JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat April 28, 2021

Notre Dame Football Live Chat April 28, 2021

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Eric Hansen

2:06

Don congrats to you! The advantages of Freeman's scheme is you don't have to be in the perfect alignment pre-snap. Pre-snap movement in the front 7 is difficult for the offense to deal with. It's aggressive and attacking. If ND is solid in the back end, it's going to work well. Both systems worked very well the past three seasons. Clark produced three straight top 15 scoring defenses at ND for the first time in 50 years. Freeman had a top 25 scoring defense in 2019 and top 10 in both 2018 and 2020. Yes defense still matters. You have to be dynamic on both sides of the ball. Alabama, ND and Clemson were 13th, 14th and 18th, respectively last season in scoring defense even with some high-scoring games mixed in.

Don Phoenix

1:58

Eric, Hope all is well on your end. Vaccinated and traveling this weekend and will miss the BG game. Your coverage will be first read. My question is defense. I know Freeman is an excellent coordinator and brings a different philosophy from Lea. What is the advantage of his scheme vs Lea's? If done right does Freeman's D have the potential to stop the potent O's or is that a thing of the past and the only way to beat is to outscore them like Bama did against FL.

Eric Hansen

1:58

Tom, thanks. They will have an opportunity to go home between spring semester and summer term. But not for long. Because of the late start (and finish) to spring semester, the break will be less than four weeks. Freshmen start classes on June 14, with everyone else and report a day or two before that. There's strength and conditioning, but also informal team football workouts with no coaches present. There were no OTAs in June last year because of COVID. As was start to get back in a normal routine, I'm going to assume they will happen this year, though perhaps in a compressed time frame.

Tom Kennesaw, GA

1:50

Hi Eric, as we look forward to the Spring Game and the end of spring practice my question is what is next for the players. Do they go home for a little while? When do the non-EE freshman report? What is their regime for the summer, is it just Strength & Condition or is there any working out for the recievers and QB's? When does fall practice begin? Thanks for all your hard work and I look forward to your recap of the spring game and team progress. Go Irish!!!!

Eric Hansen

1:49

This is from Tyler James' recent article: The Blue-Gold Game will be available on-demand following the live stream both on Peacock and on Fighting Irish TV, a separate video platform on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV.

So the answer is a resounding yes.

Mary Long

1:48

Mary Indianapolis can I get the Blue Gold game on demand from Peacock or is it just live if I miss it. I won’t be home when it airs thanks Mary Indianapolis

Eric Hansen

1:45

Adam, Hi. I will probably stick with the experts and go JOK (round 1), Eichenberg (2), Tremble (3), Banks (3), Ogundeji (4), Hayes (5), Hainsey (5), Book (7), Kraemer (7). ... Kyle Hamilton will be ND's top draft prospect next year if he comes out (which I expect). Former NFL exec Gil Brandt believes he'll be the No. 2 player taken in the first round in 2022.

Adam

1:42

Hi Eric! Adam from Grand Rapids, MI. Curious what your prediction is for the Irish players in the draft. What round/order. Also, if you had to guess who the first Irish player taken in the 2022 draft would be? Thanks for all you do!

Eric Hansen

1:42

Larry, thanks for giving Pod of Gold a chance. We're proud of it and working to make it better. .. as far as another station potentially, I'll have a better feel for that this summer. Thanks for the kind words.

Guest

1:40

Larry from Topton, PA: Hi Eric – Last week, you briefly discussed your radio career, and I would like to follow up. I used to be an everyday listener of 'that station', and now I am a no-day listener. You mentioned that you wouldn’t anticipate returning to that particular station. Is there a station where we will be able to hear you? If so, please tell. You asked for feedback on the Pod of Gold podcasts – Fantastic! You and Tyler do a great job!! My only complaint – we need more of them (again, I was used to hearing you 5 days a week). Thanks for taking my question Eric!

Eric Hansen

1:40

Finally, if you listen to the superlatives from teammates, you understand Spindler and Fisher competing for starting jobs is not a default outcome ... Remember Fisher was ranked higher than all four recent first-round draft choices coming ot of HS (Nelson, McGlinchey, Stanley and Z Martin).

1:38

The fact that 3-star prospects Gibbons and Dirksen are competing for spots higher in the depth chart is a testament to them. ... Injuries can play a role as they have for Gibbons and Quinn Carroll.

1:37

Based on the blend of raw talent and experience, the players who are emerging are kind of the ones you'd expect to. Patterson has way outplayed his ranking and has for some time. Alt likely will be another guy like that.

1:36

Hi Marie. Doing well here and very happy about seeing the Blue-Gold Game, thank you. Let's look at this a couple of ways. Let's look at purely their star rating and national class standing coming out of high school. Here's how they stack up:
Fisher 5-star No. 25
Spindler 4-star No. 67
Q Carroll 4-star No. 68
Z Correll 4-star No. 114
Baker 4-star No. 137
Carmody 4-star No. 231
Lugg 4-star No. 236
Kristofic 4-star UR
C Johnson 4-star UR
Spears 4-star D-line UR
Patterson 3-star UR
Dirksen 3-star UR
Gibbons 3-star UR
Alt 3-star UR
Coogan 3-star UR

Marie from Atanta

1:20

Hi Eric, I hope you are well and I am sure you must be looking forward to the BG games this weekend. There is a lot of talk about both Spindler and Fisher starting. I know they are both super talented, but does this raise any red flags to you with regards to both development of the current upper classmen, and also evaluation of these same players when they were recruits? Were they possibly not developed well or inaccurately evaluated? Has there ever been a team to win a National Championship starting a true Freshman on the O-line? Thanks for all your great work!

Eric Hansen

1:20

Jim, thank you. ... Tyler Buchner is an incredibly intelligent and mature kid. He knows he has to earn playing time. He knows he'll get a chance to compete for the starting position in 2022. He knows he's played one season of football in the past three years. That hardly lends itself to a recipe for a rash transfer even if playing time is limited in 2021. ... I think the defense will be an important factor in those games, but the offense better be as well.

Jim from Berlin, CT

1:16

Eric, it's great that you're still answering our questions this far into the new year. Two questions for you: If Tyler Buchner doesn't get any playing time this coming season do you think he'll look to transfer to another school? And with the Irish losing so many standouts on offense will the defense be expected to come up with the big plays in crunch time to pull out victories against the likes of Wisconsin, Cincinnati and USC?

Eric Hansen

1:16

Transfers could weaken the depth if there were a whole bunch of them, but I don't envision that happening, not even with the more liberal transfer rule. Keep in mind that after this season, if you're an underclassman transfer and you don't want to sit out a year, you'll need to be in the portal by May 1.

1:13

I addressed part I a little bit earlier. Offensive linemen tend to be more patient than some of the other positions, just kind of the nature of it being GENERALLY a position group in which development takes time. Roughly five years ago, the Power 5 schools and ND passed a rule making it illegal to drop an underclassmen for ATHLETIC reasons. They could for other reasons. Certainly, there can be mutual parting of the ways, where the player and coach agree future playing time isn't likely.

Todd - Buffalo

1:05

Part 2 - concerning the transfer portal - what, if any, protections are being put in place to prevent coaches/programs from pushing a player out the door if after a year or two they conclude the player isn't going to develop as planned and looking to replace them with someone from the transfer portal? It's my understanding that scholarships are only guaranteed for 4 years if the school decided to do so - and even with a guarantee, its not hard to imagine ways to make life uncomfortable enough that guarantee notwithstanding, a player exits.

1:04

A two part question. Part 1 - Is there any concern that the apparently significant roles Blake Fisher and Rocco Spindler are playing on the o-line this spring will lead to upperclassmen entering the transfer portal and leaving to find playing time elsewhere? If so, are there certain players whose departure would significantly weaken depth? How is the staff dealing with this - you owe it to the team to put the best unit on the field but keeping the group (and therefore depth and continuity) intact has to be part of it. Or is the answer that they are all big boys and if they can't deal with the competitive aspect of determining who plays, so be it.

Eric Hansen

1:04

Notre Dame will not pursue a recruit committed to another school unless that prospect is open to communicating. If he's willing to communicating, there's always a chance to change that commitment. Brian Kelly has been very successful ln landing big-time players who have been committed elsewhere. ND flipped eight players in the 2021 class. During the Kelly Era, the Irish have flipped five 5-star recruits.

Jeff from Phoenix

12:59

Hey Eric, something I always wondered about with recruiting. Why would ND make an offer to a recruit when the player has a commitment to another school, with no indication that they are waffling on that commitment? Is it just to be able to say we tried/made an offer to a desirable recruit? Is it that they get some new intel that the recruit could be unsure of their present commitment and have interest in flipping to ND? Or is it just the general philosophy that Jim Carrey used on Lauren Holly in "Dumb and Dumber"...."so you're saying there's a chance....."

Eric Hansen

12:59

Thank you, Chad. There are two factors that make me hesitant in picking a win total at this point. 1) I have not seen ND practice in person (but will Saturday). 2) I have not studied yet how the opponents are evolving during their spring practices. Here's what I will tell you. There hasn't been anything that's happened in the spring that's been unfixable or a dead end as far as finding a solution. We've seen progress across the board. Kevin Austin becoming the player most of us in the media think he can be is important. Kyle Hamilton getting/staying healthy is critical. ND needs positive bounces in addition to simply developing over the summer.

Chad from Denver

12:53

Eric thank you for your chats and podcasts. I love the accurate and fair reporting you do day in and day out. Based on the information you are getting and the progress that is being made, should Irish fans expect a 10 possibly 11 win season or still way to early? Just get the feel some key position groups are making some big steps forward that may push the win total up. Thanks for your time.

Eric Hansen

12:52

Hi Jim, and best to you as well. I wouldn't rule it out. Buchner has a running skill set that's superior to the other QBs on the roster. There might be an occasion here or there where that makes sense. If he were more similar to the others, it woldn't make sense. That's probably a question to throw at BK in fall camp.

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

12:50

Hi Eric and the very best to you as always. Can you see the possibility that Rees and Kelly might create a package of plays for Tyler Buchner in the event he doesn't start which at the present time seems most likely? Given his multiplicity of skills and his ability to make things happen with his feet, I can foresee certain circumstances and or places on the field where he could be a real asset for the offense. Moreover, this would be a great way for him to gain some valuable experience which would certainly hasten his development. On the surface, this would seem like a real win for both the team and the player. In your opinion, does this scenario have any chance of coming to fruition? Take care and thanks for all you do.

Eric Hansen

12:49

Still cornerbacks, even though there are players surging and emerging. Cornerbacks.

Lee from Lancaster, SC

12:48

Eric, based on the information that you've received so far, what would be the position group on the team that will need to improve the most before the Irish play Fla State this fall?

Eric Hansen

12:48

It depends on the health of Tyree, Kyren and C'Bo ... AND whether he's a must-have on special teams. And Brian Polian is excited about auditioning Audric Estime for a significant role(s) on special teams.

Michael costa mesa calif.

12:47

Eric do you think Kelly will play audric estime only 4 games or will we really need him for more games ?

Eric Hansen

12:46

Nick. I've heard kids discuss a special spiritual feeling when they visited campus and that being a contributing factor to them choosing ND. I would imagine there are others who are turned off by having to go to Mass or having stricter rules. That probably evens itself out.

Nick in MN

12:44

We discuss a lot about how Notre Dame's unique academic profile affects recruiting--closing doors with some recruits, but perhaps helping make ND's case stronger with others. Is there any similar dynamic resulting from the school's religious character? Are there kids who are especially interested or uninterested in going to a Catholic or religious school?

Eric Hansen

12:44

Now remember, Golden Tate was a high school running back, so his transition to WR was more of a labor than it was for similarly talented players, like Michael Floyd, for instance. I think there's middle ground between what Charlie said and what Brian Kelly does with young receivers. With Kelly, those guys need to be more-than-adequate blockers, for instance, where Charlie could live without that aspect. To borrow a baseball analogy, Charlie can live with home run hitters who strike out a lot. BK can't. Again, I think the best solution is finding some middle ground you can live with as the young receivers develop the other required skills.

Ryan near San Francisco

12:40

I recently listened to a podcast with Charlie Weis, Sr; he talked about how they shouted plays to a young Golden Tate from the sidelines as a way to illustrate that you can/should get new WRs on the field if they are talented enough. I dare say Kelly would never do this–we all know the critiques here–but how do you feel about the notion that this position doesn't need much experience and that maybe thinking outside the box about how to get raw talent on the field is worthwhile?

Eric Hansen

12:39

Josh, it's more of a dance than it is one side of the other dictating terms. Now in terms of the extra COVID year, that's definitely not guaranteed with scholarship money, and I think you'll see very few of those being exercised at ND, moving forward. But just conventionally in regard to your question, the staff sits down with each player at the end of the year and kind of takes inventory with them. What are the player's thoughts and goals? Then how does that fit with the team's projections? Those answers help drive the decision of the player whether to return or move on. Once they have their degree, there is not an urgency to keep them at ND if they're not going to get an opportunity. I hope that answered your question.

Josh, Wichita

12:34

Hi, Eric. Thank you for your excellent work and commitment to these chats. In a previous chat someone asked how many players you expected to transfer out this summer, and you responded that it depended on whether we take one or two transfers in. On the surface that seems backwards, but it supports a roster management theory of mine. Do you think there's an understood rule that if you have your degree and are buried on the depth chart that you're not guaranteed four years if your spot is needed?

Eric Hansen

12:34

Hi Matt, thanks for your awesome questions. I think Jack Kiser fits the sort of revised rover responsibilities very well and I anticipate he'll be the starter Sept. 5. That doesn't mean the others won't play. Marcus Freeman is open to rotating fresh players in if that can earn that status.

Matt from Nappanee, IN

12:32

Hi Eric, thanks for the awesome chats! At the end of the day who starts at Rover in 2021? Kiser, Pryor, or Kollie?

Eric Hansen

12:32

Summer term classes start June 14, and the players will start their summer program with Matt Balis at that time.

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