JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Aug. 7, 2024

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Aug. 7, 2024

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Eric Hansen

1:02

Ced, I agree that was the best option and what I would have done in the same circumstance.

cederickwalker

1:01

ced walker saginaw michigan aka sagnasty Saginaw pride great move with Joe Rudolph putting tosh baker at left tackle I really believe it was good move with his experience than starting anthonie Knapp here come the irish trust the process the golden standard rally we are nd god country go irish love thee notre dame our mother pray for us

Eric Hansen

1:01

D-omer/Dave/Debby? Welcome and thank you. I'm a bit confused by the change of identity here within your question, but I did get you email and enjoyed it. Let me answer the questions for all of you ... I think Florida State is the best team ND will face, but the Irish will be a better version of themselves at that point. Still it's the scariest. Big Game ... A&M in the opener, but USC at the end of the season may have a playoff spot on the line there. .. Trap Game Georgia Tech in October.

Dave Childers

12:58

D-Omer from Jax - I continue to live for these chats. Thank you. What game scares you the most? Big game? or Trap game. Take care from post- Debby Florida

Eric Hansen

12:58

Dave, the actual practice access is more limited this year. We had a full practice on opening day of camp. There will not be another one. We've had three partials since then and have two more and those end pretty soon. Now we do have lots of player/coach interview access, and between those and sources, we'll have to cobble together a picture for you instead of seeing it and relaying it. The no-whining guidelines apply to me too!

Dave from DC

12:56

Hey Eric, thanks as always for doing the chat. Will media have access to a full practice and/or scrimmage during camp? Or anything more than the first five periods of practice?

Eric Hansen

12:55

The answer is hell yes. We'll make time for you.

Bob (Oxnard CA)

12:55

Advance warning, Eric and Tyler: I am coming out for FSU. Can we have an InsideNDsports get together during the week for some beer and wings?

Eric Hansen

12:55

Bob, I think you tried to revise your question, so I posted both of them. Anthonie Knapp -- not a Rivals250 prospect -- has been the surprise, no shock from the outside looking in at how he's moved up the depth chart. And I think the answer to your question is both. At 6-4 and pushing 300, Knapp profiles as a better fit inside, even though he's athletic and skilled enough to play outside. And the path to playing time may be quicker inside. Outside, there are some really good prospects coming up ... Jagusah will only have sophomore eligibility next year, as he'll get a medical redshirt year, so he has eligibility through 2027. Guerby Lambert is a stud and is a freshman. There are three really good tackle prospects in the 2025 class. Even Wagner has a lot of eligibility remaining at tackle.

Bob (Oxnard CA)

After praising Anthone Knapp’s work at tackle, Rudolph said he may play guard next year. Do you think his physical attributes lend themselves better to tackle or guard? Would moving Knapp to guard reflect ND feeling good about what it has at tackle long term? Thanks.

12:50

After praising Anthone Knapp’s work at tackle, Coach Rudolph suggested the long-term plan may to move him to guard. Do you think that reflects: ND feeling good about the other tackles or something about Knapp’s skills or physical attributes? Thanks.

Eric Hansen

12:50

Doug. All I can tell you is Notre Dame is confident that they'll hit that number and also that the coaching staff isn't sharing the plan for public consumption. I do believe they're in a good place with it... and it is sunny and NOT humid for a change here today.

Doug from Sunny Florida

12:48

Eric, what is the latest word on getting down to 85 scholarships by the start of classes?

Eric Hansen

12:48

Everyone else -- including starting center Ashton Craig and potential starting guard Pat Coogan were NOT Rivals250 prospects coming out of high school. So, sometimes the start align and sometimes they don't. Looking at some of ND's recent first-round NFL draft picks at O-Line, Quenton Nelson was a five-star prospect, but Zack Martin, Mike McGlinchey and Joe Alt were all left out of the Rivals250, and Ronnie Stanley was in the 250, but at 176 was ranked lower than Baker and Wagner were in their classes. So to answer you question, without leaning into the stars too much, ND does not have a talent deficit. But with two true juniors leaving for the NFL after last season -- the first time an ND O-lineman has ever done that -- there is an experience deficit.

12:41

There are several others still player college football who transferred:
68 Quinn Carroll (Minn.)
114 Zeke Correll (NC State)
118 John Olmstead (Maine)
178 Joey Tanona (Purdue)
231 Michael Carmody (UCLA)

12:39

37 Guerby Lambert
68 Rocco Spindler
87 Billy Schrauth
126 Aamil Wagner
137 Tosh Baker
167 Charles Jagusah
221 Ty Chan
227 Peter Jones
230 Chris Terek

12:37

Ok now to the O-Line rankings ... here are the current Irish offensive linemen who were Rivals 250 players in their respective classes and where they ranked in order:

Q: What was the thinking of kicking Sullivan Absher inside, and how has he done at guard?

“I think he's done really well. The idea was to put pressure at the left guard position and keep developing him and see if he could push. He pushes at times. There's times where he does things probably as good as they could be done, and then there's times where you realize he's not quite closed the gap on being a consistent player. So, he's working through that journey. And then really [Anthonie] Knapp’s development has been pretty remarkable outside. And he's really a consistent football player. And, ideally, as we move along, I think we find a home for him [Knapp] inside. But not many freshmen come in and can play like that, especially against this defense and this volume and stuff.”

12:29

Hey Rob. Thanks for the questions. Good ones, here. Let me start with 6-7, 321-pound Sullivan Absher's move to guard this fall after playing tackle last season as a freshman and being No. 2 there in the spring. I asked O-Line coach the very same question yesterday. Here is our exchange:

IrishRob, Scranton PA

12:25

The most frustrating part of camp, for me, is seeing guys the team planned on counting on go down to injuries. I was looking over the early depth chart projections and I noticed a mountain of a player in Sullivan Absher in the guard rotation. I have to admit that I only follow recruiting at a cursory level, so I don't know guys from each other until I start to see them on the field. I wondered, given his size, if there was a reason that he is a guard and not a tackle? Is he under any consideration to move, given his size or does his future seem to be at guard? I know there is a talented frosh coming in at OT in Lambert, but I have to admit, I don't recognize the names behind Baker and Wagner. Are there any potential gems in there, should God forbid someone else go down at that position? Thanks for the work, Eric!!!

Eric Hansen

12:24

I think worry is not the word I'd use for me personally. I think the area that's going to be tested the most beyond the O-line is the Irish passing game. So wide receivers and Riley Leonard's ability to be on target and produce explosive plays in the passing game are the points that have to be proven. I feel pretty good about the other position groups and how they'll hold up. ... Lack of experience and new system, new chemistry, higher bar.

12:21

Hi Marie. Thanks for being a part of the chats and keeping me on my toes. Let's take these one at a time. How it changes the O-line? Not much in terms of approach. There's a trust factor Baker will have a chance to build during the balance of camp. I'm curious to see how he handles this opportunity. ... It does not change my prediction for the Texas A&M game. I still believe the Irish will prevail in a close, low-scoring game. ... I think Denbrock has enough talent to mitigate it enough to get through the Texas A&M game, then build cohesion and confidence in the next few games before having to deal with Louisville's front at the end of September. (More)

Marie from Atlanta

12:13

Hi Eric, I hope you’re having a great week. I know we were all disappointed to hear the news about Charles Jagusah yesterday, how badly do you think this will affect the offensive line? Does this change your prediction for the A&M game. Do you think that Denbrock has enough talent to be able to scheme around it? Besides the offensive line, what other position groups are you the most worried about for the A&M game? Of the position groups you are worried about is more because of lack of talent or lack of experience? Thanks for hosting that chat and all the great insights.

Eric Hansen

12:12

Manny!!!!!! Great to hear from you. I got asked that question BEFORE the Charles Jagusah injury, and I did include offensive tackle. WITH the Charles Jagusah injury, it's even more critical there is not a long-term injury at offensive tackle. The other ones I'd put on the list are nickel, cornerback, Jack Kiser specifically in the linebacker group, center and punter. That speaks to the depth at the other positions, including quarterback ... though I think Riley Leonard has started to put some space between himself and the rest in the QB stable.

Manny from San Pedro

12:08

Eric!!!!! So pumped for football but heart broken over the injuries. What position group can we least afford an injury if we want to make the playoffs?!?

Eric Hansen

12:06

There are SCADS of offensive line questions. I'll get to as many as I can that have different angles to them. But we'll mix it up for some variety as well.

Off we go ...

If you promise to keep the whining to a minimum, I will rescind both the "no drinking" and "no bare feet" rule for this week.

Here are the rules:

12:05

Please include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question(s).

12:04

As far as this week's chat ...

► Finally, we’re all in on Notre Dame football preseason camp. And Darin Pritchett and I are together each week on Wednesday and Thursday on Weekday SportsBeat (96.1 FM, 960 AM, live streaming at wsbtradio.com). The re-emergence of the show on 96.1 FM is relatively new. The weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET. You can download episodes as podcasts.

12:03

► The Inside ND Sports Podcast is finally back. This week’s podcast will drop on Thursday afternoon. On the most recent Inside ND Sports Podcast, Tyler James and I shared what we saw in portions of Notre Dame football's first three practices of preseason camp. We shared their top three takeaways from the first three practices, the most interesting things they heard from offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and defensive coordinator Al Golden and played a game of "Hot or Not" with predictions for the 2024 season. The podcast can be listened to via SoundCloud or on your preferred podcast platform including: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podbean and Pocket Casts.

► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, it keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation. We are back in our normal Monday at 7 ET time slot. Remember, if you miss the live show, you can catch up anytime on YouTube.

► The chat is back in weekly mode, and we’re in our regular Wednesday at noon ET time slot until further notice.

12:02

Some quick programming notes:

12:01

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