JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Aug. 23, 2023

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Aug. 23, 2023

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Eric Hansen

3:06

Ugh, I have run out of time and Matts. Thanks for all the great questions. We'll be back next Wednesday at noon ET to do it all again.

3:05

Jayden Thomas would be my No. 1 choice.

Ryan, Caro Michigan

3:04

Hi Eric, Happy Game Week! What WR do you believe will stand out this weekend?

Eric Hansen

3:04

I love it!

Not Matt from Nowhere

3:04

Thanks for answering all of Matt’s questions!

Eric Hansen

3:04

Haha. Hi Matt/Pat: Notre Dame continues to hone in on Deuce Knight, now from Nashville after transferring, who said recently he's moving closer to a final decision. Bear Bachmeier, a four-star prospect from California, remains in the mix as well and told me he'd like to visit ND this fall. Stay tuned.

Matt (actually Pat) from St. Paul

3:01

Thanks for the chats Eric, fired up for this season! Any news on the QB recruiting front? Will the Deuce Get Loose with the Irish? Thanks!

Eric Hansen

“We definitely encourage competitive spirit, and we want to have energetic practices and we want our guys to provide energy. When it becomes a distraction, that's when we’ve got to make sure we cut it out. And there have been times in camp — like any camp you go to — that it's crossed the line, and we’ve got to make sure at that point we address it.

“I don't want to pull back that competitive spirit that they have. But I want to make sure that we understand there's a certain level that we can get to, and we can't cross that line. It's a fine line, because we're going to push into that edge. We're going to push them to right there, where we want you to play with that energy that truly, I believe, it takes to have success. But what you can't do is [get] hurt, [cause] fatigue. And we’ve got to make sure we always correct it when we get to that point.”

3:01

Tom, I'm a little pressed for time, so I'll just give you what Marcus Freeman said about the chippiness and trash talk in general in his Aug. 12 press conference: (more)

Tom from Sister Lakes MI

2:57

Hi Eric, Kudos on the Audric Estime piece. I learned a number of things about the young man and gained more respect for him. Just the opposite after reading Tyler's piece on Jaden Mickey. If you're going to run your mouth, you better back it up on the field. He didn't do that last year based on his poor performance and coverage grading. And why would you jaw at your own teammates? My question is: Do you know if Freeman, Golden and Mickens encourage him to trash talk? Put up with it? Wish he didn't do it?

Eric Hansen

2:57

Hi Alex. I think ND can only be so aggressive in the early going as they try to feel out the new scheme. There will be a lot of adjusting on the fly in the first half. At least they've studied well all the possible scenarios and worked on them. And then once they get a feel, I think they can be more aggressive. ... On offense, I do think having a sixth-year QB who sees it all is kind of an under-hyped advantage, because the pre-snap position ND will be in this year should be lightyears ahead of last year. We talked to Mike Golic Jr. a bit about this on the podcast this week.

Guest

2:54

Hi Eric - Alex from Cincinnati. It seems like when we have success against Navy on defense we get penetration and create havoc to get into the backfield and throw off Navy's rhythm and timing. When we suffer on D we are reacting too much to what they are doing on offense. Do you get the inclination that Al Golden will take an aggressive approach this year on D to create havoc? On offense, do you feel we will be better against their relentless blitz with an experienced QB at the helm. Thank you.

Eric Hansen

2:53

Matt ... I mean, Marie, I haven't given it a great deal of thought, but if I could make it work logistically, those are two very strong brands and Stanford is kind of the non-revenue sports. It also shows a commitment toward the ACC not getting absorbed into a Power 3.

Marie from Atlanta

2:46

Hey Eric, if you were an athletic Director in the ACC, would you be for or against adding Cal and Stanford and why? Thanks for the insight.

Eric Hansen

2:42

Continuing with the Matts .... I mentioned a bit earlier the five statistical metrics that are reliable ... as well as Gerad Parker's play-calling. ... Pay very close attention to what goes on with the NC State game. On the road, against a very good defense that has challenged Sam Hartman in the past.

Matt, Salem oregon

2:36

The season is about To start and i'm getting nervous. I've been looking at last year how close we came to ten and two. And I look at the difference In quarterback Which everyone has said was the issue for notre dame for years. And i've been feeling really optimistic about this year. I read We have the best line and running game, Sam Hartman's played with. That he will Elevate the inexperienced past catchers. The linebackers and Corners are strengths. The d line is two deep everywhere. What should I be looking for pre Ohio state to tell me my optimism is Justified or not? Thanks for your insight

Eric Hansen

2:35

Is this really Matt from Augusta/DC/St. Louis? If it is, still an interesting question that I need to take ... Keep in mind, some big-name analysts are finding a soft landing spot before the churn toward their next opportunity, so their impact may be more limited than you think. I think Notre Dame has been increasing both the numbers and impact of analysts and GAs, which is run reason there's an office shortage at the Guglielmino Athletics Complex. Certainly James Laurinaitis and and now Max Bullough being essentially full-time linebackers coaches with a hand in recruiting as GAs is a good example. Chris Watt too when he was here working with the O-line. We seem very close to deregulating those positions all together by the NCAA, so I'll reserve further comment until that happens .. .then dig into a number that makes the most sense.

Matt from sunny Long Island

2:27

Hey, Eric. Thank you for your solid journalistic work. Part of the arms race among top teams involves the number of coaches and grad assistants. One example that comes to mind is South Carolina hiring in former Cleveland Browns head coach, Freddie kitchens as an analyst (!) I have a general/vague sense that Notre Dame has been catching up to the SEC powers on this front. Do you have any handle on how the numbers and spending are trending, and how important is the coaching/analyst/GA population to the success of an elite team?

Eric Hansen

2:27

Either there are a lot of Matts on the chat today or you're moving around a hell of a lot to different cities during it ... I think you got cut off there when making suggestions. I am largely oblivious to TV promotions, because I am focused elsewhere, but from my limited view, I think you have a point. It was harder to promote when ND was a standalone college football product on Saturdays. Now with the Big Ten games thrown in there, I think there will be more promotion and more resources given to providing better coverage overall.

Matt in Augusta NJ

2:24

Does NBC do enough to promote ND football? In my opinion they could do so much more. I think ESPN does a better job of promoting the programs in the SEC. They preview each team in the preseason, and NBC could

Eric Hansen

2:24

Ryan, I think it's a nod to physicality. Rudolph wanted butt-kickers. He got it, though the guys who are 2s, especially Schrauth, fit that profile as well. But Rocco, my goodness. Just needs to be assignment-correct. My score prediction is Notre Dame 38, Navy 16.

Ryan mars pa

2:22

Good Afternoon Eric What do you think about spindler and coogan starting i think spindler deserved a chance what’s your score prediction GO IRISH☘️☘️🏈🏈

Eric Hansen

2:21

Bingo.

2:21

Do the new clock rules for college football put an even bigger premium on maximizing possessions against an option team like Navy???

Eric Hansen

2:21

Hi Kevin, so the rule you are referencing is the clock running after a first down is achieved, as the NFL has done for years, as opposed to stopping to move the chains. I did not ask about it, because it's exactly what the coaches face on second and third downs routinely, so they are used to it. Now where it may impact the game is fewer possessions per game, especially with a team that likes to hog the ball, like Navy. That makes turnovers all the more a key factor his weekend.

Kevin, Dallas TX

2:18

Hi Eric, it is game week! Finally here! I have not seen much discussion on the clock rule change this year. Have you discussed with Coach Parker and/or Freeman how this will impact play calling or approach to the games? I think this will limit comebacks and change the play calling in certain situations toward end of halfs (like the NFL where you can run a lot of time off). This will also have a timing impact as plays will need to be sent in sooner with the clock not always stopping in certain situations.

Eric Hansen

Given the background of the Navy offensive coordinator, Grant Chesnut, at Kennesaw State and then having the option layered on top of that, does it feel a little bit like a blind date?

“Yeah, you’ve basically got three influences on offense, and so it’s definitely made us simplify. We’re going to have to keep it simple and be able to adapt on game day. But that’s game 1. It’s just magnified a little more this year, because it’s already a different offense than you’re used to seeing. Now you compound that with not knowing the percentage of each system, or each concept, how much it contributes to the whole. So, we’ll see how it unfolds on game day.”

2:18

Sláinte right back at you, Bryan, now that I know what it means! The advantage this year, even with the new wrinkles and schematic uncertainty for Navy, is having the Mids at the start of the schedule, not in mid stream. So ND got to work on all those eventualities in spring, intermittently in camp and then for the past two weeks. Here's what Al Golden had to say when I asked him a similar question re Navy late night: (more)

Bryan (Pt. Pleasant, NJ)

2:13

Sláinte, Eric! Thank you for the great coverage. Question about this weekend's game: Navy is unique and difficult to prepare for, even when you have a good idea as to how they are going to attack you. I've been reading about the added "wrinkles" Navy's new coaching staff is looking to incorporate into their offense, i.e., short passing concepts and the addition of pass-catching threats at tight end. How have Marcus Freeman, Al Golden & Co. been preparing for these new elements? Does there seem to be any concern about how these new elements may affect how our team typically would defend against the triple option? Thanks!

Eric Hansen

2:13

Hi Matt. To Joe Rudolph's credit, he staged an open competition with an open mind. And Spindler and Coogan surged. Schrauth also had a very good camp and is a future starter/star. Not sure about this season, but next season if only Alt and Correll leave, I would see the starting line being RT Wagner, RG Spindler, C Coogan, RG Schrauth, LT Fisher.

Matt from DC

2:11

It seems like just a few months ago it was nearly settled that the starting OGs would be Schrauth and Kristofic…and now it’s neither! Do you get the impression that this was Coogan/Spindler surging, Schrauth/Kristofic taking a step backwards, or some combination? Do you see Schrauth as being someone who could be starting by mid year?

Eric Hansen

2:09

Yep, until Notre Dame shows it can handle it and make them pay for it.

Curt Warsaw In

2:09

Hi Eric, do you expect Navy to biltz early and often?

Eric Hansen

2:08

Tyson Ford is on OUR depth chart, which goes more than two deep. He's dropped 18 pounds to 274 this summer and is working at both the defensive tackle and field ends spots. Still a guy projected to have a bright future. His opportunity to show that likely comes next season.

Jeff

2:06

What is the latest with Tyson Ford. I noticed he is not on the depth chart.

Eric Hansen

2:06

Brian Newberry is Navy's new head coach. He elevated his LBs coach to DC, so they're running the same defensive system with nine starters back on defense. in his three games as Navy's DC vs. ND (2019, 2021, 2022), Notre Dame topped out at 150 rushing yards. Last year it was 34 carries for 66 yards with a long of 28 ... 30 yards in losses to Drew Pyne alone. It was 31 for 150 the year before and 31 for 105 in 2019. But Ian Book threw for 5 TDs in a 52-20 rout, and that was a top 25 Navy team. I’ll say 150 this year, because Sam Hartman's passing will open up the run somewhat, eventually.

Frank from Royse City, Texas

2:01

How many rushing yards will ND get against Navy?

Eric Hansen

2:00

If any of the international chat-heads can help answer this, I'd appreciate it. Bob, if you can email me, I'll try to get an answer to you from NBC. My guess is Peacock streaming is the best option. ... This link might be helpful, although I don't have the expertise to know how valid this info is. https://www.vpnmentor.com/blog/watch-ncaa-college-football-from-anywhe...

Bob (Oxnard CA)

1:56

Greetings from Fiji (vacation). Any tips on how to get the game over the internet? Thanks.

Eric Hansen

1:56

And then the health problems that nudged him out of the game and to see ND football fall on hard times when he did. ... I'm here for all of that. Fascinating stuff.

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