JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat | April 16, 2026

Notre Dame Football Live Chat | April 16, 2026

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Michael from Chicago

12:26

Three-part QB question if you'll allow it! 1) How do you anticipate the QB snap counts being divided up at the jersey scrimmage and the Blue and Gold game? 2) Will the QBs be live for contact at either? Wondering how the lack of healthy RBs for pass pro impacts the decision? 3) Time to put on your Eric The Magnificent hat: will a back-up QB play more than 4 regular games this upcoming season? Presuming Grubbs-Jarrard are some combination of 2-3 do you think they'll keep both redshirts or if one is the clear-cut #2 would they be more inclined to go all-in to get game experience for the projected potential starter for 2027?

Eric Hansen

12:25

Hey Matt! I don't think that's off the table, but the way things are developing at cornerback and nickel, I don't think ND will need to or want to do it. We don't have a full picture yet. Christian Gray and Dallas Golden will continue their battle at nickel, with the best-case scenario being having two strong options at that position. DJ McKinney, the expected starter at field corner, does not enroll until June. Khary Adams, a great option as a rotational player, won't be healthy until summer. But new DBs coach Aaron Henry has all kinds of talent and options.

Matt from DC

12:21

Hi Eric! Do you have any sense if Leonard Moore will be asked to shadow the opposing #1 receiver every week like he did with Makai Lemon vs USC? I can’t help but think that would put the defense in the best position even if it means letting him cover out of the slot. One additional question about a newcomer I haven’t heard much about: how has Tionne Gray looked this spring? Does it look like he could develop into a true interior game-wrecker either this year or next?

Eric Hansen

12:21

Skip, i had to resort to a phone-a-friend on this one, since I am not in the weeds with recruiting on a daily basis, more a bird's-eye view. From BGI's Mike Singer: Notre Dame is working behind the scenes on him and hosts Champ Monds this weekend. ... What I can tell you beyond that is that Peter Borque is a 6-4, 220-pound four-star QB in the 2027 class. He is ranked 87th overall in the Rivals Industry rankings and the No. 7 QB nationally in those rankings. He is from Hingham, Mass., Tabor Academy.

skip - Houston

12:17

Sorry to lose out on Lopati, but on to the next quarterback recruit. Peter Bourque seems pretty intriguing. I believe he is the highest rated quarterback we have offered, but I did not read his name until only a couple of days ago. What can you share with us about his (late) recruitment - and chances of our landing him? Thanks.

Eric Hansen

12:17

Maybe would have eventually gotten there if they stuck with him, but Ian Book made it an easy decision to go that route and stick with it. I think there were elements lacking in both Jurkovic's and Buchner's games that prevented them from being elite. And as good as Brian Kelly was with QBs at Cincinnati, there seemed to be a disconnect at that position while he was at ND.

12:14

Hi Pat, and thank you. Let's start with CJ Carr and work back to the other element of your question. There's no question about Carr's talent. But he pairs it with an incredible drive, incredible intelligence and incredible perspective from losing a brother at a young age and never taking anything in life for granted. Then you align that with the right head coach, perhaps the best offensive coordinator in college football and a QBs coach who is looked upon in a similar light. Now why did that not happen with the others? I don't think there's a common thread that links all of them. For Crist, the biggest issue was two major injuries that compromised him physically. I am confident if that didn't happen, he would have been a star. To this day, he's one of the most mentally tough, mature, complete human beings I've covered. I think with Kiel, he was coddled before he got to college and that hurt him when adversity struck. Wimbush was a breathtaking athlete who never developed the skills to be an elite passer.

Pat, Philly

12:07

Thanks as always for taking questions. Since Clausen, ND has signed 6 composite top 100 QBs: Crist, Kiel, Wimbush, Jurkovec, Buchner, and Carr. In your opinion, why has Carr been so successful to date compared to the others? In hindsight, its easy to say that they were overrated based on physical tools that never developed, but I feel like that doesnt tell the whole story.

Eric Hansen

Off we go ...

12:06

If you just comply with the stuff about name/hometown, 17-parters, manifestos and simple math, I'll waive all these other rules except no bare feet today.

Here are the rules:

12:04

No 17-part questions. No manifestos. And easy on the math.

Please include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question(s).

12:03

As far as this week's chat ...

► The Third & Gold Podcast is available at all places where you find podcasts, as well as our YouTube Channel. On our most recent episode, we caught up with former Notre Dame wide receiver and author Matt Shelton. Our next podcast will drop Friday afternoon.

12:02

► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, what are you doing with your life? Seriously, the show keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation, so you can catch up now or later on our YouTube channel. We’ll be back next week, Monday at 7 p.m. ET, for another presentation of Football Never Sleeps with Tyler James co-hosting with me. And check out some great shows on the Blue & Gold YouTube channel as well, including the live Notre Dame Football Show, on Wednesday nights.

► On July 1, Tyler James and I made the move to the On3 network and blueandgold.com and joined some amazing teammates. It’s proven to be a great move for us and, I believe, for our subscribers as well. And if you’re a potential first-time subscriber, we have a great deal — 50% off your first year with an annual subscription. With that, you get all of our premium content, plus all the value you get from a national team of writers and content creators, as well as access to every team site in the On3 network and a full year of The Athletic. Check it out at: https://www.on3.com/teams/notre-dame-fighting-irish/join/.

12:01

First, some quick programming notes:

12:00

Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat on a day when it actually looks and feels like spring here in South Bend.

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