JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Aug. 19, 2026

Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Aug. 19, 2026

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Eric Hansen

3:10

OK, I just got a very weird but flattering comment that I am not going to post, so we better quit while I'm ahead. Thanks for all the great questions. We'll be back to do it all over again next Wednesday at noon ET.

3:09

Hi Robb. SMU on Senior Day, maybe Navy ahead of the Miami game and after BYU (with a bye week, which will help).

Robb, Edwardsburg

3:07

Hey Eric, Is there one game on the schedule that could be considered a trap game and might worry you a little bit? Where it falls on the schedule combined with the opponent being just good enough to possibly cause issues? Excluding BYU, Miami and SMU of course.

Eric Hansen

3:06

Hi Aaron. They were 12th last year. I expect top 5 this year, even playing two option teams. Where I expect teams to try to attack would be the run game ... one to shorten the game and 2, that secondary is just so difficult. But I do expect Miami to try to test it. ... Yes I am bullish on Greathouse. I think Grubbs is QB2 on Sept. 6 and Jarrard No. 2 in November.

Aaron, Washington DC

3:04

Hey Eric, thanks for today’s chat. What are your expectations of Notre Dame’s run defense? Do you expect this part of the defense to be strong? Dominant? Given the reputation of Notre Dame’s secondary, would you agree that the running game is where opponents will try to attack? Two questions on the offensive side: do you expect a big year out of Jaden Greathouse? and where do you think the backup QB battle will land? I appreciate it.

Eric Hansen

3:04

LEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SMU, although they are ranked. Maybe Syracuse with a healthy Steve Angeli ... Still rcovering, regnerating the nerve, out at practice every day but not in pads, does all the warmups, all the stretches, does the drills that don't involved contact, COMPLETELY engaged in everything that position group is doing in practice.

Len from the Jersey Shore

3:02

Hello Eric!!!!!! Which team on ND's schedule will be better than expected by most pundits? Any Jagusah news?

Eric Hansen

3:02

Don, there are not a lot of obvious fault lines on this team. Playing in hurricane conditions maybe? A run of injuries at a specific position like offensive tackle? This is just such a strong roster with strong chemistry and really good coaching. .... I think QB is the most vulnerable. Least vulnerable I would say safety or defensive tackle.

Don in Scottsdale, AZ

2:59

Eric, Getting closer to the start of what can be a great season for the Irish. 2 questions. Aside from an injury to Carr, what can derail the Irish? What position group is the most vulnerable to go from strength to weakness from injury(s)? Thanks for all the great work and content for the last 8 months!!!!!

Eric Hansen

2:59

I don't agree with your assessment of the running back or wide receiver talent on this team. Be prepared to be surprised.

Adam, Dayton, OH

2:59

Eric, closer and close we get! 1.) Looking at ND through a championship lens, do you think the lack of an All-America type talent at wide receiver (or running back) could hurt the Irish in a late stage playoff game? Thinking of possible opponents they could possibly face (Miami, Ohio St,, Indiana, Texas, etc.), they all have a guy that could make a back-breaking play. At the moment, ND does not. Is there someone on the roster that could be that guy by season's end?

Eric Hansen

2:58

Gave, I think it was because at the start of the year his best position was perceived to be MLB and then they became more comfortable with playing Drayk and KVA together at times and then he just decided to be great at whatever linebacker position he lined up at. It is a good follow-up for me to ask Chris Ash when we get him next (next week).

Gabe from Walkerton

2:57

No question KVA is an absolute stud, my question is, even last year, why was he not the traditional starter when he likely was the second best if not the best linebacker?

Eric Hansen

2:57

Scott, I am in lightning-round mode or I could give you an answer with more depth. There are six of them. To be the most camera-ready is Grayson McKeogh at OT. LIke all six of them. I thought OG Ben Nichols was making good progress, but the last practice we could view (Sunday) he was not in uniform or pads. Not one of those six am I unimpressed with.

Scott

2:55

Scott from Reno, Nevada - Eric, what are the impressions of each of the freshman offensive linemen so far? Do you see any of them in the 2-deep this season?

Eric Hansen

2:55

Hi Jeremy, I think this team will be very balanced, not so much in every game --because they'll exploit different weaknesses from week to week and DCs will choose to defend them differently. But on the season, I think it will be very balanced. I think Aneyas Williams is the 2026 alpha RB but I think that rotation will go four deep. I also think he gets a lot of yards in the pass game. In the 12-game regular season, I don't think he reaches 1,000 rushing yards, because of those factors. In a 15- or 16- game season, probably he would.

Guest

2:52

Jeremy from Tampa and ND alum & former athlete (XC & Track). Obviously we are a run-first team, but we don't have the two-headed monster we did last year. This year we won't have that monster, with Aneyas being the focal back. Do you think we will run him like we did Estime, when he had over 200 carries? Or do you think we will have a more balanced running and passing game? Lastly, how many yards/TD's does Aneyas get this year and will we have a 1000 yard receiver, if so who will it be?

Eric Hansen

2:52

Hi Jack, I'm a little confused. Notre Dame has lost four games with this coordinator, Mike Denbrock, in charge. Northern Illinois and Ohio State in 2024, Miami and Texas A&M in 2025. In the NILL game, the Huskies scored on a late field goal to win. In the Ohio State game, the irish came from behind and got within one score before a defensive letdown late. Texas A&M scored with 13 seconds left. And at Miami, the irish came from 14 points down to tie the game before Miami won it with a late field goal. What am I missing?

Jack Hopkins, Georgetown, TX

2:48

Do you trust our OC's abilities to bring ND back in a future game in which we are down by 10 or 14 points? He didn't seem to have that capability in the losses we have had while he's been at ND. Especially versus bad teams.

Eric Hansen

2:47

Hi Lorne, and thank you for the thank you. ... The good news is guys who come to Notre Dame know they have to compete for their job even day and they embrace that. So Absher isn't sulking. He's battling. ... as for the soccer stories, you have a point. star Izzy Engle hasn't played and it's not gotten the mention it should have. Tyler James was a phone-a-friend lifeline and provided this: "The official word was she has an injury and her availability will be determined game-by-game." Still kind of vague, but there you go.

Lorne

2:43

Lorne from Reno. I have neglected in my past few questions to thank you for the chats -- they are perhaps the best feature of the website. Poor Sullivan Absher: after hearing all off-season how Augustine is going to beat him out, he's now hearing that they might move Craig to guard. Personally, I think you start with Absher and Lambert, who by now should be building some chemistry, unless Otting/Craig will be MUCH better than Craig/Absher. So here's my question: where is Izzy Engle and why don't any of the articles (one on your site, several on FightingIrish.com) mention her absence from our first two games? The uninspiring results are certainly no coincidence, and it would seem to warrant mention.

Eric Hansen

2:43

Hi Gabe, probably too many to name in this chat, which is a good thing. But two guys worth singling out who could have given up at times that did so are: Xavier Watts, who came to ND as a WR and did not have a catch as a freshman and went on to move to linebacker, then safety and become an All-American. And Jadarian Price, who looked amazing as an early enrolled freshman, then tore an Achilles. He came back, after a year off, and kept working and last year decided to share the ball with a Heisman finalist instead of bailing. He ended up being All-American too and a first-round draft choice. Choose hard ... again.

Gabe from Walkerton

2:40

Eric!!! Counting down the days to kickoff! CMF often talks about reaching your fullest potential. Who are some ND gus who truly reached their full potential? Doesn't have to be a super star necessarily like I think Drue Tranquill maxed out his potential etc. Thanks!

Eric Hansen

2:40

Hi Chris. I touched on this a little earlier, I expect we'll see a significant contribution this year. We, as the local media, have a press conference with Marcus Freeman on Friday, and we would get a good update then.

Chris from San Diego

2:39

Given the seemingly slow/limited progress of Quincy Porter to date, what is your expectation for him this season, especially the late season? Will he contribute much this year?

Eric Hansen

2:39

Hi Collette. With three new assistants on defense, that's something that needed to be tracked in the practices we've watched. But given that the defensive coordinator is returning and there are a lot of key players returning on the defense, I think you's be pleased with how that process plays out.

Guest

How are going to keep players in sync with each other?

2:37

Colette Gonzales

Eric Hansen

2:37

Kurt, I hopy you also find a cheeseburger festival to attend during the bye week. Maybe I'll go with you! Including your scencarios you presented, I see the Notre Dame-Wisconsin game being competitive in the first half, thought not white-knuckle close. But in the second half, Notre Dame leaves no doubt. Literally.

Kurt from Utica MI

2:35

Hi Eric, I'm heading to Caseville MI for beer, Buffett music and cheeseburgers at the yearly Cheeseburger Festival. My question is regarding Will Black and his lack of experience (not talent) at the tackle spot on opening against Wisconsin which has a pretty good defensive front 7 and ND missing substantial proven talent at the RB spot to help bail him out on some breakdowns and CJ Carr maybe not being the most mobile with pressure on him, do you think this makes for a much closer, tighter, and lower scoring game than what most people are thinking?

Eric Hansen

2:35

What you might be missing is how much more physical and athletic this line is. And Schrauth was really good. You have two starters from last year playing in their best positions now -- Anthonie Knapp as a guard and Guerby Lambert as a tackle. You have this breathakingly athletic five-star prospect Will Black at left tackle now, Ashton Craig coming back and then very good options at RG, even more of them when Matty Augustine and Charles Jagusah are healthy. Also what helps run blocking are physical tight ends, and Cooper Flanagan and James Flanigan are butt-kickers in that regard. Lastly, it's been a HUGE emphasis all offseason.

Jim From Springfield, IL

2:31

Thanks for doing these. In going back and watching last years games it appears the offensive line did a nice job of pass blocking, but their run blocking looked average, especially short yardage. Love and Price helped the rushing stats a lot, especially yards per carry because they were exceptional. This season I am hearing Joe Moore Award talk even though they lost their best, Billy Schrauth. I think the line will be good, but not elite, what am I missing?

Eric Hansen

2:30

Hi Denny, now these guys will have signed before the College Football Playoff starts. But five-star linebacker prospect Kaden Henderson, committed to Texas A&M, is a player Notre Dame would like to flip. I don't think it's likely, but it's likely enough that Notre Dame will continue to pursue him.

Denny from Bullard TX

2:27

Eric, Assuming the best, an undefeated 2026 season and a natty for the Irish, do you think the Irish can flip any of there top targets that slipped away. I’m most curious about Kaden Henderson. Maybe also with another Butkus award winner!

Eric Hansen

2:26

Ed, you got cut off there, but I am going to guess the last part of your question was ... the influence of Charlie Partridge. Just one of many strong examples we've seen in practice. I can't wait to see that translate into game days.

Ed, Sayville NY

2:25

Hi Eric. Is there a bigger unanticipated improvement than the play of Armel Mukam coming out of camp? In addition to the influence of

Eric Hansen

2:25

Scott, you can read my mind even when it's in Carl Spackler's Gibberish!! Thank you!

Scott, Greenville SC

2:24

Sorry Eric. The text cut off. Just wanted to say how much I/we as ND fanatics truly appreciate your insightful and humorous articles on Irish football. And I'm sure your response will be, "Gunga, galunga! So I've got that going for me. Which is nice!"

Eric Hansen

2:24

Hi Pogo. Great question and kind of a complicated answer. Let me try to unpack all of it. Porter did not look ready for a game in any of the August practices so far. And yet in talking to sources, there doesn't sound like alarm bells are going off. They can afford to be cautious and deliberate with his recovery. When he is healthy, he will be a difference-maker. The Irish have some very good options at that position .. Micah Gilbert, Cam Williams, Jerome Bettis Jr., and Devin Gilbert. They can play with three receivers -- Faison, Greathouse and Graham and rotate Greathouse and Graham into the boundary. So a lot of really good options. But if Porter is playing in the BYU and Miami games, that will be a huge lift and I expect him to.

Pogo from Madison

2:19

particularly early. Who do you see getting the majority of boundary snaps early in the year versus later in the year (assuming Porter is full go by week 5 or so)? I’m starting to view Greathouse versus Gilbert as the top options there given the numbers of intriguing talent in the slot pushing Greathouse to the boundary to get the top 3 healthy talents on the field together.

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