JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat April 13, 2023

Notre Dame Football Live Chat April 13, 2023

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Eric Hansen

1:42

Hi Tony, the new playoff system wouldn't nudge ND toward conference membership. It's tied into the money it will received in its next media rights deal. Keep your eye on that story line.

Tony, Brooklyn

1:41

Conference realignment.... I know we WANT to stay independent, but with new playoff system and disadvantages that come with it, we may have to join. Is it likely the desire to be Big Ten and midwest or is ACC the goal if they survive

Eric Hansen

1:40

Hi Ryan. The Blue-Gold Game will provide a clearer picture of the offense's progress, though certainly no conclusive. And I think we'll get bits and pieces of how ready Gerad Parker really is for the OC job only when we get to the monster games like Ohio State, USC and Clemson. I think one early positive is that he and new QBs coach Gino Guidugli have made a heck of an impression on 2024 commits, QB CJ Carr and WR Cam Williams. So, there's that.

Ryan mars pa

1:37

Eric how has the offense looked with GeradParker taking over and how has the special teams looked with Marty Biagi taking over Go Irish 🏈🏈☘️☘️

Eric Hansen

1:37

Where i need convincing re the D-Line is depth. is it real? Don't know that yet. Safety depth concerns me, even before Ben Minich was sidelined. They need another safety he is good enough to be on a four-man rotation with Watts, Henderson and Brown.

1:35

Hey Joe, great to have you back. I think going into spring practice, the conventional thinking was the offense would be ahead of the defense and that safety and defensive line were the two position groups that had the most to prove. So naturally, through nine spring practices of the 15 allotted, the defense has been ahead of the offense and that the D-line and safeties have been the two most pleasant surprises. I already addressed the offense in pretty deep detail and how it might project in the fall, so let's focus on the defense here. The question now becomes on the pleasant surprises: Are they sustainable? From the D-line standpoint, I like the No. 1s -- Botelho, Mills, Cross and either one of they hyphenated guys -- Osafo-Mensah or Jean-Baptiste. With Botelho it takes some projection. After meeting him yesterday for the first time in his first media availability and talking to his mentor in Hawaii, I'm pushing my chips into the middle of the table for that kid. (more)

Guest

1:27

Joe H Williams Bay Wi Hi Eric Great to have the chats back as we go through spring practice.Last year I think we all had doubts about our offense This year it seems like the defensive side of the ball might be a problem Right now it feels like we won’t have enough talent up front to mount a decent pass rush and I’m worried about our safety play as well Does that seem like a legitimate concern to you and what players in particular do we need to step up to be a potential playoff team

Eric Hansen

1:26

Hi Ken. Let me preface my answer by saying, I don't think that is going to happen. But yes, he could enter the supplemental draft, which would be held in July. He could not get into the regular draft coming up at the end of the month. I believe, there has been so little interest in the supplemental draft lately, there has not been one held for the past three summers.

Ken from Palm Springs

1:21

could Hartman leave for the NFL if he's not the starting quarterback?

Eric Hansen

1:20

So I'm going to steep your example in the hypothetical. Let's say the sixth-year linebacker is clearly the better option than a younger linebacker with a high ceiling. In your scenario, ND is out of the playoff picture. If you play the younger player and he's not deserving, you risk losing your senior class and your team. In the Morrison example, ND was out of the playoff picture in two games, but the belief all along was he was going to turn into the better player IN THAT SAME SEASON and help the team win games. That's what happened. That's why the players were able to embrace that move.

1:17

One more example before I get to yours. There was a strong sense in fall camp of how good Ben Morrison could be at corner. But the only way they could progress him toward that end was to play him and take some lumps. The first eight games, his PFF grades looked like this: 62.8, 48.9, 61.6, 60.9, 60.5, 57.3, 49.3 and 59.5. Then comes game No. 9, Clemson: 91.0. His last five games were all better than his first eight. That included a 92.5 against BC. Do ND wins the Clemson game in part because of that investment in Morrison. And now going into 2023, he heads into the season as the team's best defensive player. (more)

1:06

Hi Kevin. I think ideally you look for ways to do both, win now and develop for the future, if you can accomplish that. But if you can only do one or the other, you have to focus on this year's team. Let me give you an example and then I'll address yours. So in 2005, Charlie Weis inherits a pretty veteran team from Tyrone Willingham but one that hadn't won a lot of games. Charlie divvies up the reps like 98 percent for the starters to 2 percent for everyone else, closer to an NFL model. The veteran team in 2005 and '06 responds. And CW did a lot of good things beyond the reps to bring the best out of those teams. But in 2007, the roster turns over. There is a ton of young talent, but it wasn't being developed. And ND goes 3-9 and sets an NCAA record for sacks allowed. Brian Kelly, on the other hand, always gave the 2s a high-percentage of reps. And there were times of the year he'd focus on the young guys, notably bye weeks and bowl prep. (more)

Kevin from St. Louis

12:57

Hi Eric. I've picked up from somewhere an adage (real or imagined) of "Win now" in college football, in the sense that as a coach, you never risk the current season in preparation for a future that may never come (because you may not be around, losing now might result in recruiting struggles that damage your future, etc). Curious your thoughts on the veracity of such an adage and more specifically, if you are Marcus Freeman, how do you think about developing your younger players if you feel your more experienced players are better right now primarily due to their in-game experience? At what point does continuing to play, say, that sixth year linebacker late into a non-playoff year begin to stunt future team growth?

Eric Hansen

12:56

What I always ask myself when I see a particular player of facet of the game struggling in spring is: Is this fixable? Is this a dead end? And the answer there is yes, I believe everything I've seen in the struggle department is fixable. That doesn't mean it will get fixed, but the potential to do so is certainly there. So the causes would be, new coordinator, mew QBs coach, new offensive line coach all getting on the same page with a new aspiring No. 1 QB and some new OGs. AND the desire to drill down deep to fix flaws now and not in September.

12:53

Doug. This is Eric from Sunny Indiana to be clear (at least today). There is a mirage element to spring practice, especially if there's newness on one side of the ball and not the other, especially if you're trying to expose your own weaknesses so you can fix them before real games start. With that in mind, what you've heard is largely correct. When you watch the offense in drills, the pieces look very impressive. When you watch them try to move the ball against ND's defense, they labor. (more)

Doug from Sunny Florida

12:50

Eric, I've read a couple of times that the offense has had some rough times this spring and not what many were expecting. Do you agree with this assessment and if so, can you pinpoint a cause(s)?

Eric Hansen

12:48

Manny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great to see you and your exclamation points. So, the position I'll keep the closest eye on in the spring game is the QBs, because I want to see how the receiver chemistry is evolving and how the defense reacts when they don't necessarily know what's coming. No. 2 for me is D-line. I think with Hartman, ND would be favored in every game but the three you mentioned. The hope from an ND standpoint is he's good enough to help the Irish get over the hump in two of those three. ... My trap game is the Sept. 9 road game at NC State.

Manny from San Pedro

12:42

ERIC!!!!!!! So happy to finally make a chat.. I have missed way too many but always love to read them. What is your position to watch in the spring game? With Hartman do you think we are favored in every game but OSU, Clemson and USC?

Eric Hansen

12:41

Hi Dan, I enjoy them too, so thanks. Yes, ND is in negotiations, and this is a huge flash point for the program's future. ND athletic director Jack Swarbrick is optimistic the Irish will command a figure that will keep them competitive financially with the Big Ten and SEC. Otherwise, joining one of the two becomes a viable option.

Dan, Vernon Hills IL

12:38

Eric, I enjoy the chats. Has there been any news regarding a new TV deal and do you believe it will be competitive with teams in the B1G and the SEC?

Eric Hansen

“Yeah, he’s fully healthy now. He’s working in at the nose position. We’re pretty deep there. He’s part of the depth. He’s working at it getting himself going. That group, the tackles group — the tackles and nose combination — we have a chance to be pretty doggone stout in there. He’s doing well.”

12:37

Hey Jason, thanks for jumping in today. So with Prince Kollie, Wednesday's absence was a class conflict. When he missed during the media-open practice on April 1, it was because of an injury. ... With Aidan, his size gives him a chance to get more reps against certain, more physical offensive lines. But he needs to match that size with production. In the practices. I've seen, he hasn't jumped out at me yet. When D-line coach Al Washington was asked about him after practice on Wednesday, here is his response:

Jason from Grand Rapids, Mi

Oops, I think I got cut off. Prince Kollie. Was he out due to a class conflict or injury? Also, Aidan with his size intrigues me. Is he still recovering from injury or what's holding him back. Seems like the size we need for a run stuffing NT. Thanks!

12:32

Thanks for the chat Eric. I missed the pay wall chat so hopefully it wasn't too much fun 😀. A couple of questions

Eric Hansen

12:32

Circling back to Marie for a second. I forgot your question about Lorenzo Styles. He did take a few reps in a cornerback drill Wednesday, but receiver almost all the other periods. We have Freeman and both coordinators Saturday, so that'll sure to be asked about. Remember when you look at moving a player, you usually do so with the thought this is helping them, not just the team. So Styles, the leading returning receiver, should at least have a chance to start as a cornerback if you would make that move. Right now, even with Cam Hart not yet 100 percent, that's hard to envision.

12:28

Tanker/Theodore. Thank you for the clarification. Love the nickname. I've kind of run that scenario through my mind as well. ... assuming everyone is healthy. Ge catches the ball very well (so do a lot of the other backs), so I could see him forging a role on third down and maybe getting involved in the return game. I think he could cut into Gi'Bran Payne's carries, though Payne has taken advantage of injuries this spring to Diggs and Price and has looked pretty good.

Tanker, Dulce NM

12:24

hey Eric! In response to your previous musing regarding my real name, Tanker is not my real name. It's Tanknelious D'Tankashaw Dulce...... JK it's Theodore, but a nickname is a nickname. My question is with regards to the loaded backfield this year. How do you anticipate Jeremiyah Love being utilized or not utilized this season assuming everyone remains healthy and Love is as advertised (which seems highly likely). A tremendous problem to have for the Irish!

Eric Hansen

12:23

But if Buchner gets beat out and stays, I'm become more convinced ND's QB situation in 2024, starter and depth, will be in a very good position.

12:22

I'm going to preface my last answer about the QBs this way: The best-case scenario for Tyler Buchner when Sam Hartman arrived was that Hartman's presence on the roster would make Buchner better. To Buchner's credit, it has. Big time. He was clearly the better QB in the 11-on-11 drills Wednesday. HOWEVER, I still expect Hartman to overtake him and then both of them to grow in part because of each other. Summer transformations are not uncommon for QBs, including very dramatic ones. Think about DeShone Kizer in the spring of 2015. I wasn't convinced he was better than even Montgomery VanGorder. Even he questioned that summer whether he should have chosen baseball to pursue. And then it all came together in the summer. I love Malik, but I'm convinced Kizer would have overtaken Malik Zaire had Malik not suffered a season-ending injury. There are other examples. The more Hartman learns the playbook, the better chemistry he can create with the receivers, the more his skill set will be apparent. (more)

12:16

Hi Marie. Thanks for being here and for your questions. The weather here is spectacular and a surprise open practice? YES, it's a great week. So to the first part of your question, an overblown position. Might be the D-line. They have been surprisingly strong and deep, but is is sustainable? The defense can be hard to read in spring. There were Brian VanGorder defenses that looked good in spring. I'd say most of the defense's improvement feels real. I love the safeties and how they've surged, but I think depth could be a real problem if they don't hit the portal and maybe that's been downplayed too much. (more)

Marie from Atlanta

12:11

Hi Eric, I hope you are having a great week. What a nice surprise to get watch to watch a full practice yesterday. Now that spring practice is getting near the end, what do you think has been the most overblown positive thing about spring practice and what do you think has been down played the most in spring practice that could be a potential problem or that we should be more concerned about? I read that Lorenzo Styles played some cornerback yesterday, is this possibly a permanent move? I know everyone assumes Hartman will be the starter, but it seems like Buchner is getting more of the praise during spring practice, are you as confident now as you were at the beginning of spring practice that Hartman will be the starter? Thanks for hosting the chat and for all the great insights.

Eric Hansen

12:11

Hi Bob. We are due to check in with O-line coach Joe Rudolph Friday morning, so tune into our coverage for his take on the situation. Here's mine: Billy Schrauth has done more than enough to win the left guard spot. I think he's a star-in-the-making. At right guard, I think Andrew Kristofic has had the better spring than Rocco Spindler. The one thing I liked form Rocco in the reps I observed him Wednesday was a guy who was at least fighting for the job. He still has six practices to change impressions.

Bob @ Oxnard CA

12:07

By the end of spring, do you think anyone will meaningfully separate themselves from the pack to emerge as starting guards?

Eric Hansen

OK, off we go.

12:07

Also, a friendly reminder, please include your name and hometown -- or at least your planet -- along with your question(s).

12:06

12:05

As for today's chat, there are a few rules:

12:04

► We’ll be recording our Inside ND Sports Podcast late Friday afternoon with a special guest with insight into Notre Dame’s upcoming Legacy Weekend. You can find the podcast link Friday evening at insideNDsports.com. You can also listen on your preferred podcast platform including: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Podbean and Pocket Casts.
► Finally, if you haven’t had a chance to get familiar with our new recruiting writer, Charleston Bowles, I highly recommend you give him a follow on Twitter at @cbowles01.

12:03

Some quick programming notes:
► If you missed this week’s live episode of our weekly offseason Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, you can catch up anytime on YouTube. In our latest episode, Tyler James and I discuss what we saw during Wednesday's (surprise open) full practice, the developments they hope to see from Notre Dame football through the Blue-Gold Game, how the defensive line is progressing and what's new for the Irish on the recruiting trail. And we answer questions from viewers.

12:02

Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, the "It really feels like spring" Edition.

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