JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat | April 30, 2026

Notre Dame Football Live Chat | April 30, 2026

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Ryan Frankfort Illinois

1:04

Good afternoon Eric how did Devin Fitzgerald look during the blue and gold game i saw his touchdown but wasn’t able to watch the game also how did cooper Flanagan look GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈

Eric Hansen

1:04

Now if he was a guy with the wholesome rep of Riley Leonard, for instance, then that could have convinced teams to roll the dice with Pavia. But the fact his Heisman outburst was kind of on brand for Pavia did encourage teams to want to take that chance.

1:03

Hi Matt. You are excused/forgiven. Doing great here. Thanks for asking. As far as Diego Pavia and his comments, I don't think that was a good look for him, but as a voter, I wasn't angry. It takes more than that to hurt my feelings. As far as how it might have affected the draft. If he was the model citizen, there was a lot about his game that didn't translate to the NFL. Just based along on size (5-10), lack of arm strength and style, The Athletic's Dane Brugler didn't project Diego Pavia as a Top 300 draft prospect. And there were only 271 players drafted. (more)

Matt from Austin

12:54

Hi Eric. Been awhile. I hope this finds you and your family well. I know that you are a Heisman voter. I wanted to get your perspective on the Pavia situation. His post ceremony comments were awful. Did you feel disrespected/angry? How significant were those comments regarding him not being drafted, in your opinion? Have you ever witnessed a similar transgression? To switch pages, what two or three players impressed you the most in the Spring game? Thank you E. Matt

Eric Hansen

12:50

Hi Andy. Let's do the bye week part of this first. Almost every FBS team will have only one bye week this season, and that will be true in 2027, 2028 and 2029. The next season it will be prevalent to have two will be 2030. There are some exceptions. Teams that play in week 0, including USC, can have two bye weeks, because they have a 14-week window to play 12 games. The calendar determines which years there is a 14-week window and which there is a 13-week window. (more)

Andy - Wilmette IL

12:42

Hello Eric. Thank you for sharing your insight. I'd be lost without these chats. I only see one bye week. Is that a new thing? Are all teams doing that as well? Also, of the undrafted free agents from ND's team, who do you think will have the greatest NFL impact in 1 - 3 years? Thanks again for the greatest chit chat on the planet, ND football. Go Irish!

Eric Hansen

12:42

This summer continues to be about all three pushing each other and all three progressing. They can worry about separating from the others in August.

12:41

But here are some of the things I like about Jarrard. He has a lot of time as a starter in high school. He was the high school starter on the JV team as an eighth grader. I love the guy he trains with, Ron Veal. I love how he's wired, how athletic he is, his aptitude for being able to play chess at the line of scrimmage. Is he a slam dunk? No. I really thought Noah Grubbs is a gamer and who played ahead of his expected timeline this spring. I thought Blake Hebert made strides in his understanding of reading defenses and coverages. (more)

12:38

Matt!!!! A strong debut question and excessive punctuation? Pinch me, I must we dreaming. Well played!!!! You are my new favorite person from Maine. ... Let me lead with this. CJ Carr has the least time on campus, least college experience and least time in the system of the three QBs competing to be the starter last season. So experience matters, but it doesn't supersede everything. And I did a story on Teddy Jarrard after the Blue-Gold game highlighting just how invested he was this spring that you might want to check out:

June-arriving QB Teddy Jarrard already making a heavy investment in his Notre Dame future
(more)

Matt from Gray, ME

12:26

Hi Eric!!! First time having a question for the chat and thank you for doing this. Your insight into the team is fantastic. With CJ Carr being the unquestionable #1 QB my question is about who will back him up. I know you have said previously you think it will be Jarrard as the eventual #2. Why do you think he will be the backup when he is arriving in the summer, has to learn the playbook and compete with two guys who have a leg up on him in terms of knowledge of the system and chemistry with the wideouts? Is it based off pure talent and football smarts or something else along with those? Thanks! and Go Irish!

Eric Hansen

12:22

To me, losing QB1 would be a bigger challenge once the College Football Playoff run started than during the regular season, because of the caliber of defenses and completeness of those opposing CFP teams.

12:20

3) I think the three QBs who will compete to be the No. 2 all have really good talent, and the two who were around this spring — Blake Hebert and Noah Grubbs — showed enough collective progress this spring that I think the ND coaches have no remorse about passing on a backup plucked from the portal. But the progress must continue. And this summer June enrollee Teddy Jarrard enters the picture. 5) This is a team where there's an incredible roster on both side of the ball to support whoever is playing QB (more).

12:16

This is a great question, and one that would have a different answer depending on what point in the season it occurred and how long it kept CJ Carr out of action. But you mentioned Miami, and that's fairly deep into the season. So let's make that the hypothetical. First, that's not going to be an easy game to win WITH CJ Carr, hardly a layup. 2) But it will come deep enough into the season where the No. 2 QB (and maybe No. 3 will have some game reps under their belt at that juncture, and they'll be that much further along in their own evolution in terms of understanding the offense. (more)

Paul Berndt, South Bend

12:10

On a scale between "deer in the headlights" and "won't skip a beat", how disastrous would an injury to QB1 be? Is there a backup on the roster capable of beating Miamis if need be?

Eric Hansen

12:08

As far as these rules on the list ... all waived for today, but BEHAVE.

No 17-parters and no manifestos. AND NO WHINING!

12:07

PLEASE include your name and hometown along with your question(s).

12:06

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 NFL and college football analyst Dalton Wasserman, who chatted with us about Notre Dame’s NFL Draft prospects in this draft and beyond. Our next podcast drops on Friday.

12:05

► 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 Monday, May 11 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.

12:04

► 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 — take a test drive for $1. 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/.

First, some quick programming notes:

12:03

I'll do maybe one or two a month during the next three months — and more as new warrants. And we will revert back to weekly chats in August.

That is until August training camp.

12:02

Welcome to the last Notre Dame Football Chat in weekly mode.

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