JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat April 3, 2024

Notre Dame Football Live Chat April 3, 2024

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Eric Hansen

1:03

Hi Jules. I ask almost every player I interview about Loren Landow and mostly quietly compile that info unless it enhances a feature story I'm working on about a particular player. I think Loren and predecessor Matt Balis have very different approaches, and yet I think the players really embrace them both for different reasons. But they have been won over by Landow quickly, because they are seeing results quickly.

Jules, Joliet, Ill

1:00

Have you gotten any feedback on the job Coach Landow is doing. I am curious how the upperclassman feel about him in comparison to his predecessor. Thanks for all of your great work.

Eric Hansen

1:00

It's that the portal might be perpetually the better fit, or at least more often than not -- just like kickers are turning out to be.

12:59

Hey Mr. Mike. Thanks for making me feel better about our weather. I think since prototypical rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah moved on to the NFL, Notre Dame finds itself more in nickel than it does playing with three linebackers. I think Jaylen Sneed and Jaiden Ausberry have the potential to do some JOK-like things, and Ausberry is probably closer to that. The recruiting staff does look for players who have nickel traits. Micah Bell, for instance, has the speed and cutting ability to play there. But what many offenses due when a team plays nickel, they try to take advantage in the run game against a player who might lack physicality. So ND likes its nickels to be fast enough to cover a slot receiver, but physical enough to stand up ikn the run game. Given those demands and the nuances of the position, I think Notre Dame will continue to gravitate toward grad transfers and usually players that maybe played safety but have cornerback speed. So it's not a lack of targeting nickel corners in recruiting (more)

Mike from Ann Arbor

12:51

Hi Mr Hansen. Thanks for continuing these chats. We are enjoying your same dreary weather up here, only 12 hours later and slightly colder.
I have lately heard that Notre Dame’s base defense these days is nickel. Does the recruiting staff specifically recruit that position? Is it typically a corner or safety profile that fits that role? It seems that they have been recruiting mostly tall corners who may not fit the nickel role as much. They have brought in a nickel from the portal the last 2 years, suggesting that the previous staff did not previously identify or recruit to this need. And considering that safeties often grow into linebackers and linebackers often grow into defensive ends, it seems like they should be bringing in at least five or six defensive backs yearly since their base defense requires 5 of them on the field at a time. Thanks for your thoughts on this.

Eric Hansen

12:50

Hi KP, I am going to give you a snapshot of where they are now, not where they might be on Aug. 31, when the Irish open up at Texas A&M. And I will not include transfer Beaux Collins or freshman Logan Saldate, since they don't enroll in June. Also leaving out Jordan Faison, since he is doing more watching than practicing. 1 Jayden Thomas (who's limited by injury at the moment), 2. Jaden Greathouse, 3. Kris Mitchell, 4. Deion Colzie (back today from finger surgery), 5. KK Smith, 6. Micah Gilbert, 7. Jayden Harrison and 8. Cam Williams. This is no reflection on ceiling. Otherwise, Cam Williams would be much higher. There's not a huge different between Nos. 4-8. Jayden Harrison is really fast. I want to see him in a full practice.

KP from South Bend

12:40

How would you rank the receivers regardless of field boundary or slot

Eric Hansen

12:40

Hi Griggs. Cam Williams so far in practice physically looks the part and mentally is drinking through a firehose. And I don't think that's a bad spot to be in as an early enrolled freshman. He's at the field receiver spot and so far grad transfer Kris Mitchell has been as advertised and sophomore KK Smith has come out of nowhere. My sense is, given Cam's talent, intelligence and work ethic, he'll begin to stand out more when we get into August.

Griggs, Dallas texas

12:34

Hi Eric, wondering what the first impressions are of Cam Williams thus far through spring practices. Obviously coming in with a lot of hype within a position group that fans have been clamoring for star power, so i hate to add fuel to unfair expectations. Just interested to hear what the eye test has indicated thus far and how the group projects so far. Should be a fun position group to watch develop..

Eric Hansen

12:33

Hi Brian. If you miss us live on Football Never Sleeps Mondays from 7-8 ET, you can always catch up anytime via YouTube. The only difference is you won't be able to ask questions during the show (unless you do so telepathically and we develop a skill to receive them). We were able to take in stretching and the first five periods of practice today (Wednesday) and also talk to some of the wide receivers and cornerbacks as well as DBs coach Mike Mickens and WRs coach Mike Brown after practice.

Brian Habermehl

12:30

Missed the youtube show. Needed to speak at a Kiwanis meeting for the non-profit I work for. When will you guys be back covering spring practice?

Eric Hansen

12:30

Hi Sean. I appreciate you, too. The ceiling is a little hard to judge because their journeys are so different. I think Baker is a guy who finally puts it together late in his college career after struggling early. Aamil is still growing into the position physically, but I think is super plugged in mentally. All in all, I've always been intrigued by Wagner and remain convinced he is the higher-ceiling prospect. ... As far as Pat Coogan, O-Line coach Joe Rudolph LOVES his raw strength and physicality. The challenge for Pat is to make those assets translate better from weight room to the field. I wouldn't rule Rocco out. He rose to the top of the depth chart last August, not in the spring. But as of a week ago, I'd say Coogan was maybe the lineman in best position to fend off challengers, judging from Rudolph's comments.

Sean in NJ

12:22

Appreciate the chats, Eric. Aamil Wagner appeared to be a good bet for a starting role at right tackle before Tosh Baker won the role for the bowl game. Which of the two do you think has a higher ceiling? Does Wagner have a good chance to win the starting role for opening day (one assumes adding and keeping good weight will be a factor)? Also, is there a position battle at left guard and, if so, do you expect Pat Coogan will hold off Rocco Spindler (and other ascending underclassmen)?

Eric Hansen

12:22

Hey Dane. One of the things I look for during spring football is national title potential on one end and possible dead ends and unfixable problems on the other. Spring is about impressions, not conclusions. And my impression so far is Notre Dame does not project as a national title contender THIS YEAR. A playoff team, yes. However, I haven't seen any dead ends. To me, they have to be very fortunate with injuries in the fall. They need a lot of tumblers to align perfectly. I think the assistant coaches are going to make a difference. The QB and O-Line positions, which we need to see much more of in August, can raise both the floor and ceiling of this team ... if ... But again, I think playoff team is a more realistic trajectory at this point.

Dane Ford

12:18

Great Dane of Niles, Do you think Notre Dame has a legitimate shot at a championship this year? I know we experience these pie in the sky dreams every year as ND fans. Something just feels different this go around, like they might actually have the dogs to finally win the "Big Fight."

Eric Hansen

12:17

Hi Rich. I'm going to try to boil the first one down to a singular concept: He gave his head coaches the resources they needed to be successful, whether it be assistant coaches' contracts and salaries, to fighting for a progressive approach to the transfer portal, to modernizing the Notre Dame Stadium experience, etc. What could he have done more of? Continued to fight the NCAA to get the vacated wins back.

Rich Key West

12:14

What would you consider to be the most important contributions Jack Swarbrick made to the football program during his tenure? What areas do you feel he could have done more to help the football program move forward?

Eric Hansen

12:14

Kevin!!!!!! Thanks for starting us off with a healthy supply of exclamation points! And thanks for the plug on the Pete Bevacqua article. There's more to unpack in Part II, which drops Thursday. ... To your question, the two position groups that I think will be noticeably improved when you watch the Blue-Gold Game on April 20 are: Wide receivers and linebackers. And I think linebackers may be a surprise. But there's so much depth, so much athleticism and the younger guys have really picked things up well. Wide receivers, it's speed and depth at the position. I think there will be more position groups that will fit in this category once we're into fall camp, including QB, but these are my two for now.

Kevin-Sleepy Eye,MN

12:09

Eric!!!!!! The quotes from Bevacqua from the articles I have read warm my heart. He's seems every bit the right man for this job; Jack was too. With spring football: Name 2 position groups that will be noticeably improved when we watch Blue& Gold game:)

Eric Hansen

And we're off ...

Here are the rules:

12:08

And if you're going to brag about the weather where you are, then you better invite me to dinner.

12:07

Please include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question.

12:06

As far as this week's chat ...

12:05

► Finally, we’re in the thick of Notre Dame spring football coverage and discussion at WSBT radio season. And Darin Pritchett and I are together this week on Wednesday and Thursday on Weekday SportsBeat (960 AM, live streaming at wsbtradio.com). The weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET. You can download episodes as podcasts.

► Tyler James and I will be back in weekly podcast mode starting this week. Look for a new episode on Thursday. On our most recent Inside ND Sports Podcast, Notre Dame point guard Hannah Hidalgo joined us. Hidalgo became the first freshman in program history to be named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press. Days later, in a much less prestigious honor, she became the first Notre Dame basketball player to appear on the Inside ND Sports Podcast. Hidalgo joined Tyler James and me to discuss her All-America honor, how a loss to NC State ignited ND's late season run, what she's learned from injured junior guard Olivia Miles, where Hildago's defensive tenacity comes from, the influence of her parents, how she withstands hitting the court so much, her mindset going into the NCAA Tournament, why she's able to succeed at her size and more. The podcast can be listened to via SoundCloud or on your preferred podcast platform including: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podbean and Pocket Casts.

12:04

► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, it keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation. We’re back in our normal Monday at 7 ET time slot. Remember, if you miss the live show, you can catch up anytime on YouTube.

Some quick programming notes:
We’re going to stay on Wednesday at noon ET for the chat times, barring major breaking news, at least through the end of April.

12:03

Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat as we close in on the halfway point of spring practice.

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