JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Aug. 2, 2023

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Aug. 2, 2023

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Eric Hansen

3:12

That's going to do it today. Thanks for all the great questions. Remember a full practice for the media next Tuesday night, so we'll be back to do this all over again next Wednesday at noon ET.

3:11

At this moment, I think you'll split bottles.

John from Chattanooga

3:10

Hi Eric, a good friend of mine down the street is a big Ohio State fan, and he believes, of course, that the Buckeyes will lay waste to the Irish in South Bend this season. Inspired by his hubris, I entered into a friendly wager this him: one bottle of Blanton’s to the winner, and he owes me a second bottle if ND scores 21 points. I feel good about my chances. What do you think?

Eric Hansen

3:10

Ben's on-field speed is impressive and he's healthy after having his spring cut short with a thumb injury. I like his future. Not sure he's in a position to crack the rotation this year. Watts, DJ Brown, Ramon Henderson and transfer Antonio Carter II will likely be the rotation. Carter coming from FCS Rhode Island has great tools, but is moving from primarily CB to S and moving up a level. His next couple of weeks are going to be interesting to watch and critical to how he fits in with the other safeties.

J Buckley, San Diego

3:07

Quick question about the Safety's, heard Ben Minich was a track star as well 10.4 100, can you elaborate on the Safety room in general and Mr. Minich play, speed etc.. Your the best. thanks

Eric Hansen

3:06

Hi Sean, you DO love baseball if following a team one game over .500 distracts you from the world's greatest sport. There's so much here in this barrage of questions, I'd be here until halftime of the NC State game answering them. Let me focus on your last question about what Marcus Freeman has learned. A ton. In his approach. In dealing with adversity, In heading off adversity. In when to delegate and when to take the wheel. In a much clearer vision for the program in all aspects and a much clearer methodology for moving that vision along.

Sean, Schaumburg IL

3:02

College summer baseball officiating season has ended. The Cubs smoking the Cards on the Northside and in St. Louis. Awesome. The Cubs, slowly, gaining traction in the NL Central. Go Cubs!Love baseball. Tough to focus on college football fast approaching. What have you gleaned from the practice(s)? you've watched? In order, my concerns are: QB/WR rapport, Front 7 D. Is there enough quality depth at WR and D line? The same issue remains-Can Notre Dame football beat the top teams? That 3rd and 15 blitz call by Golden in Columbus irks me to this day. I saw it happen in the 'Shoe. Pummeling a down Clemson was nice. But, losing to Marshall/Stanford takes the shine off the season. Buckeyes/Trojans in South Bend. Clemson roadie. Gotta win 2 of those 3, maybe all 3, to remain in CFP contention. Losing to Ohio State in September, I'll be there, will only maintain the view that Notre Dame can't defeat the Tier I teams(UGA, BAMA, OSU, LSU, Clem, et al) when it matters. What do you think MF has learned to win these games?

Eric Hansen

3:01

Hi Dane, I'm not going to quibble with your premise, I'll just answer your question. No, it's not now or never. HOWEVER, I do think it's important that Notre Dame takes advantage of having Hartman on the roster. An 11-1 season and a playoff berth would go a long way toward building for the future.

Dane Ford

2:58

Hey everyone, including you sir(enter name here). Dane from Michigan City, IN. Is it safe to say it's now or never for ND? I mean with the addition of Hartman and the athletic abilitys across the board I don't see it getting better than this in coming years. I know Carr is "the cure" but how many times have we heard that before? Example Clausen, Buchner, Quinn. While all good in their own right, none were as prolific of a passer and surrounded by athletes as fast/strong as we have today. I'm 37 years old and tired of hearing the same thing but expecting championship results! What's that word again

Eric Hansen

2:58

Hi Patrick, thank you. My expectations for certain players and positions may be different from yours, so the surprises may reflect that but I'll say Steve Angeli, the rotational pieces on the defensive line, the freshmen linebackers and walk-on safety Luke Talich ... and the leg strength of transfer kicker Spencer Shrader.

Patrick from Los Angeles

2:52

From your observation of practices thus far what have been the most pleasant surprises and unexpected encouraging signs? Thank you for all you do.

Eric Hansen

2:52

Hi Ryan. Michael Carmody was able to get his weight up from 280 to 291, is a good player and a dependable backup but not in the mix to start. Freshman Chris Terek and the other June-arriving freshmen have made good progress but the most advanced of that group is OT Charles Jagusah.

Ryan mars PA

2:50

Good afternoon Eric how has Michael carmody And Chris Terek looked so far in practice that you have seen go Irish🏈🏈☘️☘️

Eric Hansen

2:50

I don't think anyone is going to strike fear the way the No. 1 and 2 career sack leaders did in 2023, but I do think ND can bring pressure in waves and from different spots, including the linebackers. I think Jordan Botelho will lead ND in sacks this year.

Guest

Mike in Oklahoma with the defensive rush question.

2:48

What player will offenses have to prepare against from the defensive line and edge as far as a threat goes? In other words - who strikes fear like a Foskey or Tuck?

Eric Hansen

2:47

As far as Audric Estimé's backups/tagteammates, I think all four of them will see the field, but I think Jadarian Price will emerge as the next option. ... For underclassmen, the transfer portal doesn't open again until after the regular season ends. Grad transfers can still move, and all transfers already in the portal can still move. But I don't see Notre Dame adding this deep into camp.

2:45

Hey Roger. A former colleague of mine, Mike Vorel, used to allege people lathered up their questions with compliments to get to the top of the queue. Little did he know that as long as you include your name and hometown, that the question requires no math beyond what my two oldest grandkids can handle, and hasn't been asked to death (and answered) in previous chats, it's all good. But please keep the compliments coming! So when we're talking about speed, there's raw track speed and there's football speed and they don't always sync up. I think Micah Bell wins the track speed trophy (10.41 in the 100). I think if Love ran in as many meets as Bell, he'd be close. Chris Tyree's best is 10.66, but that was in 2018, as a sophomore. His outdoor season in 2020 was erased by COVID. Tobias Merriweather was a state champ in the 200 (21.80) in Washington and on a bad hamstring. But how it all translates to the field, I'll go 1. Love, 2. Merriweather, 3. Tyree, 4. Bell. For now. Rocket still rules until further notice.

Roger from Peoria

2:31

Eric: You are the best and I value your opinion and observations about Notre Dame football above all others. (Will that praise get my question answered? LOL!) Seriously, reports indicate Jeremiyah Love is FAST. Chris Tyree has been described as among the fastest Irish players since his arrival and Micah Bell is reportedly FAST! Which current Irish player can claim the title of the fastest? And how would that player's speed compare to The Rocket or Golden Tate? When Diggs entered and then exited the Transfer Portal to LSU, I was first disappointed but upon further reflection I estimate the Irish RB room will be just with Estime the leader. After Estime, who do you see emerging among Ford, Price, Payne and Love? Finally, does the Transfer Portal open again before the 2023 season begins? If it does, I would be surprised to see ND take any but not surprised if a current player entered it. And by the way I do mean my first sentence!!

Eric Hansen

2:31

Chris, we've only seen reports on the deal and not the details beyond the money. The average fan is way more invested in it than I am, but the NIL is a great question worth asking once we get to a press conference. My reservation about UA is that with the last contract, there were promises about sports science benefits that never came to fruition.

Chris in Abq

2:28

Hey Eric, just curious on your thoughts on the new UA deal. Is there any NIL additions to it? I myself have never had a comfortable pair of UA shoes, however the shirts etc have always been pretty good.

Eric Hansen

2:28

Hi Bob. I'm sure you mean thinnest in terms of quality depth not necessarily raw numbers. At the start of training camp, I would have said interior defensive line. Now I would say safety. Not that I think safety has regressed, but I've seen some emerging players inside who I have confidence will rise to the occasion.

Bob Loganville, GA

2:26

Eric, Not sure if you have had enough time to assess but what position group, other than QB, is the thinnest on the roster. Safety, DL or a different group?

Eric Hansen

2:26

Hi Matt, I'll give you five quick answers. 1) Both. 2) Yes, with Aamil Wagner and Tosh Baker, who could start for a lot of teams, but Joe Alt is the best tackle in college football and Blake Fisher is pushing toward being elite. 3) Sam Hartman. 4) Likely would have to join a conference full time, but not set in stone. 5) That I can cook? Italian stuffed shells. That someone else cooks in their home? What we have for Thanksgiving every year.

Matt (KC)

2:21

It's been awhile but I am back at you with 5 quick questions. 1. Will ND's offense be explosive or methodical this year? 2. Is our depth at OL at the tackles solid? 3. If you were an opposing coach, what do you think they would say the one thing that worries them in preparing for ND this year is? 4. Do you think if Clemson, FSU, leave the ACC for the Big Ten (I have heard rumors) and the ACC crumbled, would ND will ultimately be forced into a conference for football or would the Big 12, Big Ten let them do the whole 5 conference games and full member in other sports? 5. Your favorite home cooked meal is?

Eric Hansen

2:20

Hi Jeff and I feel for you. Other than a few humid days, it's been great weather here. Chris Tyree is in the running for both jobs. The pool of candidates at kickoff return is much deeper and less refined yet than the punt returners. Given both Marcus Freeman's and Marty Biagi's philosophy of using your best players (within reason) on special teams, that won't likely factor in. It'll be a matter of whether he can beat out the others. Love could handle kickoffs and may end up the guy there. I'm still predicting Tyree, with Devyn Ford and Love being my next choices. I like Jaden Greathouse at PR, but I think Tyree may have the edge there for now. Ced is great, but that last line is difficult to punctuate.

Jeff from Phoenix

2:16

Good morning Eric! Sooo hot here, 31 days of 110+, some clothing might be better incinerated post-use rather than laundered, but TMI. Anywho… as far as punt and kick-off returns, do you see C Tyree as the best option on Aug 26? Given his high marks this fall camp and immersion in the offense, is this too big a risk to his primary role for him to do returns? Any chance that J Love could handle kick-offs? Finally, if I may, I’d like to give a shout-out to chatter Ced Walker from Saginaw for his closing tag line and loyalty to all things ND. Thanks-

Eric Hansen

2:15

Hi Colin. I would not favor them to win it, and yet at this point I wouldn't rule it out. I mentioned earlier, I watched O-line coach Joe Rudolph and the linemen for almost the entire media window on Tuesday. I liked what I saw from the coaching and the practicing. I liked how technique-driven Rudolph's coaching is. I like that Blake Fisher was doing some coaching. I like how physicality is being emphasized on every rep. I'm confident in how well the tackles and the center will play. I'm high on Schrauth. But teams will find the weakest link and attack that. I need more time and date to assess that part of the equation. How's that for hedging. If you want me to project, I think the talent is good enough to be a Joe Moore Award semifinalist/finalist.

Colin from Dublin

2:10

Excited to see ND play live in a few weeks Eric. Does this team have a realistic shot to win the Joe Moore award? Or will the run game disappoint

Eric Hansen

2:10

Hi Brian. My preference is to make my final prediction after training camp ends and we get into Navy week. My progress report at the moment is 10-2, subject to change.

Brian , Atlanta

2:09

What is your projection for wins and losses? My hope is 11- 1, but 10-2 or 9-3 feels more likely. If all the pieces fall into place, 11 - 1. Hope springs eternal. regards, Brian

Eric Hansen

2:08

Joe, thank you. The defensive line surprised me in the spring. They needed to continue to do that during camp, and so far they haven't taken a step back. That's a long way from being good enough in the big games. I need to see more before I commit to an unretractable point of view, but here's why I am open to the front seven continuing to surprise. ... 1) Having the same scheme two years in a row has the players playing more confidently and faster. 2) Having elite cornerbacks that allow for more blitzing. 3) DC Al Golden getting more of his best athletes on the field in niche packages even if they're not ready to be every-down contributors. 4) Jordan Botelho. ... Retooling the red zone defensive philosophy and being more successful with ball disruptions (everywhere, not just red zone) should help that problem. And it was atrocious last year, especially for a team that was 21st overall in total defense.

Guest

2:01

Joe H Williams Bay Wi Hi Eric Thanks for all your insights and the great work you do all year round I was wondering what you think of our defensive line and do you think we will be able to get enough pressure on opposing quarterbacks to be an effective defensive and also any thoughts on improving our red zone defense that was atrocious last year

Eric Hansen

2:00

Hi Bob, you name dropper you. For Xavier Watts to continue his ascent, his coverage skills need to take a jump this season. Against the run, he's elite. And I can give you a better assessment of just where that stands after Tuesday night's media-open practice in which I expect to see 11-on-11 competitive practice periods.

Bob (Oxnard, CA)

1:58

Do you think Xavier Watts can become as effective as safety as Ajani Sanders or Gerome Sapp? Thanks -- great show.

Eric Hansen

1:58

Hi Tim!!! Loving the excessive but welcomed punctuation today. ... There are a lot of fans who share your concerns. Some of that is more about monsters under your bed or in your closet than reality. I'm going to skip past your window dressing and just answer the question at the end. It's more important what Marcus Freeman thinks in that regard than what I think, and Marcus Freeman believes Notre Dame has the resources to win a national title, no excuses. And yet there are battles he fights to increase his chances. And the most critical at this juncture isn't NIL or apparel or the timetable for the promised Gug expansion. It's finding the sweet spot when it comes to incoming transfers. The pool that comprises grad transfers and very few undergrads puts Notre Dame at a competitive disadvantage -- and not just in football.

Tim from Kansas City

1:49

Eric!!! Thanks for your thoughtful insight. My genuine excitement for this season is tempered by echoes of the argument that ND won’t win in this modern era because they don’t go all in. Apparel, NIL, the Gug, etc. Much of that I take with a grain of salt regarding recruiting, as Coach Holtz said “Those who know Notre Dame, no explanation’s necessary. Those who don’t, no explanation will suffice.” I had read some rumblings that our revered hall of famer suggested to Urban Meyer that he should go to Florida not ND if he wanted the support necessary to win a natty. It is difficult to make sense of those different sentiments from Holtz, who clearly loves ND. In that light, What do you see regarding the support Coach MF gets and is it adequate?

Eric Hansen

1:49

Hi Len. The easy answer to the hazing scandal at Northwestern is that it can happen anywhere. It's a reminder to every college coach to be vigilant about it not happening on their campus and in their program. Team culture plays a big part in it.

Len from the Jersey

1:46

Hello Eric, Appreciate your thoughts on a quick question today. Could what happened at Northwestern happen at ND? Why or why not? Thanks Eric again for hosting.

Eric Hansen

1:46

Thanks, Manny. Yes. My schedule won't allow more than Wednesdays and Thursdays. ... and of course the pregame shows on Saturdays.

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