JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Aug. 4, 2021

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Aug. 4, 2021

Eric Hansen

3:07

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 EDT.

3:06

Loved it. At least the first episode. I haven't had a chance to take in podcast No. 2. Informative, funny, just really, really good.

Mike from Chicago

3:05

Hi Eric - any thoughts on the Kyle Hamilton & co podcast? I found the tidbits about the early freshman WR meetings quite interesting. Potentially explains the JJ situation?

Eric Hansen

3:05

The speed is there, but there is not a track record of health, experience and/or consistency with that speed. August should tell us a lot about whether that group can transcend all of that,

John, Des Moines

3:03

Eric, Does ND have the talent in its current stable of WRs to present a deep passing threat in the 2021 season?

Eric Hansen

3:03

Reason for hope? The culture that's been in place since after the 4-8 cratering in 2016. Reason to be cautious? Only nine starters are back.

Erik (Granger, IN)

3:01

Thanks for being here! What is the biggest reason to be hopeful for this season, and one reason not to get our hopes up too high?

Eric Hansen

3:01

A final note on this: I feel its my obligation to answer these COVID-related questions to the best of my ability rather than ducking them. You don't have to agree with the answers,m but it's part of the sports landscape. It's not about politics for me. If anyone emails me and tries to make it so, you will be deleted and blocked.

2:57

Having said all of that, there will still be protocols in place. High vax rates are not universal among college football teams. Conferences have hinted at forfeits rather than rescheduling games if there are disruptions this season. Barring a new COVID curveball in the fall, my expectation is that ND will play its 12 regular-season games as scheduled and with fans. (more)

2:53

Notre Dame had more than 90 percent of its student population vaccinated in the spring and will require all students in the fall to be vaccinated (with some rare exceptions). That's a good foundation if you're Brian Kelly. With the highly contagious Delta variant, we are seeing some breakthrough infections. Statistics show there are fewer of those in populations where the vax rate is higher. Another plus for Notre Dame. There is some modeling by epidemiologists that the current wave may start to recede by the time football season starts. More potential good news. (more)

K.J from near the Ch. isles Ca.

2:46

Hi Eric. Glad you’re back with the chat! Been a long time. Do we have to worry about COVID protocols this year, or are we vax safe.

Eric Hansen

2:45

Grad transfer Cain Madden measured in at 6-2, 306 when he arrived in mid-June for summer school and summer workouts. Both from the Irish coaches and impartial observers outside the program, the consensus has been that Madden is a significant addition to the Irish roster. That doesn't mean he doesn't have facets of his game that need improvement. He will face consistently better competition at ND, though he faced Boise State, Cincinnati, UCF and Virginia Tech as a starter at Marshall. No, he was not guaranteed a starting spot with the Irish, just an opportunity. My expectation is that he'll take full advantage of that opportunity and be an elite guard.

Kip, Oklahoma City

2:35

What have you heard from the coaches on Cain Madden and his ability? Doing some research on my own, it seems like he's shorter than listed, more like 6'1" than 6'3", has short arms and is not very athletic. This obviously hurts his ability to pull and move in open space. Is he a guaranteed starter or will short-comings show up in his game when the pads come on against better competition than he faced while at Marshall?

Eric Hansen

2:32

Marcus Freeman has done such a good job in recruiting that I'm convinced this will be a staple of every chat for weeks to come. I was often asked the same about Clark Lea. Here's my short answer: I think it's a rare occasion in which the coach-in-waiting concept actually works well. That's not to say Freeman wouldn't make a great head coach in time. It's the concept I have the problem with, and most ADs do too.

Jason from Orlando Florida

2:28

Hi Eric, I know that Marcus Freeman hasn’t even coached a game yet, but is it to early to name him the coach in waiting for when Brian Kelly retires? (Hopeful after he wins a national championship in about 3 years). Thanks!

Eric Hansen

2:27

Hiring Chad Bowden and Dre Brown as internal recruiting directors/analysts was another Freeman idea that's paying off. I think beyond all that, there's a willingness and confidence to aim higher in recruiting, which falls in line with Brian Kelly's ambition and recent directives.

2:24

Jeff. Great to have you all back. In talking to recruiting analysts such as Tom Lemming and Steve Wiltfong, Marcus Freeman has helped revolutionize ND's recruiting. In the instance you cited, I don't think Freeman is dismissive of fit. I think his point is Notre Dame needs to get out and recruit the top talent early. Offer early. Evaluate early. Then later during the process, they can assess whether there's a fit. They can always move off the prospect if there's not a fit. The old way was to determine whether there was a fit first before ever offering. The problem was that ND too often was in a state of playing perpetual catchup. I believe you'll see this pay off in a big way in the 2023 class. (mpre)

Jeff from Phoenix

2:12

Hey Eric, so glad to have you back with the ND chat, you have been missed. I would like to hear your perspective on the comments from Marcus Freeman during his podcast with Chris Zorich in early July. For those unfamiliar, during that discussion Freeman said he impressed upon the ND football staff that they should be recruiting the best talent, and not just 'ND type guys' (please correct if poorly summarized). This could be a major philosophical shift in ND football recruiting. I am curious as to whether you see it as evolutionary or revolutionary? If it takes hold, how will it change the competitive profile of ND football for the next ~4-6 years? Much thanks-

Eric Hansen

2:11

I think Rocco is one of the best six. Now someone like Tosh Baker and say Andrew Kristofic could have blurred that line this summer, but I think Rocco starts August as in the top six. When we were working on our season preview, Brian Kelly told me he intended to keep Jarrett Patterson at center. If that is still the case on Saturday, it gives Rocco a chance to either start or push for a time share with Zeke Correll at guard. So Fisher, Madden, Patterson and Lugg will start with a battle for the fifth spot.

Denny from Liberty Hill, TX

2:07

Eric, Do you think Rocco Spindler is one of five best offensive linemen and will ultimately start his freshman year?

Eric Hansen

2:07

Pat. Missed everybody here as well. I still think Jack Coan ends up starting the opener. As for the summer buzz since I et to see these guys in person, I'm going to start there and work my way back to what happened this summer. This should be entertaining.

Pat (St. Paul)

2:04

Missed you Eric! Who starts the year at QB? Any buzz behind the scenes on the QBs during summer workouts? Thanks!!

Eric Hansen

2:03

Steve, there are a lot of advantages to being part of a big corporation, which we are now. Producing a magazine isn't one of those advantages. It's something for which we advocated. Relentlessly. What that conversation evolved into was us producing a kind of hybrid preview this year. We had an eight-page print section, with all the content also available online. And then we had quite a bit of content that was online only. All of that ran last week and is still available.

Steve from St. Louis

1:59

Will there be an ND Insider magazine this year?

Eric Hansen

1:58

Mike, thanks. Happy to be back. Because of the COVID exemption rule, ND was able to be at 87 scholarships this year (super seniors Jonathan Doerer and Kurt Hinish took advantage) instead of 85, They're actually at 84 so they could award a scholarship to as many as three walk-ons if they chose to do so. Next year, the hard cap for all teams will be back to 85. As camp opens, Cam Hart and TaRiq Bracy (nickel) would be the favorites to be the answer to your question. There's going to be a lot of competition this month, so that could change. But my expectation is Hart and Bracy would join Lewis at the top of the depth chart.

Mike from Rochester NY

1:51

Hi, Eric, so happy to see the chats back, a great reminder that football will be back soon. Can you update us on how the scholarship calculus stands at this point? And who do you expect to open as the CB and nickel back against FSU, beyond Clarence Lewis? Thanks and I hope the new owners are treating you and the rest of the staff well!

Eric Hansen

1:51

Hi Ced. We've lost a lot of our autonomy in building our website as Gannett has taken more control of what we can and can't do. So we won't have a static depth chart that's available 365 days a year, but we will publish it regularly and update it regularly throughout training camp and during the season. You'll just have to look a little harder for it. ... And I think Brian Kelly would like your season prediction.

cederickwalker

1:47

ced walker saginaw michigan will the south bend tribune have the nd football team depth chart for non subscribers I see notre dame going 12-0 or 11-1 freshmen playing as true freshmen are blake , rocco , styles, estime , on of te riley , barnes at cb walters at safety lot of special teams play

Eric Hansen

1:46

Brian, thank you for being part of the chats. I know our new website design and format makes it a little more challenging to find them. I wouldn't rule out Tyler Buchner being that piece. There's a lot to like about the freshman from San Diego. I terms of future classes, Notre Dame has made Dante Moore of Detroit a top priority in the 2023 class. He's already visited Notre Dame twice this summer and raved about both visits. There's a long way to go, but ND is off to a strong start. He's rated as the No. 30 prospect regardless of position in the 2023 class by rivals and No. 17 by 247Sports.

Brian from Greenville, SC

1:37

Eric, thanks for doing these chats and I am so glad we are getting back to football! It seems that ND is continuing to improve in nearly all areas but the one key missing piece in comparison to the Top Teams (tOSU, Bama, Clemson, Oklahoma) is that signature QB to get them over the Top. What are the chances we get a Top QB recruit in the next couple cycles or do you think Buchner can be that piece?

Eric Hansen

1:32

Yes, Tyler James just posted a story on the Peacock streaming exclusive. ... My knowledge of geographical acronyms is limited, but I am guessing GTA is Greater Toronto area? I know there are a lot of Canadians who follow ND (and many of them are at least semi-regulars on this chat). I can't research it while the chat is going on, but I can do so later this week. Please shoot me an email (ehansen@sbtinfo.com), and I'll try to find an answer for you.

John From the GTA

1:27

Eric, it was just announced that the home opener against Toledo will be a Peacock streaming exclusive. That app is geolocked to the US only. Do you know if there's any way (or even a plan) to allow non-American viewers to watch this game?

Eric Hansen

1:26

Greetings to you from post-vacation destination South Bend, IN. I'm less sure about the consistency of the offense than I am the vision for it and how it will be put together. I need to see how different Jack Coan looks in practice than he did in the spring --- and yes the media gets to watch two full practices and portions of several others. We're going to see Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree on the field together more. We're going to see less ball control than last year, I believe, and more of a push to get the ball down the field faster and more reliably. I do think the offensive line will eventually be pretty good, but it will take a while to find that rhythm and chemistry. Still, there are two likely All-Americans on it. I remain convinced that Kevin Austin, coming off a twice-broken foot, is a pivotal piece in both what the offense will look like and how dynamic it can be.

Alex & Jack Jackson, MO

1:19

Greetings from vacation in Destin, FL. Hope the summer break has been a good one. Glad to have you back. We are wondering your opinion on the offense being more successful than last year? We think the WR play will be more productive, but less so at O Line. We also believe the QB play could be better as well. Not sure how that all plays out in the stat line, however and would love to hear your opinion. Thanks again.

Eric Hansen

1:17

Alan, I follow your logic in formulating your question, but I don't see it playing out that way. First, there is a lot of talent at the wide receiver position, but there's also a lot to prove from that group. But if Notre Dame wants to evolve its offense, the wide receiver position upgrading has to be a part of that. With only three returning starters on offense, the Irish are counting on players throughout the offense to step into new roles and be productive. My expectation for the offense is that it will be balanced, but the deep passing game will be one of the tweaks that will make it different from last year's offense.

Alan from Whiteland, Indiana

1:13

Eric, while it is important for Notre Dame to better develop wide receivers, it appears the strength of this season's offensive personnel is the running back, tight end and offensive line positions. Would it not be in the best interests in winning games this year to have an offense that features the running game and intermediate throws to the tight ends? Thank you for answering my question.

Eric Hansen

1:12

Hi Andy. Even if the SEC decides to play nine league games instead of eight when Oklahoma and Texas are eventually added, I don't see a series matchup with the Irish as something either team would be willing to part with. It's quite possible the A&M series would be over before Oklahoma and Texas are released from their Big 12 obligations.

Andy, Elgin, Il

1:10

Eric with recent SEC expansion do you think it puts the Texas A&M and Alabama series in jeopardy?

Eric Hansen

1:10

Congrats on the Ryder Cup tickets. The Big Ten has the rights to that game. and FOX Sports has designated it as its Big Noon Kickoff game that week. So unless you have influential friends at FOX and the Big Ten, the kickoff time isn't moving.

Charley from Ridgeland

1:05

Hey Eric - I recently scored tickets to the Ryder Cup, which is same weekend as the Wisconsin game. Any hope that the game gets moved to prime time?

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