JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Feb. 2, 2022

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Feb. 2, 2022

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Eric Hansen

12:59

I think more than anything else, the players know Marcus Freeman could have gone to LSU or Ohio State as DC before he knew he had a shot at the head coaching gig at ND, AND HE CHOSE THEM. That matters big time. They also know with all the people who decided to defer their NFL dreams, they've got a damn good roster and are determined not to waste that opportunity.

12:57

Thanks Don. Phoenix is on fire today in the chat. .... I do think there's some position-specific elements to it, especially if there are a lot of unknowns about the new coach. With Harry Hiestand and Chris Watt, there's elation. And Jeff Quinn was well-liked. But the players know with Harry and Chris, the opportunity to change the trajectory of their careers is real. Brian Mason is making a really strong impression with the special-teamers. I think the biggest shock was Mike Elston and the defensive line. Al Washington did a great job of reaching out to the players before he was formally announced. But it's going to be a gradual thing of earning trust, etc. (more)

Don in Phoenix

12:50

Eric, the article earlier this week regarding staff turnover was timely and spot on. Change within a strong culture is a positive. The fan base may believe it but how are the players feeling about the turnover? Have to believe it's position group dependent. What are you hearing?

Eric Hansen

12:49

The interviews you see are just the Zoom versions. The players rotate downstairs for those at the practice facility. But upstairs, they talk to the print/dot.com reporters for longer periods of time, so we can really go much more in depth with them. I think it's a win-win-win ... if there is such a thing.

12:48

Jeff, I am lucky to have good friends who know I'm tied up today, so they're going to take care of the driveway for me. ... Yes I think access to both the players and the coaches will be light years better ...at least for now. Today we were supposed to have a shot at interviewing all 12 early-enrolled freshmen. Since we have a major snowstorm here and Notre Dame shut down classes, that has been moved to Friday. But this kind of opportunity NEVER happened since freshmen began early enrolling early in the Weis Era. ... And once Marcus Freeman's new coaching staff is complete (one left to go), we'll have a chance to interview him and all the assistants. (more)

Jeff from Phoenix

12:43

Hey Eric, first, I hope your plow guy is reliable! As far as media access to the players, do you see that improving under Freeman after the dust settles on coaching hires, as in ~ post-Blue/Gold game? More specifically, could you see more access to the underclassmen to see how they are adjusting to the coaching changes? As a comment, I thought the returning players and transfers that gave the 5 minute interviews a few weeks ago were very articulate and thoughtful and generally excellent representatives of the football program. Given life beyond football and players wanting to 'brand' themselves, aren't players asking for more interview opportunities? Thanks!

Eric Hansen

12:42

Hi David, and thanks for following us over. I think the beauty is there isn't a cultural shift. That's what ND wanted to keep in place and good programs are able to keep that even when the pieces move. I think the philosophical shift toward upgrading recruiting is one that's going to pay off. The tradeoff is a first-year coach who has a lot of learning to do (any first-year head coach would). I think the euphoria of Marcus Freeman landing the job post-Brian Kelly as given way to a determination by the players to work hard to make it work. So there's optimism, but a commitment to doing the work to making positive things happen in the fall.

David K. from Elkhart, IN

12:38

First things first...ND Insider out, Inside ND Sports in! Definitely exciting times for ND Football from my perspective. "They" say people don't like change, which made me wonder how the players are adjusting to the culture shift. Do you get a sense morale is still sky high?

Eric Hansen

12:38

I don't think ND is counting on Matt Salerno for big impact, just depth. Notre Dame browsed the receivers post-early signing period. The one they liked, Justius Lowe from Oregon, locked in on Oregon quickly before the Irish could get him out for a visit. He signed with Oregon today. Amorion Walker and C.J. Williams were late-in-the-cycle defections. ND has a chance to add through the portal after spring practice. And there will be another wave of prospects hitting the portal in the spring.

Frank ftom Royse City, Texas

12:33

i am sure Matt Salerno is a great kid but I don’t see him making an impact as a receiver, why didn’t ND offer another receiver?

Eric Hansen

12:32

This happened pretty fast. I posted on our message boards yesterday that I liked Parker when I head there was interest in him and thought it had a chance to gain traction ... and it did in a hurry. ... I think sometimes people get too granular on the résumés, because sometimes a coach inherits lousy personnel, and they actually improved a bad situation. ... What I like about Parker is 1) Recruiting coordinator background. 2) Rep as a strong on-field teacher, even though most of his experience comes at wide receiver. 3) Offensive coordinator experience. He's not going to coordinate ND's offense, but he can sit in the press box with Tommy Rees on game days and offer suggestions and act as a sounding board, as John McNulty did. I do like that there's a coaching history with Freeman/Parker.

Bob Rodes

12:24

Manchester, TN Eric, I noticed Tom Loy's tweet about that soon after I posted my question. Quick work! Can you tell us anything about Parker, rep as a coach and rep as a recruiter?

Eric Hansen

12:24

No. 3: Refining the offense. What does a Tommy Rees offense look like untethered from Brian Kelly, with lots of new voices in the meeting room and with a vastly different skill set at QB? ... Continuation of those themes will take place beyond spring. ... One more thing ... perusing the portal. Notre Dame is at 86 scholarship players as of today. They'll likely be more attrition after spring practice and ahead of the May 1 deadline to be in the portal for 2022 immediate eligibility. That means ND needs to be ready to add from the portal, most likely grad transfers rather than undergrads.

12:20

Haha. Thanks Pete. The R-word will be a big part of things. ... But let's focus on between now and spring football. ... First there is a lot of newness and people needing to get used to each other and roles, etc. I talked to a former college coach I respect very much the other day. He knows Marcus Freeman well and believes the coaching turnover will actually prove to be a good thing for Marcus. Culture stays constant, but this puts more of a Marcus' stamp on the program. ... No. 1: What will the defensive scheme look like? It should be similar to last year in concept and terminology, but the players need to understand the new playbook. No. 2: What's Marcus' role going to be at meeting time and in practices? Where will he spend his time? It likely will gravitate defense, but still a lot to be worked out. (more)

Pete Cuozzo ND ‘82, Naples Florida

12:14

Hi Eric - incredible job with these chats over the decades! Thank you. With nearly an entirely new coaching staff, what do you see as the three most important things the staff needs to do OFF the field before Fall camp? And you can’t answer recruiting-recruiting-recruiting! :-)

Eric Hansen

12:14

Bob, they moved fast on Gerad Parker. He interviewed Tuesday and was offered the job. Came to a deal today.

Bob Rodes

12:13

Bob Rodes, Manchester TN. Eric, are there any preliminary candidates for our open TE coach position floating about yet? Looking at the top 25 2023 recruiters, I see that five of them are TE coaches: Kevin Wilson at Ohio State, Todd Hartley at Georgia, Ty Howle at Penn State, Vince Marrow at Kentucky and Brian Wozniak at Oregon State. I can't imagine Wilson moving if he's really making $800k, but I wonder if any of these five are under consideration. Are they?

Eric Hansen

12:13

Hi Chris, and thanks. That is exactly my read.

Chris - Newmarket, NH

12:12

Eric, congrats you and Tyler on the move to Rivals. Does the fact that a DC still hasn't been named, and the coaching search has been pretty quiet, point to Al Golden being the favorite, and possibly likely to be named after the Super Bowl?

Eric Hansen

12:12

Jeff. I'll defer to you on that, but congratulations. I've been doing these chats since early in the Charlie Weis Era, and that's the first time that question has been asked.

Jeff from Phoenix

12:11

Happy Groundhog Day Eric! I think the world would be a happier place if there were more polka music, no?

Eric Hansen

12:11

Hi Dan. It is going to happen. It's a matter of when it will be offiicially announced. He'll be in a grad assistant-plus role, which means he'll be able to help Harry Hiestand with on-field coaching in practices and in games. An analyst's role would not have allowed him to do so. I really like his addition to the staff.

Dan - Plymouth, MI

12:09

Hi Eric! Can you confirm that Chris Watt is back and a member of the Coaching Staff?

Eric Hansen

12:07

A REMINDER ... especially if you're new to these. .. PLEASE include your name and hometown along with your question.

12:06

Here are the rules.

12:05

Notre Dame will not be adding to its roster on what used to be traditional National Signing Day, but the Irish did just add to the coaching staff with the hiring of Gerad Parker as tight ends coach.

12:03

Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, Groundhog Day/Signing Day Edition.

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