me the most? How ready the players were for a change in leadership. ... The least? That cornerbacks and wide receivers are the only two position groups that will finish the spring with questions/problems to answer this summer.

Jeremy from Goshen

1:37

What has surprised you the most and the least so far during spring practice?

Eric Hansen

1:37

Three and out? Possibly, but they'll listen to advice from Harry Hiestand. My sense is four and out is more realistic (Fisher has a fifth-year option, Alt does not).

1:36

Andy, there are only nine true freshmen who have started games for Notre Dame on the offensive line -- three guards and four tackles before Fisher and Alt became tackles Nos. 5 and 6 last season. Part of the reason they played is because they're exceptionally talented. Some is because the class in front of them -- Carmody and Baker -- didn't get the proper strength training because of the pandemic and it set them back. Kristofic didn't develop as a tackle as much as he did as a guard. And finally, the hope was that guard Aaron Banks would defer his NFL dream a year and eome back and play left tackle. He declined the offer. (more)

Andy - Lima, OH

1:28

Current NFL OL like Nelson and McGlinchey never played as freshmen at ND. In comparison, where do you see the long-range potential of Alt and Fisher. Obviously, they played as freshmen out of necessity. Why did this happen? What’s your prediction on whether they play four years at ND? Does playing as freshmen put them on course to be 3-and-done?

Eric Hansen

Is Lewis has had a good spring so far.

1:28

Ha. Thanks Eamonn. So I had a chance to talk to Clarence yesterday as did other members of the media. In the Oklahoma State game, it was really a matter of things snowballing on him and he couldn't shake the early mistakes mentally. It didn't help that the coaching was kind of a mess that game. Overall, I think Lewis got out of his comfort zone when he was flipped to boundary corner. He hadn't gotten much work there. This spring he is getting work on both sides. The difference in the two positions typically is the field corner requires elite speed because you've got more ground to cover. But often the field corner gets safety help. The boundary corner with less ground to cover requires physicality and toughness. Typically you're covering a big, physical receiver like Chase Claypool. The ball comes out fast. You have a lot of one-on-one matchups. Cam Hart has the tools to do both. CBs coach Mike Mickens says Bracy and Lewis do too, but Bracy is not your prototypical boundary corner. ... the good news (more)

Eamonn from Portland OR

1:20

Hey Eric, I’d like to ask about Clarence Lewis. Putting aside the much talked about OkSt game, can you share insight into how he struggled last year? I’m an untrained eye, so what are some things you look at to show whether he struggled or not last year? And perhaps can you break down the difference in boundary corner vs field corner and why C-Lew’s skill set might favor one or the other? Thank you! Love the ND coverage and that guy Kelly (the one that shocked everyone and took a job with InsideNDSports) is doing a pretty good job!

Eric Hansen

1:19

Hey Jeff. You know, Tremble had as much to do with that as his coaches, if not more. He saw that as a way to get on the field, particuarly after Michael Mayer arrived. There's not an obvious candidate in that five as the next Tremble, as much as there is a more clear heir apparent to Mayer's role (Eli Raridon). If I were going to guess, I'd say Holden Staes may have that potential, but it's something he'll have to work hard to develop.

Jeff from Phoenix

1:16

Good morning Eric. In 2 months, ND will have 5 tight ends behind Mayer. Honestly, not all will be catching touchdowns on a regular basis. Do you think the combination of Parker/Hiestand/Balis can mold another Tommy Tremble from that group of 5? Tremble was such a beast with blocking and special teams that I would think Freeman would see that re-creating that role would be a huge benefit to the team and a clear path to the NFL (Tremble did sign a $4.9 M contract and is very successful in the NFL). Your thoughts? Thanks-

Eric Hansen

1:15

Provided there are no new injuries or surprise transfers, wide receiver and maybe cornerback from the portal. ... Watching the QBs the most ... who makes great decisions, which Tommy Rees and Marcus Freeman have repeatedly said is the overriding factor for who starts. Although we've heard rumblings, we have only seen one practice where decision-making was in play. Otherwise, it's stretching and throwing for mechanics, not decisions. .. .PS, if you know Randy Vocke, tell him I said hello.

Phil from Napoleon, OH

1:12

After the spring game, what position do you see the Irish staff focusing on in the portal if at any? With little over a week until the game, what position will you be watching the most during the game and why?

Eric Hansen

1:11

The official visit window opened April 1 and closes June 26 this year. Then it'll reopen in the fall. For ND it makes most sense to do those in April or June, but not in May when there's nothing going on and the students are away for most of that month. ... So far the commits who have visited elsewhere have only taken unofficials to my knowledge.

Dan from Houston

1:07

When is the window for official visits for recruits, and which of ND's current 2023 commits are expected to take official visits elsewhere?

Eric Hansen

1:03

Hi Dan, thanks for the compliment. I appreciate you too. Don't let the fact that Rocco didn't play as a freshman taint your expectations about what his ceiling looks like. In the past 50 years there have been nine starts by freshmen made at offensive guard for the Irish and none of them were by the standard at that position, Quenton Nelson. He got yelled at a lot his first day, which is a good thing. That means Harry Hiestand thinks you've got potential. Those guys all had to learn to do things a different way. Rocco has handled it well. Whether or not he overtakes a starter, he has made progress and is impressing Hiestand quite a bit.

Dan (Plymouth, MI)

I’m a die hard ND Fan living in the shadow of the Big House up here in Metro Detroit. I followed Rocco Spindler very closely all through high school. He has the potential to be an All - American. How is he doing? I’m hopeful he is pushing Lugg and Kristofic. What have you observed of him through 12 practices?

12:59

Great work Eric! Appreciate you

Eric Hansen

12:59

Hi Terry. To question one, my co-publisher would pummel me for revealing it. If you want to subscribe we keep a running tally of all upcoming visitors on or Insider Lounge. It is shaping up to be a weekend of recruit-a-palooza proportions. ... Tailgating definitely allowed. I used my phone a friend about stadium tours and am waiting for a call back. ... on No. 3, email me (ehansen@insidendsports.com), we might be able to make that work. Thanks.

Terry Huron, SD

12:48

I am driving 12 hours for the Blue and Gold weekend. Several questions. Who are the recruits on campus that weekend? Does ND allow Stadium tours and tailgating that weekend? Can I meet you and buy you a favorite beverage that weekend? You are awesome with ND coverage.

Eric Hansen

12:48

Hi John. I think the odds of that are remote in terms of an annual thing, but I think Jack would like to see how this goes. How competitive is the game? What's the reception like from fans? TV ratings? I think the odds of a Shamrock Series game in Jackson, Miss., is very low. ND would not want to play on an opponent's field. And they like to do those games in Pro football (or baseball) stadiums. Maybe Jackson State in New Orleans. I think the whole FCS concept is very much wait and see.

John from Jackson, MS

12:44

Do you think the FCS scheduling is here to stay now, for instance do you think Swarbrick is envisioning an annual HBCU game? Alternatively, what are the odds that a Shamrock Series game ends up in Jackson, MS against Jackson State & Deion Sanders?

Eric Hansen

Now to your Brian Kelly question .... It's a fairly lengthy answer. So what I'm going to do is answer it at the very end of the chat. I'll remind everybody of what the question was and who asked it.

12:39

As far as transfers affecting chemistry, we had June-arriving freshman Tobias Merriweather on our podcast last night, and asked him that question. He essentially said that selfishly he believes he can provide the lift ND needs, but that he's not afraid to compete for playing time with someone from the portal or anyone else. Essentially bring it out. It really is not different than bringing in great recruits at a certain position group. You have to compete. I think the one that can get ticklish is QB, and Jack Coan handled that very well.

12:33

Thanks, Marie. There's not a real need to do the third-party search, since theoretically, players can come back to their original school if they don't find a new destination to their liking. But that's contingent on the school wanting them back and having a scholarship for them. I think there is less of that than there used to be, because of how the portal is set up. You can stock up on portal players and many schools have. Twenty FBS teams have taken in double digit transfers. That includes 14 by LSU and former ND coach Brian Kelly. The limits in the 2022 cycle to keep in mind is 32 total newcomers and 85 max scholarships overall. (more)

marie from Atlanta

12:21

Hi Eric, congratulations on your induction into the Indiana sports writers Hall of Fame. Well deserved. It seems Notre Dame will be looking to the transfer portal for a few positions. I know coaches cannot contact players until they have officially put their name in the portal, but are players allowed to put feelers out to teams to see if there would be any interest before they put their name in the portal? Is There still a limit on the number of players you can take from the transfer portal per year? If ND were able to pick up one or two relatively good wide receivers who were coming basically to better showcase themselves for the NFL how do you think that would affect the chemistry in the wide receiver room? Finally, what did you think about what Brian Kelly had to say about Norte Dame last week? As Always thanks for the great insights.

Eric Hansen

12:20

Kollie has had a good spring. He's a Will (weakside) linebacker and is behind Marist Liufau, but it sounds like there's going to be a rotation and also niche roles. So he's got a chance to have a decent role. ... With any kid considering a transfer, there are so many factors beyond playing time, including distance from home, his support system, etc. I remember when both Louis Nix and Stephon Tuitt had transferitis at different times and their moms both said they had changed the locks on the doors, so don't bother coming home.

12:16

Rocco and Prince are two sophomores-to-be who came in with a lot of fanfare, and they're both really talented. Instead of trying to calculate their probability of departing, which isn't fair to them, I'll sketch out their path to meaningful playing time. ... Rocco Spindler, Harry Hiestand told me, is battling and physical and has a chance to overtake the guards ahead of him. That doesn't mean he will, but Harry's mind is open to that possibility. Even of that doesn't happen, he's got a good shot at starting in 2023. (more)

12:12

Joe, thoughts or transferring, particularly early in one's career, almost seemed like part of the package of coming to a place like Notre Dame. The shift out of one's comfort zone usually made you better and stronger in the long run if you could handle it. There were at least two major incentives not to transfer early -- giving up on an ND degree and having to sit out a year. Now one of those is gone. So the dynamic may change at Notre Dame. It has certainly changed other places. ... to your question specificially ... (more)

Guest

12:06

Joe Howard Williams Bay,Wi Hi Eric I’m really liking the way our team is shaping up almost through spring practice.We seem to be talented and deep in many position groups especially O Line and Linebacker.With that depth however I’m concerned about the possibility of several payers moving on in search of more playing time.Players like Rocco Spindler and Prince Kollie come to mind.What are your thoughts?

Eric Hansen

Here we go.

12:05

A friendly reminder, please include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question.

Here are the rules.

12:04

There are only three more practices left this spring, including the Blue-Gold Game on April 23.

12:03

Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat on a warm and drizzly afternoon in South Bend, Ind.

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