JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Aug. 27, 2025

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Aug. 27, 2025

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Bob (Oxnard CA)

12:37

How healthy do you think Josh Burnham is? It seemed he had a wrap around his leg for parts of fall camp. Thanks

Eric Hansen

12:37

Hi David. I would say pessimistic is what if he's not the leader you thought he was in his short time in campus? What if he has a year like 2024 where there were some drops and he was injured much of the season, so physically compromised. The optimistic side is where I fall. The guy's work habits and wisdom and the effect it had on a position group that lost a lot of leadership from last season is profound. And to earn the respect of your teammates to get their vote speaks volumes.

David - NY

12:34

Eric - Thanks as always for the chats. Can you give us both an optimistic and pessimistic take on Pauling being named a captain. Then which side of the argument you sit on. And how do you think it came to be that he got the nod in such a short time as the less heralded of the transfer WRs.

Eric Hansen

12:34

Joe, really appreciate you sharing your story on Coley. Thanks so much for submitting it.

Joe, Valparaiso, IN

12:33

Hello Eric, just felt compelled to comment on your recent excelllent article about Coley O'Brien. I realize this may not bet he appropriate forum but nonetheless, here goes. I was a classmate and acquaintance of him. Having surnames beginning on letter apart, I sat next to him in a couple of classes. The Sunday after the 1966 Michigan State 10-10 tie, he came to my dorm room to borrow some notes for classes missed due to traveling to the game. You would never have known he was a football player by his humble demeanor and what he accomplished on the field. He was a class act with no ego or arrogance, just came across as an everyday student. My roommate named his son after him. He will be missed.

Eric Hansen

12:33

Manny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The good news is, Notre Dame was smart enough to stick a bye week on there, so Texas A&M doesn't pop up on the schedule until Sept. 13. So they'll actually have extra prep time for the Aggies, who will have played two games when they get to town in mid-September.

Manny from san pedro

12:32

Eric!!!!!!!! Football week!!!!!!!!!! Yes!!!! How does playing on Sunday effect week 2. My fear is we win a battle Sunday night and next week we are down like we were against Northern ILl

Eric Hansen

12:31

Hi Rich. I would have said interior defensive line going into camp, but as I just mentioned, they've come a long way. I would say tight ends beyond Eli Raridon and the kicking game. Those are the biggest unknowns, and both kind of first-world problems, relatively speaking.

Rich P, Phoenixville PA

12:30

In a pole I'm sure that QB mistakes would easily top the list of what is most likely to derail a win by the Irish. Do you agree? If so, what would be your choice for the second most likely pitfall? Thank you!

Eric Hansen

12:30

Hi Len! Notre Dame was 49th in run defense last season. Since the Irish in 1988 won the national title with a No. 10 ranking that season, no team has ever won a national title with a run defense ranking of lower than 40. And the last six champs have all been in the top 8. Chris Ash knows that and I think it will be emphasized. I think Marcus Freeman believes the Irish will be better than that too, based in part on his praise for how the interior D-line played in August. Some of those comments were jaw-dropping, given how resistant Marcus is to overhyping individuals or position groups.

Len from the Jersey Shore

12:21

Hello Eric! Most ND fans will be happy with a lot from last year's team; turnover margin and pass defense being near the top. Will ND rush defense be better in 2025? Last year I felt that ND's rush D was gotten the better of in the NIU, USC, Penn St and Ohio St games. We hear a lot about Carson Beck but with the talent of the Miami O line won't Miami run first and use the pass to complement the run?

Eric Hansen

12:21

Jack, thanks for taking in Football Never Sleeps and NOT FALLING asleep. I think it's possible for ND to get into the field at 10-2. It's a matter of who those losses came to and why? And how is Notre Dame playing in November? I think an 0-2 start would be difficult to climb out of, given then you'd be competing with those two teams theoretically for an at-large spot and they'd own a good tiebreaker over the Irish. As far as Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, etc., again it depends on when their two losses happened and to whom. Thanks for the compliment too!

Jack, Strongsville,Ohio

12:17

Hi Eric. On FNS both you and Tyler said ND would go 11-1 and reach the CFP. Does a 10-2 ND team achieve the playoffs and are the results the same say if Alabama, Clemson and Ohio State are also 10-2? Thanks as always for your great writing.

Eric Hansen

12:16

The rain, if it happens, I think would be pretty even for both teams. ... Tougher than A&M, in some ways yes. Miami is ranked higher than the Aggies were last year. But I think this Irish team is more equipped to deal with a top 10 team at the start of the season than last year's was.

12:15

As far as rattling Beck. One of the ways you accomplish that or try to IS BY stopping the run and putting the team in third-and-longs. Then you have a lot better chances of success in doing the rattling on third down. And I do think ND will be aggressive with pressures, considering how good the back end of the Irish defense is. ... Not sure about Beck's mental state. Playing at home for him will help. (more)

12:13

Hi Marie, thanks for the questions. Let's unpack them one at a time. I think one of the things that got CJ to the top of the depth chart IS his confidence. Marcus Freeman even mentioned Tuesday that Carr might even border of too much confidence. But he likes that. So, no I don't think he'll be looking over his shoulder. Will he play perfect. No. Will he bounce back from mistakes. That is what I would anticipate. (more)

Marie from Atlanta

12:07

Hi Eric, happy game week. I can’t believe we finally made it to the Miami game. With the quarterback competition being so close, are you at all concerned that CJ Carr will be looking over his shoulder and be worried about being replaced, and that this will affect him detrimentally in the game? I know it will be important to stop the run, but do you think Ash will come out in attack mode and try to rattle Beck early? I know everyone says he’s physically fine, but I think people are underestimating the mental component to coming back from an injury. It usually takes a few games to really get your confidence about your physical state back. There is some talk of rain Sunday night, do you think that favors either team? Finally, is this a tougher or easier opener than last year at Texas A&M? As always thanks for hosting the chat and the awesome insights.

Eric Hansen

OK off we go ...

12:06

Here typically are the rules. No bare feet and no drinking are rescinded.

12:05

As far as this week's chat, please include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question(s) or at least your home planet.

► Finally at WSBT Sports Radio 960, I’m part of the Notre Dame Football pregame shows with Tim Grauel, Jim Irizarry and Blue & Gold teammate Tyler Horka. The new expanded show kicks off with 3 ½ hours of news, analysis and special guests on Aug. 31 at 3 p.m. EDT. You can listen locally at WSBT-AM 960, Sunny 101.5 FM and 106.1 FM in Southwest Michigan. And it will be live streaming on wsbtradio.com.

12:03

► The Inside ND Sports Podcast has been rebranded as the Third & Gold Podcast. Going forward the pod will be available on all the podcast places you found us before as well as our YouTube Channel. Our first episode of the new pod dropped last Thursday with special guest Tony Rice, quarterback of the 1988 national championship Notre Dame Football team. This Thursday’s episode will feature former Notre Dame All-America offensive lineman Aaron Taylor.

► 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. This week, we made some season predictions and prop picks. We’ll be back next week and every week, Monday at 7 p.m. ET, for another presentation of Football Never Sleeps with Tyler James co-hosting with me. Tyler and I will also have our Postgame Takeaways show for you to view with your Monday morning coffee. And check out some great shows on the Blue & Gold YouTube channel as well. That includes the return of my live postgame show with former Notre Dame offensive linemen Bob Morton, who will be taking on a larger role with us, moving forward. That starts five minutes after the clock hits 0:00 in Miami Gardens on Sunday night.

12:02

► 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. I encourage you to take a test drive — a seven-day trial for a $1 for all our great content and that around the expanded On3 Network.

12:01

Some quick programming notes:

12:00

Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, GAME WEEK FINALLY edition.

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