JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Dec. 6, 2023

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Dec. 6, 2023

Eric Hansen

4:15

OK that's 75 minutes of overtime and now I do need to move on to my next assignment. As promised I will post the current state of opt-outs for the Sun Bowl after I post the rest of the transcript. Just need to make a couple of calls since I have been focusing on you all for the past four hours-plus (and deservedly so). Thanks for all the great questions. We'll be back to do this all over again next Wednesday at noon ET.

4:13

Geoff, I wish I had the time to get into this a little deeper, but I see where you are coming from. And that may be next. After USC started losing in October, I remember there was a college football analyst WHO SUGGESTED Caleb Williams opt out of the regular season. A good topic for another day.

Geoff from Placentia, CA

4:12

Can you explain to me the difference, philosophical or otherwise between opting out of a bowl game vs. regular season games? If you are a first round caliber player, and your mentality is "I know I'm NFL bound and I don't want to get hurt," then once your team is eliminated from playoff contention, why not just opt out of the rest of the season? To be clear, I don't think players *should* opt out. I'm just having trouble seeing why many feel it's palatable to opt out of a "meaningless" bowl game, but not a "meaningless" regular season game. I would argue that for a team with a couple of losses, the bowl game has *more* meaning than the rest of the regular season games.

Eric Hansen

4:11

Hi Adam, there could be a further evaluation after the bowl game on assistant coaches, though that's not a prediction ... just something to keep in mind. I don't think it's fair to say Freeman is betting his ENTIRE ND legacy on Parker, but he is putting himself in a situation with little margin for error if it does not pay dividends in 2024.

Adam (Dayton, OH)

4:09

Eric, we appreciate you! Marcus Freeman seems to have the defense as a playoff caliber team (with help of Golden, of course). We know he is a tenacious recruiter. Like Meatloaf sang, 2/3 ain't bad. Offense...there are issues. Between talent, Stuckey, and Parker/scheme, what do you think has been the biggest issue? Has Freeman bet his entire ND legacy on Parker, and if so, do you think he best wisely?

Eric Hansen

4:08

Ed, I appreciate the sentiment, but I think there are those who probably have an Eric Hansen dartboard as well. ... I think all four are more committed to building and developing their own players but filling needed holes and gaps through the portal. Two have transfer QBs, though both Michael Penix Jr. and Quinn Ewers are in their second seasons at their current schools and not their first. I think those programs would like to stick with that template, but the volume of outgoing transfers may eventually force them to tinker with that approach.

Ed from Sayville, NY

4:04

Hello Eric and all the best of the season to you and those close to you. If such an award existed I suspect everyone in the chat would help launch a Hansen for Heisman campaign.
The Irish did well in the transfer portal this past season getting very solid play from Javontae Jean-Baptiste and Thomas Harper in particular. This in spite of certain limitations ND has with respect to transfer admission policies. I’m curious if you have a feel for the extent to which the final four teams utilized the portal and to what level of success.

Eric Hansen

4:04

Hi Sean, we're getting into lightning-round/wrap-up time, so let me just get to the Howard Cross question ...Have been told that Cross improved his draft equity this season as much as any player on the Notre Dame roster. And yet he AT THIS MOMENT may be more of a lean to return than not. which Notre Dame would be ecstatic about.

Sean from the Garden State

4:02

Hi Eric. Most of the players who announced that they would enter the transfer portal did not surprise, especially grads and/or those who did not see a clear path to playing time. In that regard, Rico Flores' announcement was a head scratcher. To a lesser extent, so was Holden Staes' announcement, though he might have seen an ascending Raridon and a hopefully recovered Evans as impediments to playing time in '24. What factors, other than playing time, do you think contributed to their decisions? Also, do you think Howard Cross would be well served by another year in South Bend or should he pursue the next level. Appreciate your insights!

Eric Hansen

4:01

Hi Jeff, and thanks ... Defensive coordinator Al Golden can't say enough good things about him. He'll have a chance to compete to be a starter next year. Impressive athlete who should get more playing time with Liufau opting out, though that doesn't necessarily translate directly to him. Really like where he has a chance to talk his game. It will be interesting to see if baseball ends up being a distraction for him or if he can pull that double off.

Jeff from Schererville, IN

3:59

Thanks as always for the chats, Eric. As an Andrean alum, I'm curious what you've seen from Drayk Bowen, who is probably the best football player ever at 5959 Broadway. What's his ceiling and how much of an impact should we expect him to have on the defense in 2024 and beyond (or even in the bowl game for that matter).

Eric Hansen

3:59

The ReliaQuest Bowl has a weird clause that ties it to the Orange Bowl, and I'm going to simplify this a little (because there were years where the Orange was a national semifinal). So the Orange Bowl pairing this year was: Highest-ranked ACC team not in a playoff vs. the highest-ranked team not in the playoff among the Big Ten, SEC or Notre Dame. Prior to Alabama's upset of Georgia, Ohio State was in line to play in the Orange. The Bama win changed that and sent Georgia to the Orange. The ReliaQuest Bowl was an SEC team vs. ACC/Notre Dame or Big Ten. If the Big Ten is excluded from the Orange Bowl, then the ReliaQuest HAS TO take a Big Ten team. If the Big Ten is in the Orange, then the ReliaQuest could have taken ND or an ACC team. And remember next year this all changes.

Bill from St Joe

3:52

Eric, why did Bama defeating Georgia creat the requirement that one or a couple bowls have to pick a Big 10/10+ team.

Eric Hansen

3:52

Sean, thanks for your insight and for the inside joke. I got it. Wink. In answering your question, there were a record seven scholarship incoming transfers last year, so yes at this juncture, I think that record will be broken. Not obliterated, but broken.

Sean, Portland OR

3:50

As someone who lives in Oregon and is intimately familiar with *THE* Oregon State University, I'd caution ND fans to not be so overconfident getting caught up with OSU transfers and opt outs. OSU had a better record last year with this same "3rd string QB" than they did this year with DJ, including beating Oregon last year. OSU will have less opt outs at this point, more to prove and play for, and surprisingly a more veteran QB than ND will because I think Hartman will not play. On to the question: Will ND set a program record for most transfers taken in this year? It looks like it could be more than 10! 3WR? 1QB? D-Line? Safety? Kicker? Nickel

Eric Hansen

3:49

I think Gerad Parker is a very good idea guy. I'm not sure he's a fixer and I'm not sure the pressure/spotlight of trying to develop that skill at Notre Dame won't slow down of developing that skill that could have accelerated perhaps elsewhere. Given Marcus' orientation on defense and without a veteran sounding board as an analyst, I think the risk of retaining Parker is greater than the likelihood of this working out. I am not ruling it out, but you asked me where I stand now.

John from Scottsdale

3:45

Based on your observations, what do you put as the probability of the ND offense improving significantly in year 2 under Parker vs. no change or regression that leads to a new coordinator in 2025.

Eric Hansen

3:44

Hey Mike. ... and thank you. ... I think the post-2016 purge on Brian Kelly's staff set too strong of a narrative about hiring assistants with whom you have some history with and good experiences with as something to be universally avoided. I don't think it's a one-size-fits-all narrative. Some of those are astute moves. Some would not be. It depends on the individual. But when you have a history, you do take some of the "bad surprise" risk out of it theoretically. I think a good rule of thumb is to consider: is this one of the best assistants at his position now or with the potential to get there on my staff? If the answer is yes, then it doesn't matter whether you have a personal history, as long as he is a Notre Dame fit. ... And if a player scored from the half-yard line, it's a 1-yard run. In stat-keeping, if it's on the 1-inch line, the stat book will say that's the 1. So no fractions to mess with. Thank God.

Mike from BR, LA

3:37

Eric, maybe a little early, but any concern with HCMF continually going to the Cincy well? If he remains successful at ND, he’ll hire a lot of assistants. Does he need to learn how to assess coaches he doesn’t already know? Also, not that he can do anything, but does Fickel (any HC) get sick of that? And bonus, b/c I couldn’t figure out where else to ask: when a ball carrier scores from a half yard out, do they get a yard? Have not seen decimals except in averages. Thanks for another great year of NDFB coverage!

Eric Hansen

3:36

There is no question that drives the decisions/motivations of some players around the country. I don't think that's the determining factors with the outgoing ND players, by and large. .. .As far as Blake Fisher, I've heard rumors both ways and I can see both sides. So last week when I knew Tobias was teetering, I thought with Stuckey gone, there was a slightly better chance he'd decide to stay ... and I did not read that well. So with the no-gambling rule lifted this week, you can bet against me ... but the louder buzz I am hearing is that Fisher will go pro and not be back at ND in 2024. ... Hartman and Leonard have a relationship and yes I think that helps ND.

Tom Kennesaw, GA

Eric, I hit enter too soon... how close are Sam Hartman and Riley Leonard? Respected rivals? or texting friends? Also, do you think Hartman's positive experience at ND, not only for him but his entire family, will have any influence on Leonard's decision? Thanks.

3:26

Hi Eric, I am sure you are loaded with portal questions. Do you think that one of the reasons so many seemingly established players are leaving top programs is the ability to negotiate higher NIL deal$$$?? Also, any behind the scenes info on Blake Fisher's staying?? Finally, are any of the WR's ND is looking at have top-end speed skill set like Flores and Tyree?? Thanks as always!!! Go Irish!!

Eric Hansen

3:26

Hi Don, and thanks ... and you nailed what's in it for Notre Dame to play in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. ... I alluded to this before, the Duke's Mayo Bowl is trying to set a template for there to be financial incentives ... beyond Best Buy Gift cards and gear, etc., to play in those bowls. And I think it's going to take real creativity to slow or stop the crawl toward extinction for those games. Next year will be a good litmus test.

Don in Scottsdale

3:22

Eric, another year of great coverage and another year of the old saying for the Brooklyn Dodgers when they lost to the Yankees; "Wait until next year" , The Tony the Tiger Bowl allows ND to have extra practices, play some younger guys, gets bowl swag to the players and may get some bonuses for the coaches it they get to 10 wins. Is there anything else? Even if Angeli plays lights out Riley is coming and even though there will be an open competition the thumb is on the scale for him to start. I imagine the the only real winner in this is the Sun Bowl. My question, since the top 4 teams, 12 next year, are already named, what can the non New Year bowls and the NCAA do to make these games somewhat meaningful?

Eric Hansen

3:22

Hi Mike ... glad you liked it and thanks for listening. So it all six WRs really are healthy and available, I think Faison and Greathouse play in the slot, Colzie plays into the boundary, KK Smith backs up at the field position. I think you can move Jayden Thomas around to either outside position and probably would do the same with Salerno.

Mike from Rochester NY

3:20

Hi, Eric, just finished listening to this week’s podcast, another great one. Following up on the description of boundary/field/slot receivers, I’m assuming that Colzie and Thomas will be back at boundary for the bowl game and Salerno will be available at the slot. Do either Greathouse or Faison or both move to field receiver for the bowl? Might Jeremyah (sp?) Love move to field receiver for a few snaps in the bowl? Or someone else?

Eric Hansen

3:19

Happy Holidays, Rui. Yes, Notre Dame hired Butler Benton in April to be Notre Dame's assistant AD for player personnel. Dave Peloquin, who had some of those duties previously, took a new position with is dutiies including boosting Notre Dame’s name, image and likeness (NIL) efforts as assistant athletic director for football strategic initiatives. ...
Benton’s duties include and affect the areas of recruiting and evaluating, monitoring the transfer portal, and managing and developing the current roster.

Rui from Ossining, NY

3:15

Good day Eric...Happy holidays to you and your family...in college basketball, we are starting to see many teams hire position of "General Manager", whom are responsible for NIL opportunities for the program/players...are we also seeing alot of that in college football, and if so, does Notre Dame football program have a " general manager "?

Eric Hansen

3:15

Jeff. .. yes here is the article you reference that I wrote after asking Marcus Freeman that question in a Zoom: Notebook: Is Notre Dame's portal policy becoming more transfer-friendly? And yes, in a small sample size, I think that would be a sign that progress is happening, backing Freeman's comments in the story. It's one thing for a transfer coming from Duke ... and not disparaging Clemson, but that's a different situation when it comes to transferring credits, even with the fact Collins was someone ND recruited out of high school and admission accepted. ... Again small sample size but, I believe, significant.

Jeff from Phoenix

3:08

Good morning Eric! With the transfer portal going full bore, I want to get your perspective on non-grad transfers. IMO, a process by ND that is careful and consistent is critical, but adding slow to the equation helps no one. ND has Collins from Clemson and Leonard from Duke visiting this week, and both are juniors and will not have degrees before transferring. Are both academically approved by the ND administration if they decide to transfer? If yes, isn’t this significant (in process and speed) if not precedent-creating for football undergrad transfers? HCMF indicated a couple weeks ago that there was progress with admins and deans making transfer eligibility decisions faster, so is the Collins/Leonard situation proof of this (albeit a tiny sample size)? Thanks, go Irish!

Eric Hansen

3:08

Ok, typically this is when I have to bow out to get ready for my next assignment ... but I don't have radio today, so we'll press on for a bit.

3:07

They played in the Gator last season ... So they, Miami and North Carolina dropped into the next tier of the Sun, Pinstripe, Duke's Mayo ... and then it went to a drawing out of the hat, and the Sun Bowl won the drawing and got first pick. ... i think it's easier to project from Group of 5 to Power 5 at WR than it is from FCS to Power 5. He does have elite speed. The other thing you like, the one Power 5 team he did go up against, Arkansas, he caught 6 for 157 yards.

3:02

Hi Tony, thanks for subscribing and thanks for withstanding the culture shock. I will say this, I think the people on our message boards, by and large, are the most astute, least interested in rumors and name-calling, and fun to talk to that I've seen on any message boards. So we are lucky. .... There is still a lot of smoke about why Notre Dame didn't end up in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, which used to be the Cheez-It Bowl and 10 other incarnations, two of which ND played in previously. There may have been more than one Yahoo article, but I'll accept your representation of it .. and in that case, that is not what happened. I have a source who said, the Pop-Tarts Bowl was convinced they would get ND to the point they scheduled a Zoom conference (but didn't announce it) with Marcus Freeman for that late Sunday afternoon. And so ND was excluded from that tier of bowls (which included the Gator and Holiday). Now those two didn't make much sense anyway. USC in the Holiday would have been a rematch. (more)

Tony, Lake Mary, FL

2:56

Hey Eric. Great reporting as always. This week was the first time really diving into the insider lounge forums, and it was an experience for sure. Anyway, I know this doesn't really matter anymore, but does anyone outside of Jim Phillips (who has not been happy with the ND - ACC arrangement since he took over) know why Notre Dame was locked out of the CheezIt and Gator (I think) bowl? Or as a yahoo article said NC state and Clemson had to be chosen for two of those three? All the reporting has been "matter of fact" but previously to selections there seemed to be no "fact". Also any idea of FIU transfer Mitchell's skillet will translate to power 5?

Eric Hansen

2:55

Marcus may be right .. and I've seen parallel situations happen like that before. I don't think Parker's learning arc is all that unusual for an inexperienced OC. But it needs to be extraordinarily productive in 2024 ... not typical -- to make that decision work.

2:49

Gene, if a train is traveling east at 52.4 miles an hour and needs to deliver a crate of oranges by midnight on the first full moon of the fifth month after leap year ... OK, we're even. And I am kidding you ... unless you're drinking or have bare feet. ... This is a lot to unpack and it doesn't feel like multiple choice. What I think you are trying to ask me is did Marcus Freeman fire the right offensive coach? And could getting that answer wrong cost Marcus down the line? Let me answer the second part of that first. Yes. It could. We saw it with Brian Kelly and Brian VanGorder. ... and then he hits on three great DC hires in a row after that in Mike Elko, Clark Lea and Marcus Freeman, now all Power 5 head coaches. To your first question, Marcus Freeman must see something in Gerad Parker that leads him to believe he will grow into an elite play caller and quickly. But from where I sit, I think it would have been easier to explain/justify a change at OC than at wide receivers coach. (more)

Gene from NY

2:42

Hi Eric, Thanks as always for the great coverage, particularly during the more trying times! All the turmoil around coaching changes or lack thereof has been frustrating and a cause for concern. On the one hand, ND finally had a WR coach that could bring in an apparent higher level of talent. . . who gets fired and seemingly precipitates an exodus of half the freshmen he brought in. Or, were the coaches aware of the imminent move and did that help bring on the firing? On the other hand, a vote of confidence for the OC, which has to have everyone scratching their heads. Did Coach Freeman get a special dispensation where ND won’t have to play any Top 50 defenses, or by extending one career is he potentially shortening his own?

Eric Hansen

2:41

Keep in mind that as of next season, the two people who took a leap of faith in hiring Marcus Freeman -- president Rev. John Jenkins and AD Jack Swarbrick -- will no longer be doing hose evals and making those decisions. That doesn't portend bad things for Freeman, but losing that loyalty investment tends not to be insignificant. I think the expectation is that Freeman show progress, that he regular competes for a playoff spot and that there not be coaching regression or poor assistant coach hirings that bleed into the bottom line or recruiting once we get past year 3. I still like Freeman's chances of living up to all that, but this offseason and next season are very key in that equation.

2:38

Hi Len, I have a hard time squaring the Harbaugh comparison and the fact the playoff format is changing to trying to how I think you want me to answer this question. So let me try to attack it a couple of different ways. If we were still talking about a four-team playoff format into perpetuity and it took Marcus Freeman until year 7 to get there and all six of the season leading up to that included three or more losses with a losing record in year 6? No, I would say the ND administration would NOT be on board with that. Now let's put in the current parameters of a 12-team playoff and take Michigan out of this ... (more)

Len from the Jersey Shore

2:25

Hello Eric, and thanks for hosting. Looking forward to you and the staff giving us a better understanding of the motives of the players that transferred. Was it coaching, NIL, playing time or something else. For now, a question on MF and Jim Harbaugh. Michigan stayed with Harbaugh for many seasons despite his teams continuing to lose to Ohio State, sometimes losing badly, and not making the CFP. Now Michigan had made the CFP three years in a row. IMO their talent level is similar to ND but behind Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State. Coach Harbaugh has a track record at Stanford and in the NFL. Coach Freeman does not have such a record. The College football landscape keeps changing and it is hard to predict. Based upon the current landscape I believe Coach Freeman will lead the ND team to CFP success in the future. If it takes as long as Coach Harbaugh to get there, will ND wait and keep coach Freeman? I would appreciate your thoughts on this.

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