JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat April 7, 2021 | 4/7/2021

Notre Dame Football Live Chat April 7, 2021

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Eric Hansen

OK, that's going to do it for today. Thanks for all the great questions. We'll be back to do it all again next Wednesday at noon ET.

2:57

Now this is a guess, but I'll say Dante Moore of Detroit King High School.

Pat from St Paul

2:55

Reaching for last call! Which QB do we land in 23? Thanks Eric!!

Eric Hansen

2:52

Last call. We've got just a few minutes left.

2:51

Frank, I don't believe so. I will ask around.

Frank from Rockwall Texas

2:51

Is Drew White hurt? I haven’t seen him in any videos.

Eric Hansen

2:50

Well the only wide receiver who got more than 200 snaps last season was Avery Davis, so you could throw pretty much everyone else into players in position to make a leap. So let me focus on the youngest receivers ... and I like where Jordan Johnson, Xavier Watts and Lorenzo Styles are headed. ... Deion Colzie, who arrives in June, because of his size, could join them.

Alan from Whiteland, Indiana

2:44

Eric, last season Notre Dame counted on the playmaking ability of Ian Book, both with his arm and legs, to keep the offense moving when the wide receivers could not create separation in their routes. Book has now graduated. In your opinion, who are two or three receivers your gut instinct truly believes are ready to be major contributors next season? Not to put you on the spot, but some players should be and some players will be. They are not always one and the same. Thank you for answering my question. I fully understand this is a tough one.

Eric Hansen

2:44

This is a question with no name and no hometown, so normally this goes into the ignore queue. But I'll use it as a follow-up to an earlier question. There are a lot of variables in play, and some which are very hard to predict. But if you want to keep an eye on certain things, this might be helpful. Read about what life is like in Israel in terms of sporting events, etc. They are furthest along in terms of vaccinating their population. The have a green pass app which allows citizens to prove they are vaccinated or how recovered from COVID. It's playing well there. I don't know how that concept would play in certain parts of our country. So watch those two things and then it's easier to project what could happen here.

Guest

2:37

When will a decision be made about the number of fans ND will allow in the stands for each home game?

Eric Hansen

2:36

Joey, I'd add the secondary to the questions marks. Otherwise, I know who to call when I want a day off.

Joey G

2:35

Hi Eric, Last year going into fall camp. I felt like most the O-line was our strength and the RB’s are ? This year I think, maybe more like hoping the D-Line is going to be a strength. And I think Botelho, the twins and Foskey are going to wreak havoc. And the O-line will be our ? But I think they might surprise like the RB’s did last year. Any thoughts on my predictions.

Eric Hansen

2:35

I don't think those are decisions made by individual schools. The NCAA, however, has and will make those kinds of decisions.

Tom from Georgia

2:34

Do you foresee UND ever refusing to play a specific opponent or in a specific venue like MLB and the NCAA remove contests from "offensive" cities/states?

Eric Hansen

2:30

I guess I didn't parse this as much as a lot of people did. I would expect the best defensive mind of our time with the nation's best personnel to be able to have a counter to just about any kind of offensive ploy (not that he always has had in the moment). Not a lot of coaches would have had the personnel to do what Saban did. It was interesting. Was there a way for Tommy Rees to have turned it into more of a chess game? Probably not without someone like Lenzy or Austin in the game and playing to their potential. But I did enjoy the clip, mostly because it gives you a peek into Saban's process.

2:27

For those who didn't see it, here is the snippet of Nick Saban talking about how he matched up with ND's three-tight end formations.

James, Dallas

2:21

forgot to include my name

Guest

2:21

Hi Eric. What is your perspective on Nick Saban’s rant about his 5-3-3 defense of Notre Dame’s 1-3 personnel groups?

Eric Hansen

2:20

I do. I think Zoom is a great way to introduce the prospect to campus and it's better than phone calls in terms of communicating. Official visits and unofficial visits are still very powerful assets, but COVID has given ND more tools in its recruiting tool box.

Gabriel from North Liberty

2:17

COVID-19 has brought many, many changes to the world of football. Through that, teams have had to make changes i.e. zoom calls, virtual visits, etc. Do you think ND has seen any of these new recruiting tactics work so well they plan on keeping them after COVID restrictions have been fully lifted?

Eric Hansen

2:17

Lee. I'm not sure whether it's true or not. .. yet. We have seen videos, 360 seconds at a time, but we don't have the context. Were those the best throws of the day? The worst? Representative of the sample? We had Jesse Temple from The Athletic on the Pod of Gold Podcast last week (you can listen here). He was pretty complimentary of Coan. If it's like our beat, you're not going to get a unanimous appraisal of very many players. I trust Jesse's assessment. That's why we had him on.

Lee from Lancaster, SC

2:06

Eric, one of the sportswriters who covered Wisconsin in 2019 mentioned that Jack Coan doesn't have a very strong arm and thus doesn't throw the deep ball well. If that is true, will that hinder the Irish from taking advantage of the speed that they will have at the receiver position?

Eric Hansen

2:06

I'm not trying to dodge the question, but I want to be fair. I feel like I'd have a better answer if we had the chance to interview him ... at all. It won't happen this spring and didn't happen in 2020 at all. I can't remember the last time he was made available to the media. ... Here's what I can say, I get asked about him more than any other position coach. His recruiting was scrutinized and he responded with two pretty good WR classes in a row. I think this is an important year for him in terms of player development. That's not Brian Kelly saying that. That's my own projection. I think we'll all know the answers later this year.

Michael from Chicago

1:59

What positives does Coach Alexander bring? I read a fair amount about his perceived negatives (not a grinder on the recruiting trail, etc.) I believe he was a Chip Long guy, so what are the reasons BK has kept him on the staff?

Eric Hansen

1:57

Chris Tyree KOR ... Tyree or Lorenzo Styles PR.

Joe Asbury Pk Nj

1:57

Give us your prediction on who will be the Irish punt and kick return players this Fall .

Eric Hansen

1:54

Right now he needs to get healthy. Then we can get a better feel for what he can do on the offensive line.

Patrick, Fort Wayne,IN

1:53

Eric, Hunter Spear has disappeared from his lofty expectations 2 years ago. Does he have a future on the offensive line?

Eric Hansen

1:53

Jim, hearty greetings to you too. I think players that turn down a fifth year and have their degree are in a different category, because they have their degree. So I'll focus on the juniors. It's easy to say undrafted guys like George Atkinson III or Darius Walker, but I'm not sure that extra year would have helped them given the circumstances that would have confronted them their senior seasons. Beyond Kizer, I would say Troy Niklas. He got drafted high, but I think he could have had a longer career had he played another year of college. Injuries in the NFL didn't help him. Beyond that, Equanimeous St. Brown probably could have helped his draft position had he come back.

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

1:45

Eric, hearty greetings from small town California. So glad to hear that things are going good on your end. In my opinion there always seems to be an ND player or two that overreaches and comes out early when they really shouldn't and would have legitimately benefitted from another year of playing college ball. The classic example being DeShone Kizer and I'm not so sure Brock Wright isn't making a mistake by passing up on his remaining eligibility. My question is in your opinion which Irish players over the last five to ten years might have seriously blundered and negatively impacted their careers by virtue of leaving too soon? Again, so grateful for all that you do, thank you.

Eric Hansen

1:43

Erik, I am cautious not to overstep and overreach on my analysis of things I have not yet seen. My sense is that it would not require a Louis Nix type. I think Hinish and Lacey can handle what the position demands, again not having watched it in action yet.

Erik (Granger, IN)

1:41

Thanks for being here! Does the Marcus Freeman “3 down” looks require a Lois Nix style nose guard? If not, how is it different from the 3-down looks that do? If so, do we have someone like that on the roster? Hinish?

Eric Hansen

1:41

Ken, thank you and nice to have you, especially on a day when we have Pensacola weather. ... The captain question hasn't come up and my guess is that'll be something that gets done in August. Since Kelly has SWAT team captains for the spring and summer, there's not a void in leadership during the offseason and you also kind of get to test drive your leaders. ... Just very much off the top of my head, I'd consider Kyle Hamilton, Drew White, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, Jack Coan, Jarrett Patterson and Kyren Williams to be in that pool of guys strongly considered.

Ken - Pensacola

1:37

Eric - It's always GREAT to chat with you again. Whom & when do you think will be named Captains to lead this year's team and how critical will their leadership be for the coming year? Thanks mucho & GO IRISH!

Eric Hansen

1:36

When I spoke to him last, he wanted to wait as late as possible to take into account the changing landscape, much of which has been very positive on the vaccine front lately. I need to check in with him against soon and plan to.

Tim - Pleasant Prairie WI

1:35

Hi Eric - Has Swarbrick given any indication as to the latest possible date - considering future immunization progress nationally - when a decision will be made on crowd size, and to whom tickets will be made available (e.g. Alumni Lottery, Season Ticket holders)?

Eric Hansen

1:34

Gabriel, thank you. I'll limit it to the last five classes (2016-20). No. 1, without a doubt, Ade Ogundeji. No. 2 Drew White. Others include Ian Book, Julian Love (based on his recruiting rankings ... first time I saw him in practice, I loved him), C'Bo Flemister, Clarence Lewis (again based solely on his 3-star status, since we didn't see him practice). Cam Hart, if he ends up playing a lot this year, could fit too.

Gabriel from North Liberty

1:27

Thanks again for opening up some time for us curious fans. I hope you're enjoying the weather. If you had to name a few players that you did not see becoming such terrific players in previous classes that ended up being very good, who comes to mind? For me it is JOK

Eric Hansen

1:24

Hey Stan. Thanks for that, but it's my job to overcome those things, and I am grateful that we have spring practice to cover this year. ... I asked your question to Brian Kelly the first day of practice and he kind of deferred, so he'll get that question again this Saturday. But we've gotten some indication: OL Blake Fisher and Rocco Spindler (not as starters but as two-deep guys most likely), WR Lorenzo Styles, have heard good things about TE Can Berong. Kelly touted Buchner last weekend. Philip Riley and Justin Walters in the back end. Gabriel Rubio on the D-line. Again, this is who can help, not who can start. I hope to refine this for you Saturday. ... Yes the Blue-Gold Game is likely going to be our first in-person exposure of the spring.

StanCakes from Chester

1:08

Best wishes to you, Eric, and kudos and sympathy to you. Kudos for being able to keep us informed with virtually no eyes on the product, and sympathy for your being hamstringed by having to rely solely on video snippets and coach's interviews as the resources. Is it so that the Blue-Gold game will be the first time you get to see, in person, the workings of the Irish? Now for the question(s): From what you are seeing on tape and hearing, who among the newcomers are lighting it up and may see serious playing time in the fall? And, do you think Kyren Williams' off season regimen of last year is rubbing off on some of his teammates? Thanks for all you do...

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