JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Feb. 21, 2024 | 2/21/2024

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Feb. 21, 2024

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Eric Hansen

1:55

'Just following up on that. I'm overdue to talk to the family. The Zbikwoskis are one of my favorite football families, and we last touched base during the season. So thanks for the reminder to get into gear there. Zibby is doing well at Brown and has a growing family, so he's got his hands full.

John - Elkhorn, Nebraska

all time favorite player. Thanks& enjoy the great weather. Hey Eric

cool

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1:54

Hey Eric- any insights on how Tommy Zbikowski is doing at Brown University? Would he ever be considered as a potential ass’t. coach at ND? He’s my aall

Eric Hansen

1:53

Sean, your question form is off the charts. I rescind all the previously posted rules for you this week! I think you hit on the big points of emphasis with where Marcus Freeman's growth needs to come. I would add continuing to expand his knowledge of quarterbacks and offense. He'll be able to soak up a lot of that with Mike Denbrock now on staff instead of in an old phone-a-friend role.

Sean, Schaumburg IL

1:51

Happy days!! Baseball is here. Golden extension. McCullough promotion. Some solid recruiting commits. Outside road GameDay preparation improving do you have any macro improvements MF/ND need to make? And, thanks for the Somogyi story. Go Irish!!

Eric Hansen

1:50

Hi Michael. The job Max Bullough did last year for the Irish and his relationship with the current players and recruits made it difficult to consider other alternatives. For Al Golden and Marcus Freeman, he was a clear choice ... and in demand if ND hasn't promoted him. ... I wouldn't rule out and eventual return to Notre Dame for Tom Zbikowski, who's entering his third year in college coaching ... one year as a quality control coach at Western Michigan, and now at Brown as the safeties coach. I don't see this as imminent. There's some buzz about special teams coach Marty Biagi helping out in the secondary. I also think a top-level grad assistant makes sense.

Michael from Chicago

1:40

Did ND consider any other LB coaching candidates (Nick Lezynski came to mind)? Any news on who will assist Coach Mickens in the secondary? The fanboy in me wants to see Tom Zbikowski in that role and also help with special teams. Thank you Eric!

Eric Hansen

1:40

Yes, you are correct.

Dan, Granger, Indiana

1:40

Question on college overtime. team A has the ball in the first overtime, they attempt a pass which is intercepted by team B and returned to the opposite end zone for a touchdown. I think its game over and team B wins, is this correct?

Eric Hansen

1:39

As far as offensive line recruiting, we also discussed that on FNS, and Tyler's thoughts were that ND would make room for Jack Lange as a fourth O-lineman if he wants in. And the Irish would love to have him. Keep in mind the calculus could change at all these positions depending on unexpected portal departures. ... I was just talking to someone about Ty Chan the other day. Very, very good athlete who really needs to be healthy and show progress this spring to put himself in the running to be in the two-deeps.

1:36

Hi Marie. Having a great week, and thanks for asking. Let's unpack these one at a time. Tyler James and I talked about the WR recruiting situation on Football Never Sleeps on Tuesday night and I asked him the same question. There are some other variations of this question in the queue, so I'll try to answer this as completely as possible and leaning into Tyler's answer. Notre Dame needs to add elite speed. It also would like to recruit just four HS wide receivers. So if the four are Burris, Terry, Bettis and Meadows and Talyn Terry of the Chicago area wants in, then that number needs to be five. But only does ND expand to five if it's Taylor. If you're a subscriber (I know you are Marie, I'm talking in general here), Tyler James is doing a position-by-position look on The Insider Lounge about where ND stands with every prospects at every position in the 2025 class (more).

Marie from Atlanta

1:30

Hi Eric, I hope you’re having a great week. Thanks for hosting the chat and keeping us all out of Notre Dame football withdrawal. Are you at all concerned about wide receiver recruiting for the 2025 class. With Burris and Terry committed and Bettis Jr. likely to come to Notre Dame, do you think the staff is banking too much on ceiling instead of floor. I think one of the people at the top of their list for the last spot is Derrick Meadows, who is also more of a ceiling than a floor player. If they were to get Meadows and have four players with a high ceilings and low floors do you think they would consider taking a fifth more established wide receiver. Also, sticking with recruiting now that there are three O linemen in the class. Do you think there is still room for Jack Lange? Finally, what do you hear about Ty Chan? I remember some fanfare when he committed, do you think this is a make or break spring for him? Thanks again for hosting the chat and all the great insights.

Eric Hansen

1:27

Hi Ryan. The favorite to do so is on the Notre Dame campus this semester and taking classes remotely at Northwestern, transfer Rod Heard II. So, he's limited on what he can and can't do this spring (can't practice for instance), but he'll be enrolling at ND in June. Then it's quite a free-for-all among the freshman, redshirt freshman and sophomore Luke Talich. I think Talich and Shuler are best positioned to challenge for at least spots in the rotation going into spring ... especially with Heard not taking reps until summer players-only workouts. ... Among the longshots, I really like where freshman and June arrival Brauntae Johnson could turn into.

Ryan Mars Pa

1:20

Good afternoon Eric nice chat you had with Jordan Clark who will start at the other safety opposite of Xavier Go Irish 🏈🏈☘️☘️

Eric Hansen

1:17

Hi Jerry. KK Smith spent almost the entirety of both his first summer in South Bend and his freshman season recovering from a shoulder injury. So he's a bit of a mystery. He's thin, fast and raw and made some good progress during bowl practices. This spring will be a great opportunity for him to work his way into a role. But he could just as easily work his way out of one. His speed is on his side, but he needs to bring a lot of other things to the table this spring.

Jerry, Hinsdale IL

1:13

Any word on KK Smith, his development. and what ND is getting next year in a hopefully healthy young unknown? Hoping he surprises some people with his speed and ability..

Eric Hansen

1:13

Scott, please don't apologize about the shoes. I rescinded the "no bare feet" and "no gambling" rules today in honor of the mercury pushing into the 60s today (we're at 59 already as a type this). Highest ceiling for this season, Riley Leonard. Most unfinished product going into Texas A&M, I would think would be the offensive line. Spring may tell us differently. We'll soon see.

Scott, Augusta Ga

1:10

Eric, I always enjoy these chat! You bring great insight that we all appreciate. I usually don't get too excited about spring ball and the game, but I am very interested in what the offensive line looks like, a healthy Leonard working a new scheme, and the new receivers. Of the groups I just listed, which has the highest ceiling and what do you see as a possible weak point going into the A&M game? Hope the weather is warming in SB. It's 60s right now and 70s this weekend in GA. Cheers and all the best to you! Sorry, I'm not wearing shoes today. My bad.

Eric Hansen

1:08

Andrew, I remember when the Big Ten's deal was first announced, there was some concern about that and the word then was pretty strong that this wouldn't adversely affect ND. Now with the extension kicking in I believe after the 2025 season, I'll have to check to see if that posture is still valid. Hope to have that info here soon. I think as far as 2024 goes, the only thing that may suppress number of night games is home game inventory. Northern Illinois, Miami (Ohio), Louisville, Stanford, Florida State and Virginia. Other than Florida State, does any of those scream prime time?

trophy

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Andrew from NWI

1:01

Now that we have a full schedule, we wait for kickoff times. Does NBC now having "Big Ten Saturday Night" mean fewer night home games?

Eric Hansen

12:59

Hi Don, and thank you ... It is sunny and balmy here, Don. It won't last but we'll ride the roller coaster down and then back up to almost 70 on Tuesday! Sorry about your old. I'm lucky. I can't remember my last one. ... to your question ... The answer might look different after watching spring practices, but for now the four players who came back on defense that could have easily moved on to the NFL -- NG Howard Cross, DT Rylie Mills, LB Jack Kiser, S Xavier Watts. There are numbers and quality at those positions but their experience/leadership/talent combination would be sorely missed. I think ND could get thin at offensive tackle very quickly as well. And while the cornerback is deep and talented, I'd hate to lose Ben Morrison for a stretch of games.

Don in Scottsdale

12:50

Eric, It's finally sunny in Phoenix. The first couple of weeks in Feb were cold and rainy. Had to go to Phiiy and that was of course colder than here. I do have a cold to show for it. Dont think I had a cold in 3 years, I guess life is normalizing. Question. Starters are starters for a reason however the line between some and their back up in razor thin. Where in Nd vulnerable to an injury (the drop off is big) and where is ND stacked? As always best to you and yours and of course the staff.

Eric Hansen

12:50

Rich, a reason why Sam Hartman transfer portal and didn't stay at Wake Forest for a sixth year is that he wanted to play in a different offense, one that would make him learn skills that were more translatable to playing in the NFL. Had he wanted to stay in his comfort zone, he could have/should have/would have stayed at Wake in the slow mesh offense. Now you could argue about how well constructed the offense was or wasn't to that end. ... As far as Riley Leonard, Mike Denbrock is going to design an offense that will take advantage of Leonard's strengths as well as the strengths of the other players on offense rather than trying to get them to fit into inflexible roles and concepts.

Rich Key West

12:45

I never felt like the Irish coaching staff tailored an offense last year that Hartman was familiar with and could operate efficiently in. Do you feel that the offense this year will be constructed to take advantage of Leonard's skill set ?

Eric Hansen

12:44

So to your two-deeps question, I'll only consider players who were not in the two-deeps last year and are not transfers. So only returning players and freshmen. So on offense, I'll go with WR Cam Williams and OG Sam Pendleton. On defense, I'll give you three -- vyper end Boubacar Traore, LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and safety Luke Talich.

12:38

Make no mistake. Faison appears to be every bit as advertised as a lacrosse player. He scored three goals in the season opener against Cleveland State and two more on the road at Marquette last weekend. Sometimes these things work out easier on paper than in practice, but I think Faison has a good plan to help both teams. I think what Drayk Bowen is trying to do with baseball, being good at both while competing for a starting spot in football, is a tougher ask and has more potential conflict points, with him being a position player and not a pitcher (more).

12:35

Thanks Tom. I'll let your commentary stand and get to your questions. Both men's lacrosse coach Kevin Corrigan and football coach Marcus Freeman expressed confidence that this can work. And if you look at the men's lacrosse schedule, there's only one game that conflicts with an ND football practice, and that's the North Carolina game on April 20, which is also the day of the final spring football commitment — the Blue-Gold Game. A big April 27 showdown with Virginia, the ACC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament all come after spring football ends. (more)

Tom Kennesaw, GA

12:29

Good morning, Eric! A comment first. With all the talk around the NFL draft right now it is so nice NOT to see any highlights against ND in the tv clips. You notice they never show Caleb Williams against the Irish from this year!! Thank you Al Golden. Also, I think if someone drafts Audric Estime anywhere past the middle of the second round they will be getting a steal. He just seems to be so fit for the NFL game. How much time will Justin Faison be able to spend on spring football with his lacrosse commitment?? I think his progression is important to this season. Do you agree? Finally, can you give us 2 offensive and 2 defensive players who will play themselves into the 2-deep roster following spring ball??? Thanks again for keeping the Chats going so that we can survive until spring ball begins. Go Irish!!!!!

Eric Hansen

12:27

Following up on Kenny's question without covering the ground I did there, I like the new format. If you're not in the playoff, you can't win. It's going to be tough for any team, even the teams with byes who only have three games. Presumably they played a very good team on their conference title game ahead of the playoff. I don't see evidence that the administration is APPEASING its fan base. Not when they're investing in four-year contracts for coordinators like Mike Denbrock and Al Golden and not when you see some compromises and willing to work with Marcus Freeman on widening the transfer portal pool.

Joey G. Philadelphia, Pa

12:23

Hi Eric, With all the recent talk about the 12 team playoff. And how ND's inclusion in it as an Independent may workout. I can't help but feel ND was better suited under the old system as far as potentially winning a championship. I can't ever see ND winning a title under the 12 team format. They would need to go through a 4 game gauntlet. In fact just to reach the Final 4 will be a tough task. It seems like Swarbrick and ND will be happy with just being able to appease the fan base by just saying we made it. What are your thoughts on the old and new CFP? And do you really think ND has a shot at ever winning a title again under this format?

Eric Hansen

12:23

Hi David. I don't see it happening on either end. Rico didn't leave ND because he had UCLA in mind. He left because he was upset about WRs coach Chansi Stuckey getting fired. So if he leaves UCLA, it doesn't resolve his feeling about ND. ND would have an issue with numbers as well. Right now the Irish are projected to have 11 wide receivers and are at 90 scholarships, five over the limit. That's not to say that they won't add and subtract after spring, but the numbers, both positionally and overall, figure to be tight.

David -NY

12:17

Hi Eric! Thanks again for all chats. Quick question. Any chance a guy like Rico Flores could come back? Given the UCLA coaching situation and the fact that he was almost convinced not to leave. I’m curious.

peanut-gallery

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Eric Hansen

12:16

Brett actually did predict an upset that would affect ND's path -- No. 6 Oregon over No. 3 Florida State.

12:15

12:14

Hi Kenny, please add your hometown next time, but I love the question. I think it's harder. At least that's the way it feels on the surface. Brett McMurphy, a national writer from the Action Network who you might remember from his days from ESPN, did a mock bracket for the 2024 playoff, in which he seeded Notre Dame 7th. In that bracket, if ND played the highest-ranked team possible (no upsets to its potential opponents), the Irish would have to be in succession -- 10th seed Alabama, 2 seed Ohio State, 3 seed Florida State and 1 seed Georgia. You could argue the easiest set up was the BCS in that you only had to win one game. The problem as getting into the top two slots. I do think if ND is playoff regular, it will keep recruiting and coaching staff personnel at a higher level, which will help. But winning four games ion a row of that caliber, to me, is harder, than winning one or two games against elite teams.

Kenny Cramer

12:06

With having a 12-team playoff now, does that make it easier (per say) or harder for us (Notre Dame) to win a national championship for the first time in 36 years?

Eric Hansen

12:06

And we're off ...

Because the Groundhog was right for once about our weather, the no gambling and no bare feet rules have been rescinded for today's chat.

12:05

Here are the rules:

12:04

PLEASE include your name and hometown with your question(s). "Guest" doesn't cut it, unless you have verifiable proof that your legal name is guest.

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