JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat April 27, 2022

Notre Dame Football Live Chat April 27, 2022

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Eric Hansen

2:14

Hi Tim. Deland McCullough, ND's new RBs coach has said from the beginning there are a lot of different jobs to do (short-yardage, closer, etc.) and those four will all be used to fill them. I'm not including Gi'Bran Payne, who arrives in June and we haven't seen yet. Given his injury history in high school, I think he might be redshirted just to help him catch up. I also think it's pretty apparent you can put Tyree or Price in the slot and help build depth at that position situationally. So I don't think the carries gap between 1-2 and 3-4 is going to be significant.

Tim - Pleasant Prairie WI

2:06

Eric, Greetings from beyond the cheddar curtain. The Irish seem to be very deep at RB. Even the youngest among them seem ready to contribute in a meaningful way, with yet another talented RB due to arrive this summer. Do you see a #1 and #2 emerging and getting a disproportionate number of carries? If so who would you say they are? Or do you see this talented group being more a "running back by committe", using each player's unique gifts situationally?

Eric Hansen

2:05

Hi Marie, and thanks. I would say Ryan Barnes at corner (game-high six tackles and very physical) and WR Jayden Thomas surprised me the most individually -- and I did not have walk-on tight end Andrew Yanoshak scoring a touchdown on my Bingo card. ... Areas of most urgent improvement: Wide receiver play, cornerback play and kicking game. And Tyler Buchner handling stairs better. ... Which position group impressed me the most among new coaches? I'd say O-line from how far they came, but D-line in terms of what position group is the best right now. There's something to like about all of them, really. ... I think Mark Emmert's retirement is a result of his own incompetence. It's a tough job and he managed to miscalculate and mismanage at almost every turn.

Marie from Atlanta

1:51

Hi Eric, I hope you had a great time at the game. Which new coach's position group impressed you the most during the game, and was there a particular player who was not on your radar at all whose performance surprised you? I know you can't draw many conclusions from Spring games, but what three areas of improvement would you most need to see over the summer for ND to have a legitimate chance to beast OSU? One final question (I am not at 17 yet) How much of Mark Emmert's ouster do you think is due to the fact that Nil is starting to spin out of control, and the NCAA now realizes that it is a threat to the future of college football? As always thanks for hosting the chat and for all your great insights.

Eric Hansen

1:51

No, Steve Angeli won't be starting or even No. 2 on Sept. 3, but he did something that not a lot of No. 3 QBs do in the spring when there's a QB derby going on for Nos. 1-2. He got better. He developed. He gave himself some nice momentum for summer.

1:49

Thanks, my mouth got so dry during my speech that I really needed a beer to finish, but thankfully I didn't express that out loud at the time. ... Let's start with the offense. Not many healthy scholarship wide receivers, and they were split up between the two sides. ... Pyne had to play for both teams with Buchner out. ... less continuity on the O-line because they were split up. And Pyne did not have a good day. Running backs looked pretty pretty good. I wouldn't expect the offense to look like this in August. ... As far as Pyne, it was a rough day at the office and not truly reflective of his entire spring. He's mentally tough and a hard worker, so he's got a chance to improve over the summer, to a point. (more)

Tom from Toronto

1:41

Hi Eric, Congratulations on your induction into the Indiana Sportswriters Hall of Fame. Well deserved! All one needs to do is to read your work. I did not get the opportunity to see Saturday's game and have a few questions. Is the offence as challenged as the score would seem to indicate, or is the defence that good, or is it something else? Can Drew Pyne dig himself out of the perceptual hole he has dug with his performance at the Blue Gold game to keep in the mix for starting QB? And did Steve Angeli earn more reps and consideration with his performance, and maybe the start on Sept. 3? I would appreciate your insights. Thank you.

Eric Hansen

1:41

Hi Bobby. I'll try to simplify something that isn't simple. Grad transfers are pretty easy to get in the door. So if a player has a degree, that makes the process smooth. If he's an undergraduate, the complications are: Do credits transfer well? And, can that process of figuring out if credits transfer well be expedited? That latter has improved, and that will help the Irish. An encouraging sign was the women's basketball team getting an Oregon transfer yesterday who's just finishing up her sophomore year. There still will be more underclassmen who aren't a match than who are, but at least there's a streamlined process to determine that now. Beyond that, there's no hard-and-fast standards ... it's more art than science by admissions.

Bobby - Cleveland, Ohio

1:34

Can you detail the academic requirements a transfer athlete has to meet in order to be even considered by Notre Dame? I've read about the high school academic requirements (core classes, SAT and GPA minimums), but I was curious as to how that might differ from a 2nd or 3rd year college student. Also, do you think that these requirements hamstring the Notre Dame program in this new "Wild West" transfer portal? It seems as if the Irish aren't very active in the transfer portal at all. Thanks for your time!

Eric Hansen

1:33

Hi Pete. I actually had the Peacock stream on during and game and was aghast (I used that word for you) at the technical glitches. Whether the games are on NBC or not, they're always on Peacock. So no luck on your wish. The only positive is that had the game been on NBC, there would have been a hard out at 3 p.m. ET, and the game would have been shortened to accommodate that. ... To the O-Line, I think Notre Dame feels good about Sullivan Absher, Monroe Freeling and Charles Jaguseh all ending up Irish, but no slam dunks there. Austin Siereveld, who announces next Wednesday, is a more difficult read between ND and Ohio State. Absher could announce in May as well.

Pete Cuozzo ND ‘82, Naples FL

1:28

Hi Eric - You were fortunate not to have to endure the Peacock broadcast of the Blue-Gold game. Production quality was abhorrent (I used that word for you)! Any chance zero ‘22 home games are on Peacock? More importantly, with the commitment of Sam Pendleton this week, how do you see the O-Line recruiting dominos falling over the next couple of months? Thanks!

Eric Hansen

1:27

Murphy, you hit the top options: Christian Gray (set to announce July 4), Micah Bell and Micah Tease. Full disclosure, I used my phone-a-friend lifeline to get more names from Kyle Kelly. So, Caleb Presley from Seattle is also in play. There are a couple of long shots ND is trying to get some traction with: Javien Toviano from Texas and Amare Snowden from Michigan.

Murphy from Orlando, FL

1:19

The Rhett decommit hurt. What are realistic expectations at CB recruiting this season? Gray? Bell? Tease? Though I heard he wants a shot at WR. Any names we haven’t heard?

Eric Hansen

1:19

Hi Andrew, I disagree that assignment correctness is overvalued at ND, but getting that quality in better athletes, we can agree, should be the goal. And that's the direction that the ND linebacker corps is moving: Marist Liufau, Jordan Botelho, Prince Kollie, Jr. Tuihalamaka, Jaylen Sneed, Nolan Ziegler, Drayk Bowen, Preston Zinter, etc.

Andrew from Washington DC

1:08

Watching the title game, you could see an obvious difference between the athleticism/physicality of the SEC LBers vs. ours. I feel like we place too much value on "assignment correctness." Will we see a lot more of our freakish LBers this year (e.g., Botelho, Kollie, and Sneed)?

Eric Hansen

1:05

I think Mark Emmert has left the NCAA in such a precarious place, it's going to take a lot of time, energy and wishful thinking to make that an attractive job for anyeone. I guess there's a low standard of what's required for a big paycheck. I think at another point in his career, this might have been a great fit for Jack. Given that he's 68 and knows what's coming for college athletics, I'm not sure a rebuild is what he's looking for in life right now. But your question is primarily: who would replace Jack? There are scads of great candidates with Power 5/major college experience AND Notre Dame ties, including Bubba Cunningham (North Carolina), Boo Corrigan (NC State), Allen Greene (Auburn), Bernard Muir (Stanford) and (non-Power 5_ Bill Scholl (Marquette).

John from Jackson, MS

12:57

Given his recent comments re:NCAA, and Mark Emmert stepping down, what are the odds this Jack Swarbrick's last year as AD and by this time next summer he is the NCAA president? If that happened, who would you think would be on the shortlist to replace him?

Eric Hansen

12:51

Kevin! That was almost Manny-esque!!!! Jaylen Sneed drank out of a firehose this spring. Lots of learning, sometimes overwhelming, held to a very high standard by James Laurinaitis and Al Golden. I'd say Josh Burnham (now a vyper end) and Nolan Ziegler had similar springs. They're all very talented, very resilient and will be better for for it come August. Junior Tuihalamaka went to the head of the class as far as the freshman linebackers were concerned.

Kevin-Sleepy Eye,mn

12:47

Eric! We haven't much about Sneed. How was his spring?

Eric Hansen

12:47

Bill, thanks. Hope you enjoyed it. .... I think the spring game very much reflected the strength and depth of the defensive line, less so the O-line. Because of the player draft concept and splitting up the talent, you didn't get the offensive line continuity and cohesion in the Blue-Gold Game that we saw in some other practices. I don't want to overstate how much practice the media got to see, but what we did see, I was impressed at the detail and the technique individually. The confidence that I have in improvement occurring is Harry Hiestand's track record and also the testimony from the former O-linemen who have come back for practices. And remember, the best returning center in the country, Jarrett Patterson, is not yet practicing with the group. That will up the ante.

Bill--Idaho Falls, Idaho

12:39

Eric: Made the trip to your new work place home--you're the best. Marcus Freeman has stated that the D Line and O Line need to be the identity of this team. What evidence of that did you see at the Spring Game and practices leading up to it? Most people agree that the O Line must be better this year. What gives you confidence that is occurring? As always, appreciate your expertise!

Eric Hansen

12:39

Hi Jeff. I know he's loving this experience, but I think it will be harder when he's not on campus. Not to say he'll roll it all the way back, but he'll be back in Atlanta with his family and with businesses to run. So his help will be sincere but more intermittent.

Jeff from Fort Wayne

12:35

Really enjoy your chats Eric! Since Jerome Bettis has been on campus this semester finishing his degree, which I really admire him for, he has been more involved with the football program. Do you think after he graduates that he will want to continue his involvement and help more with the team? And would the team want his continued involvement?

Eric Hansen

12:35

Thanks, Chuck. I like the word play there with "Mason hasten." Given South Bend's climate and the propensity to practice indoors, it does throw off the rhythm and the routine of the kickers. That's happened a lot in the past. It's better now in the IAC vs. the Loftus, but it's still an issue. There's not a problem with leg strength for either Blake Grupe of Josh Bryan, and Grupe is pretty battle-tested from his five seasons at Arkansas State. So how can Mason get this right? The good news is the kickers will have lots of time to work on mechanics and the mental approach with their private kicking instructors. They'll also have an opportunity to kick outside and establish better routines. Mason is also bringing in walk-on Zac Yoakam in June. Does that ensure this all gets fixed? No sir, but Mason has a strong enough track record that I feel the narrative will be different in August.

Chuck from Cleveland

12:26

Hi Eric, can't wait to hear your OBJECTIVE view of the Spring game after all of the "cries for help", haha. My question is about the Kickers. They both came highly regarded and will be counted upon heavily this year IF the Defense is as good as advertised. What is the key to quick improvement -- repetition? technique? psyche? leg strength? How can Mason hasten the Kicking game improvement before 9/3? You are the BEST!

Eric Hansen

12:25

Eddie, I assume you mean committing, since they can't sign until December? I would say DE Brenan Vernon is the one of the 10 who surprise me (and others) the most. He seemed destined for Ohio State. The one most important to keep from flipping is five-star DE Keon Keeley.

Eddie from Chicago

12:22

Which recruit were you most surprised to see sign with ND? Which recruit is the most important to keep from flipping?

Eric Hansen

12:21

I don't agree with the rumor, wherever you heard it, that Pyne didn't have a strong spring. In fact, other than the Blue-Gold Game, the opposite is true. But the Blue-Gold Game was a clunker. The notion of going to get a QB from the transfer portal (ideally a one-year grad transfer if so) is complicated. If you're going to do that, then you're telling Pyne he's not good enough to play at ND and he might as well transfer himself. Basically, you would be shopping for a No. 2 QB, who would have to learn the offense in the summer and August training camp with no spring ball. That doens't sound like a very smart tradeoff. If Pyne stays, then there aren't enough reps for everyone, let alone Steve Angeli. I think Pyne is good enough to play winning football in stretches. Having a defensive game plan built around stopping him as a starter is another matter, at least against good defenses. My vote is to stand pat.

Cheryl from Royse City, Texas

12:15

Eric, rumor has it that Pyne not have a good spring and had a weak performance in the spring game. Should ND look for a QB in the portal?

Eric Hansen

12:14

Hi Chris. Yes, the recruiting game has been raised. Notre Dame sits No. 2 in the Rivals 2023 team rankings, and I believe the Irish will retake the No. 1 spot before the calendar flips to May. It would not surprise me if ND gets two commitments this week in the 2023 class. The committment counts stands at 10, and all are four- or five-star prospects. The Irish have never had that kind of start previously in the Rivals Era. As far as the 2023 class, the objective was to build momentum to get prospects to line up official visits to ND the weekend of June 10-12, then close the deal. So far, that list is impressive and growing. I think there will be some (a few) commitments in May for the Irish as well. Notre Dame also made a strong impression with some key prospects in the 2024 class this past weekend. Check out Kyle Kelly's stories to find out why the weekend went so well.

Chris in Albuquerque

12:07

Hey Eric can you give a general update on recruiting after this past weekend. Any possible commits coming? I feel like with guys MF is going after, the commits may not come as fast as I would like as he has raised the recruiting game up a bit! Thoughts

Eric Hansen

Off we go.

12:06

Also, PLEASE include your name and hometown with your questions. "Guest" doesn't qualify, unless your name really is Guest.

12:05

Here are the rules.

12:04

A reminder, we'll be back to do this again next Wednesday after the draft, then move into intermittent mode (rather than weekly) in May, June and July.

12:03

Greetings and welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, post-Blue-Gold Game Edition.

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