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

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Dec. 6, 2023

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Eric Hansen

2:25

It can be, yes. Not all of those arrangements are universal, but there are scenarios in which a player opting out would mean giving money back. On the other side of things, the Duke's Mayo Bowl is leading the way in trying to financially incentivize playing in a bowl game beyond the existing NIL incentives, which may or may not exist depending on the individual. ... OK now even my head hurts. I hope that was clear.

OscarG

Downers Grove, Il

2:23

Is a player's NIL money affected by opting out of a bowl game ?

Eric Hansen

2:23

Hi Brian, what we're hearing is that Buchner to ND is trending but not done ... to play lacrosse in spring semester ... which is hardly a stretch. he's really good and so are the defending national champs. Think about it, he missed one semester at Alabama, can come back and get his ND degree, maybe by summer. That would give him some options --- in life and in sports. ... Continue to play lacrosse, go into life with an ND degree, and/or play football at ND or somewhere else in 2024 without having to sit out a year as a result of a second undergrad transfer. Smart kid. Sister is at ND and his parents have a place here.

Brian

2:20

Brian from Atlanta, Any thoughts on the return of Tyler Buchner to ND as a LAX player? Via the transfer portal, no less. I hope that this time, his playing career at ND works out.

Eric Hansen

2:20

OK Joe. If you are going to ask me questions that require clairvoyance, I'm going to need to up my fees. ... I think Notre Dame is at a critical juncture with this, and the new leadership is going to have to weigh in on those decisions. But I do like the start Marcus Freeman has gotten Notre Dame off on in trying to stay in step with the change while marrying that to ND's principles and mission. So far, so good, with a lot of change to come.

Guest

2:14

Joe H from Williams Bay Wi Hi Eric A Crazy up and down season ending in an improbable bowl game seems fitting I wonder what you see is in store for us three or four years down the road with college football in its current Wild West state With ND stated purpose of admitting football players to be students first and graduate in 4 or 5 years do you think we can navigate that landscape while being successful on the field and not betraying our principles

Eric Hansen

2:14

Hi Arnie. I think if there were a change of heart, there would be some who would be welcomed back... but I think they put in a lot of work to convince them not to enter the portal in the first place. I am not optimistic there will be any U-turns.

Arnie from Hinsdale ,IL

2:13

Hi Eric-- to you knowledge, is ND actively trying to re-recruit any of its 2023 players that have entered the portal?

Eric Hansen

2:13

Hi Lorne. It depends on what your definition of sanity is. The NCAA losing in the courts time after time meant change was inevitable. Their inertia when it came to being actively involved in shaping that changed was a terrible missed opportunity. I still don't know what former NCAA president Mark Emmert did to justify a paycheck. It's a lot all at once. The one thing I think you can feel good about is that Marcus Freeman has done a good job of dealing with those changes. While he's had growing pains in other areas, this has not been one of them.

Lorne

2:10

Lorne from Reno. Hello, Eric, and I wish you well this week – I suspect the mailbag is full and rant-y today, and I’m afraid I’m no exception. Let’s see. Schools from Berkeley and Palo Alto, CA, are playing in the ATLANTIC COAST Conference next year. An undefeated Power 5 champ is not in the 4-team playoff (karma 30 years after ND 31, National Champs 24?). The Pac-12 has its best season in years…and disbands. Four of our receivers hit the portal (agree with CMF: thanks Chris and good luck - I’ll never forget Soldier Field and the Wisconsin game you turned around - but Rico?). The portal and NFL opt-outs for top players make most bowls even more silly than usual. And though technically prohibited, buying recruits is now, in practice, virtually sanctioned. What has happened to the game we love and (yes, there’s a question coming) is there any hope for sanity in conference alignment, bowls, NIL and transfers? Or any of them?

Eric Hansen

2:09

Hi John. This still feels like he'll eventually end up at ND. Tyler James put in a FutureCast in late September and hasn't changed that. He doesn't have the bandwidth today for me to do a phone-a-friend, but my sense is Bettis still wants to enjoy the process a bit, being in the 2025 class. I don't think there is a threat to ND in this eventually going their way. But recruiting is recruiting.

John - Elkhorn, Nebraska

-ends up at ND.

2:03

Hey Eric - hope you get to head to the SunBowl - interesting match-up. What do you think is the reason for Jerome Bettis Jr. not declaring yet? Hope hee

Eric Hansen

2:03

Awesome Chris, thanks for the update.

Chris in Abq

Scratch that a fourth family friend is going down. We will have to meet for a couple adult beverages if you are making it down as well

2:02

Yes sir we bought up 11 seats and three families are going.

Eric Hansen

2:02

Angeli really impressed as well, and I know how talented CJ Carr is. And so, if Angeli stays, it's not automatic he'd be the frontrunner to be ND's QB in 2025, because it could just as easily be Minchey or Carr (I always have to now put "if they all stay"). He really intrigues me. Super smart. Wide skill set. Another stay tuned.

1:59

Hi Shaun, let me tease this out a bit. As I just mentioned, there is a weird scenario that could have both Oregon State playing talented but No. 3 QBs in the Sun Bowl. The Beavers are already there with Ben Gulbranson. Putting that aside, the buzz I heard about Minchey's development was very positive and encouraging. Irish DC Al Golden, for instance, was effusive in his praise of Minchey when the ND No. 1 defense had to face him in practice leading up to the Oct. 14 USC game. Golden felt he prepared them well for facing 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. (more)

Shaun- Boston

1:56

What have you heard on Minchey’s season behind the scenes? Do you anticipate he will get any snaps in the bowl game? What does his future at ND look like? Thank you!

Eric Hansen

1:56

Hi Ced. TE Carter Nelson seems very firm in his commitment to Nebraska. And with Holden Staes in the portal, ND might add a transfer TE now ... we'll see. As of this moment, if Sam Hartman doesn't play in the Sun Bowl, it would be Steve Angeli ... BUT if Riley Leonard commits to ND by the weekend, does Angeli think about the portal, leaving Kenny Minchey to start. These kind of answers don't age well ... so stay tuned.

ced

1:50

cederick walker saginaw michigan any word tight end carter nelson will flip to notre dame and if sam hartman dont play in the bowl game who starting qb 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

1:49

Thanks, Chris. Are you going to the Sun Bowl?

Chris in Abq

1:49

The chia pet is freakin hilarious! Well done

Eric Hansen

1:49

“Anybody can come and in a one day camp really perform, but you're trying to say 'OK, is this who I'm really putting my eggs in a basket for?' … You get film, and it's hard. You hate it. I was a kicker and you hate it, because 7-for-10 [on field goals] in high school, you don't know.
“Was it because of the hold? There's so many little things and you're like, ‘OK, the film is good in college.’ You can see it, so [taking a transfer] definitely makes sense.”

1:48

Here is his quote that I used in a story from that conversation:
“I think you'll see more and more of it,” Notre Dame special teams coach Marti Biagi said earlier this week of Power 5 teams largely recruiting proven grad transfers over high school prospects at the kicker position.

“We only get one. If we had two to three kicking scholarships, two to three punters, you're like, ‘OK, we can work on this one, but we know we have this guy.’ But when you're trying to get [just[ one, then there can't be a big margin of error.

“ I don't think it's ever an option that we're not going to look at high school kids. So in general, that's the great part about having camps in the summer. If anybody does catch your eye, then you're able to see it. But I would say the hardest part for us is trying to go see kickers play in their element in high school. It's just really hard to grasp that.
(more)

1:46

Hi Tom, two really interesting ones there ... 1. Keep in mind, ND is scheduled out way into the next decade (even if it's not on paper), with not a lot of holes to fill. I wouldn't try to water it down too much. You still have to sell tickets and playing a tough schedule gives you more margin for error with the committee if you end up 10-2, both for seeing and inclusion. Much better to host a December playoff game, don't you think? 2. Yes, special teams coach Marty Biagi said as much last month during a media session I was sitting in on that getting a kicker out of the portal (and likely punters once Bryce McFerson is done), make more sense than taking a chance on a high school kicker.(more)

Tom from Golden Beach, Florida.

1:39

Two questions: (1) With the 12-team playoff structure, do you think there is more incentive now for ND to schedule weaker opponents to guarantee a good record and therefore a spot in the playoff field? No matter how strong the schedule, they can never earn a bye. Also, without a third loss this year, ND likely would have made a 12-team playoff this year. (2) In our new transfer portal world, does it make sense to intentionally limit or even end traditional freshman recruitment for some positions (esp special teams)? For instance, it seems like you can find a pretty decent placekicker each year via the portal. However, if you recruit a PK out of high school, there a decent chance of a bust that will lock up a scholarship for years to come.

Eric Hansen

1:39

Tobias Merriweather and Braylon James reportedly had issues with Stuckey but not for all the same reasons. When he was purged, Rico Flores Jr., had issues with the change ... big Stuckey supporter, so ... even as you look at the entire outgoing transfer contingent to date at ND, some players were not INVITED to return. So, all kinds of motivations. ... I only used my skills (limited as they might be) in college to play intramural football, so I'm pretty confident I have eligibility left.

1:36

Manny!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are all kinds of variations of this Chansi Stuckey and the wide receivers question, but none of them had the foresight to include me as a WR option for the Sun Bowl, as yours did. So thank you for that twisted but awesome thought. What draws players into the transfer portal isn't universal at all. There are all kinds of reasons, and they vary from school to school, position group to position group and even within a position group at ND. NIL does power some of those transfers. Or it helps in splitting hairs and making a decision. Or it could be a non-factor in the decision-making. With ND's receivers, there was not unanimity in why they left. The primary reason Chris Tyree moved on was to get a chance to be a featured player at Virginia. He only played 35 percent of the offensive snaps last year and likely would have to rotate with Jaden Greathouse, Jordan Faison and incoming freshman Logan Saldate next season -- all ascending players. (more)

Manny in San Pedro

1:30

Eric!!!! Any truth to the rumor you have eligibility to play wr in the bowl game?!? Is this just nil world now and we should expect starters to regularly transfer or is this because of WR coaching change?

Eric Hansen

1:30

OK Scuba, that ship has sailed ... but we can fix that. We're 90 minutes in. So, at the end, I will gather the names and post them at the very end of the transcript. Good idea.

Scubatvt56

1:29

Jametown TN Eric when your live chat starts please give us an up to date list of Notre Dame players opting out of the bowl game and our opponents up to date list as well. Thanks

Eric Hansen

1:28

Hi Steve. This came up with Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden a few weeks ago. Golden has spent the last six years as an NFL assistant before coming to ND in 2022, and he's a huge advocate of the direct helmet communication system they use in the NFL. So, yes, it's time. And thanks for the compliment.

Steve from Brooklyn MI

1:25

Great responses. Always enjoy week in and week out. There is an AT&T commercial airing during many of the college football games that show their advancing technology being used in football games for deaf schools. If a college for the deaf can use optical read outs that show the play call being sent in from the coach to the quarterback, then what stops the non-deaf schools from sending in plays similarly to what the NFL is doing now. Seems like there has been one exception already made for deaf schools and this would eliminate the need to steal signs. Thoughts?

Eric Hansen

1:25

1:23

Hi Kerry. Well definitely not fruit cake, although it probably felt like that for some right after the Clemson loss. I'd say a Chia Pet. Definitely fun, but a missed opportunity. But isn't it the thought that counts?

Kerry, Irving, TX

1:21

If you were to compare Notre Dame's 2023 football season to a Christmas gift, what would it be? Feel free to include or exclude the bowl game invite as part of the answer.

Eric Hansen

1:20

A postscript to that ... I have to do it in chat as well. There is a rumor that is so ridiculously false that if I pulled it up and labeled it as such, I'd be helping to give it credibility. So I'm going to pass. I don't mind clarifying rumors when it warrants that, but this one is so outrageous, it's unfair to even give it life.

1:18

And if I couldn’t meet that threshold, I’d live with the consequences of people beefing about reporting elsewhere over incidents that sometimes had not yet happened or were patently false. Because if you give away your credibility, you really have nothing worth offering people. And then I’d be breaking the promise I made to myself about trying to get better each day in every way. So, now I can give you the sausage and, to an extent, how the sausage was made. But I’m not going to compromise on what I believe sports journalism should still be. And I know on this Notre Dame beat, I’m far from being alone in that.

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