JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Feb. 19, 2026

Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Feb. 19, 2026

Prev Page View Full Chat

Eric Hansen

1:06

2. Very, very little. Where ND can help in those sports is through NIL deals outside of the direct rev share. Notre Dame also is not bound by scholarship limits beyond the actual roster limits, so there are some options possible there as well in the sports you mentioned.

1:04

Hi Jim. Believe me, the feeling is mutual about the chats helping my offseason sanity. I dose of normalcy is just what I need these days. That young man is Anthony Treash. He's an Indiana University grad who's held a couple of different titles in his first two seasons with the Irish, both of which sound important and are. He was the director of analytics in 2024 and the director of football strategy in both 2025 and currently. He worked for football analytics website Pro Football Focus for 5 years prior to joining the ND staff. (more)

Jim from Anthony, Texas

12:58

Eric, so glad you're having these chats during the off season. Myself and others here would probably go nuts if we couldn't talk football with someone. Just 2 questions, kind of trivial at that . . . Who is the young man who stands behind or very nearby CMF, he seems to give coach information occasionally? #2. Of the $21M that schools can pay out to student athletes (fingers crossed behind my back) what percentage of that, at large universities, trickles down to say women's cross country or golf?

Eric Hansen

12:58

And the only other top 10-rated QB in that stretch to lead his team to a national title was JJ McCarthy of Michigan in 2023. So, fit and style matter very much.

12:57

4) Not a one-size fits all answer. I would say QB recruiting under Marcus Freeman and Gino Guidugli is as good as it's been since Charlie Weis was landing elite QB recruits. In the Brian Kelly Era there were more misses than hits in terms of top 10 guys, but he did get a few, including Gunner Kiel. But here's something to consider, the last college QB ranked higher than CJ Carr at the position (6th) to win a national title was Trevor Lawrence at Clemson in 2018. (more)

12:43

Fellow Australian punter Jasper Scaife, who enrolled in January at ND, is considered an undergrad with four years of eligibility. ... 2) The NIL or rev share figures given a player -- if accurate -- are for one-year increments, one-year contracts. I am not sure where you are quoting the figures from, so I am not sure if you are seeing estimates or actual compensation. 3) Arm length per a Google search is: from the base of the neck/shoulder blade (specifically the acromion process) down the extended arm to the tip of the middle finger, using a tailor's measuring tape. (more)

12:38

Hi Skip. There was not an official announcement on that. Here is my understanding of James Rendell's situation. Coming in the door, the NCAA perceived him as a grad student and not a 24-year-old undergrad in his first season. He was initially granted one year of eligibility and petitioned for a second and third year, but only got the second. He attended two different colleges in Australia before coming to the U.S., and because of that and his age, the NCAA seemed unwilling to move off the notion he was a grad student. (more)

skip - Houston

don't usually seek quarterbacks ranked in the top five?

12:32

I have four unrelated questions: (1) why was Rendell denied a third year of eligibility; (2) when $ amounts are given for NIL, are these amounts per year, four years or varying per contract; (3) in stating arm length, say 34", how is that measured; and (4) I find it curious that ND quarterbacks/recruits are almost always ranked in the teens - do we do a great job of finding diamonds in the rough or is there some other answer why we don? Thank you.

Eric Hansen

12:32

As far as how Aneyas Williams and the other four running backs are used, we'll see a lot of experimentation this spring. I think it'll be a deeper rotation, 3 or 4, as opposed to 2. Kedren Young coming back from an ACL tear is an intriguing wild card. I could see him as a niche short-yardage back and I could see him competing to be back No. 2 or even 1A. But Aneyas Williams, as you point out, provides a little bit of everything at a high level.

12:29

HI Jeremy. I still owe you an email, I believe. I had some family business to take care of right about the time you sent that and am still playing catchup on emails, so please forgive me. ... to your questions ... You're going to be surprised at the names that top that list. It is a very different list than the single-season receptions leaders. Here are the top 10 single-season receiving yards leaders in Notre Dame history:

Jeremy from Goshen, IN

12:27

When you watch Williams highlights you see multiple over-the head-catches. His receiving ability looks truly elite and if I am Denbrock I would strongly consider leaning into that. What is the all-time single season record for receiving yards by a running back? What are your thoughts on the ways the new running backs room may be used in 2026 compared to Love and Price?

Eric Hansen

12:26

As far as the NIL/rev-share stuff, it's really going to vary from school to school how that affects or doesn't affect a locker room and how strong the school's culture is. There isn't a public database where players can see the actual numbers of teammates or what players at other schools are getting. But anecdotally, kids talk and have a good feel for what is going on with their teammates. Again a strong culture is going to mitigate envy, but not completely eliminate it. So far, it seems to be working well at Notre Dame at least.

12:22

Notre Dame's Fighting Irish Media staff do a great job of planning, both behind the scenes and when things get loud. Timing is everything. And you don't want to acknowledge and promote a Heisman candidacy too early or it really can backfire. I did a behind-the-scenes look at how ND handled Jeremiyah Love's Heisman run if you have an interest in more depth.
Inside Notre Dame’s evolved strategy behind Jeremiyah Love’s Heisman Trophy campaign

12:17

HI Matt, thank you! Let's start with CJ Carr. You're right CJ Carr has a groundedness and maturity about him that has already served him well as a first-time starter in a marquee program and will continue to serve him well if that accelerates into a full-blown Heisman Trophy run. Learning from how Sam Hartman from a distance and Riley Leonard up close dealt with the spotlight, both when it was friendly and when it was glaring and harsh, was something Carr took in as well. Ian Book has been a valuable mentor as well. (more)

Matt from Austin

12:12

Good morning Eric. Hope all is well in your world. I have two questions which probably need your unique insights. 1. With so many sources naming CJ Carr as the Heisman favorite for this season, how is he handling the hype? He seems grounded and confident at the same time. Do the coaches help him with the publicity demands and does the university plan to promote his candidacy? 2. What has your experience been in sensing the locker room in these days of NIL? Obviously, different players get different deals. Are players aware of the value of their teammates NIL contracts? Have you noted any jealousy/irritation among the athletes? I'm sure the coaches and administration try to keep this well controlled. No need for names, just your impression. Thanks so much Eric. Matt

Eric Hansen

Off we go ...

12:12

The no bare feet rule definitely won't be enforced this week, except at my house. Same with the no drinking rule. The others ... don't you dare.

12:11

12:10

PLEASE include your name and hometown along with you question(s).

As far as this week's chat ...

12:09

► The Third & Gold Podcast is available at all places where you find podcasts, as well as our YouTube Channel. On our most recent episode, we caught up with recruiting analyst Tom Lemming of the Prep Football Report. The next episode will drop Friday.

12:08

► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, what are you doing with your life? Seriously, the show keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation, so you can catch up now or later on our YouTube channel. We’ll be back next week, Monday at 7 p.m. ET, for another presentation of Football Never Sleeps with Tyler James co-hosting with me. And check out some great shows on the Blue & Gold YouTube channel as well, including the live Notre Dame Football Show, on Wednesday nights.

12:07

► On July 1, Tyler James and I made the move to the On3 network and blueandgold.com and joined some amazing teammates. It’s proven to be a great move for us and, I believe, for our subscribers as well. And if you’re a potential first-time subscriber, we have a great deal — take a test drive for $1. With that, you get all of our premium content, plus all the value you get from a national team of writers and content creators, as well as access to every team site in the On3 network and a full year of The Athletic. Check it out at: https://www.on3.com/teams/notre-dame-fighting-irish/join/.

12:06

First, thanks for adjusting to this being on Thursday. Because of coverage conflicts, we'll be chatting live between noon and 3 p.m.-ish ET on Thursdays (rather than Wednesdays) due to coverage conflicts, present and upcoming.

12:05

Besides my awkward weather conversation, first some quick programming notes:

Not quite as warm as yesterdays mid-60s here in South Bend today and it won't last, but I'll take it.

12:04

Welcome to Notre Dame Football live Chat, the great Thaw Out Edition.

Connecting…

Message History

On Off

Your current subscriptions

None

E-mail Address	Chat Owner	Status	Remove

Enter your email address to be notified when Eric Hansen hosts a chat