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

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Aug. 4, 2021

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Eric Hansen

1:02

I think George Takacs starts training camp as a clear No. 2 tight end behind Michael Mayer. Sophomore Kevin Bauman will spend the month trying to leapfrog him. My sense is Takacs is ready for the challenge. Matt Salerno is the incumbent punt returner. Expect challenges from Lawrence Keys III, Chris Tyree and Lorenzo Styles Jr. I like Styles in that role.

ND Harvey from South Philly

12:56

E, ND Football is in the air. 2 questions, who do you see as the #2 TE on the depth chart, also who will return punts. Be Safe. Go Irish

Eric Hansen

12:56

On offense, it's kind of a tie. Merriweather (who is expected to commit at 5 p.m. ET) and C.J. Williams are top-of-the-board targets at a position group ND really needs to upgrade. Guard Billy Schrauth or tackle Aamil Wagner would be significant because of the quality of player at a position group that already strong and deep. Defensively, if ND were to land Xavier Nwanpka, that would give ND a dynamic player at safety would could play early, as Kyle Hamilton did. I really like DT Anthony Lucas. The Irish have a lot of work ahead of them to land either of them.

Jay, Columbus

12:50

Biggest recruit for defense and offense yet to commit for 2022? Go ND!!!

Eric Hansen

12:49

Joe. thanks. Great to have you back as well. This started percolating before I got back and really hasn't advanced much beyond the rumor stage. Here's what I can share. If sophomore defensive end Jordan Botelho or any other player were definitely going to miss the entire season or a significant part of it, Notre Dame would announce it. They haven't done so. That hasn't always been the policy, but is has been in the last year or so. Case in point was Kevin Austin's injury last summer. A case in point before that policy changed was Austin's suspension the year before that wasn't announced. So bottom line is I expect Botelho to be at practice when Notre Dame opens training camp on Saturday. His status could change, but that's not the trajectory at the moment. I would expect we'll get more clarity from Brian Kelly on Saturday after practice.

Joey G Philadelphia, Pa

12:43

Hi Eric, Great to be back! I’m very concerned about the rumors surrounding Jordan Bothelo status with the program. He is the player I was most anticipating to see play this year. ND needs players that have an edge to them and Bothelo brings a violent streak with him. Something we haven’t since the days of Chris Zorich. Can you fill us in what happened? Also is there a suspension or transfer coming?

Eric Hansen

12:36

With wide receiver Tobias Merriweather expecting to pick Notre Dame today and wide receiver C.J. Williams expected to do the same on Sunday, that would put Notre Dame at 21 commitments in the class of 2022. I think they would go as high as 27, but it hinges on certain players. For instance, I think Iowa safety Xavier Nwanpka is probably the only DB they'd consider. Ideally, they'd get two more offensive linemen, a fourth receiver or a second running back, an interior defensive lineman (Hero Kanu or Anthony Lucas) and possibly an elite edge player (Cyrus Moss is a target there).

Steve, Kenosha, WI

12:29

Hi Eric. With two expected commits to announce this week, how many scholarships are left to offer and what positions do you expect to be filled?

Eric Hansen

12:28

Jim, thanks for the kind words. I literally just got back to work Tuesday, so I haven't had a chance to check in with Jack Swarbrick yet on anything, quite frankly, just yet. I can tell you that nothing that's happened to this point would push ND off its desire to remain independent. If the Irish did find themselves in a position to be convinced otherwise in the next few years, it wouldn't be the Big Ten as a landing spot. Notre Dame and the 14 full-time ACC schools signed a grant of right agreement a few years ago. That runs through the 2035-36 school year. So if ND lost its desire to remain independent, the ACC would be the destination, not the Big Ten. ... I am curious to see how this might affect the 12-team playoff proposal, which a few weeks ago seemed like a sure thing.

Jim from Oakwood, OH

12:17

Hi Eric, I hope you had a nice summer break and stayed healthy. I really liked all of the position breakdowns and comments from you and Tyler - thanks to you both for all of your excellent work. My questions are all interrelated: what are your thoughts about the jump by TX and OK from the Big 12 to the SEC … any thoughts or views from Jack Swarbrick that you can share on the topic in general and specifically ND’s continued independence or courtship by The Big 10 … and the comments by the OSU AD recommending a pause of further expansion of the upcoming 12 team playoff “ until the dust settles” with the conference moves? Thank you and be well.

Eric Hansen

12:15

Dan, thanks. Whether the SEC annexing Texas and Oklahoma leads to super conferences or something else, it's hard to see a scenario in which the desire or logistics of scheduling games with Notre Dame would be diminished. Teams aren't going to want to play conference-only schedules. It doesn't benefit them in terms of producing maximum numbers of bowl teams and playoff teams. The Irish also bring big TV numbers, help boost home attendance and typically add to a conference team's strength-of-schedule rating, which can help boost a team into the playoff.

Dan from Vernon Hills

12:10

Eric, really enjoy the chats. With talk of conference expansion in the SEC and potential Super Conferences, would it become more difficult for Notre Dame to schedule opponents as an Independent?

Eric Hansen

Let's get rolling.

12:09

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