JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Feb. 28, 2024 | 2/28/2024

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Feb. 28, 2024

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Marie from Atlanta

1:25

Hi Eric, I hope you’re having a great week. With the recent ruling last week, which is allowing student athletes to openly negotiate with collectives, now that it would no longer technically be illegal. Do you see Notre Dame collectives such as the FUND upping the ante and competing with some of these other schools that are utilizing pay for play for recruits? Also, do you think this is just a start down a path which will ultimately lead to athletes being employees? If that is the case, what do you think the timeframe would be before that would happen? With Spring practice right around the corner, can you pick one player on offense on one player on defense that absolutely no one is talking about that could surprise all of us? As always thanks for hosting the chat and all your great insights.

Eric Hansen

1:25

And ND has been received tremendously so far by the top-tier 2026 quarterbacks. So Marcus Freeman's spin is the same as his reality. The best player will play. And if you don't want to compete, Notre Dame isn't the right place for you. But the thought and goal right now is that the Irish will not have to go back to the portal for a potential starter in the next cycle. I think that's realistic.

1:23

Hi Len. I must be undercaffeinated today, because I'm not completely clear on what your question is, but let me take a stab at it. The fears that Notre Dame has wrecked high school quarterback recruiting by its participation in transfer portal QBs isn't supported by what is actually happening in recruiting. Notre Dame signed CJ Carr, it's first top 50 overall Rivals prospect at the QB position since Brian Kelly signed Gunner Kiel in the 2012 cycle. They're in the process of stacking three Rivals250 QBs in three straight classes, Kenny Minchey-CJ Carr-Deuce Knight, something that never happened during the Brian Kelly Era, (more)

Len from the Jersey Shore

Thanks for hosting Eric!!

1:16

Hello Eric! We don't want either of these spins whomever the starting QB at ND is in 2024. Don't sign with ND out of High School as they will always take a starting QB from the portal Or, just as bad, don't go to ND thru the portal because you may not start and you might lose that year of eligibility. How does CMF have the spin be, we have a competition at all positions including QB and the best candidate for QB will be named to start.

Eric Hansen

1:14

So there's no ambiguity about what Year 3 signifies for a Notre Dame head football coach. Now do the new dynamics -- NIL, transfer portal, etc., affect the timeline? Maybe. Can/will Notre Dame win one this year. If either one of us predicted that, everyone would assume we did that after attending Happy Hour. Can ND? If the Irish did, it would be like 2012, where it was a big surprise and all the tumblers would have to line up perfectly. I do think making the playoff and winning a playoff game is a realistic goal/dream/prediction/expectation.

1:11

Tom, the Florida weather agrees with you. I'll give you an A+ on the compliments. Yes, year three has been a telling year both ways for Notre Dame coaches. From the advent of the AP rankings Era (1936-present), you have Frank Leahy winning a national title in year 3 (1943), Terry Brennan going 2-8 in year 3 (1956), Joe Kuharich 5-5 in 1961, Ara a national title in 1964, Dan Devine a national title in 1977, Gerry Faust 7-5 in 1983, Lou Holtz national title in 1988, Bob Davie 5-7 in 1999, Tyrone Willingham 6-6 in 2004, Charlie Weis 3-9 in 2007 and Brian Kelly played for a national title and went 12-1 in 2012 (more(

Tom. from Toronto

12:59

(On tdy at Nokomis Florida) Hi Eric, looking back a number of years, Dan Devine won his national championship in year 3, as did Lou Holtz. While those were voted on by the media, and things have changed, it is interesting to note that this coming year is Marcus Freeman's third. He has surrounded himself with a strong coaching and support staff, and has recruited a strong team. All things being equal, if the stars align and ND can avoid a wonky loss, do you think that it is reasonably possible that Coach Freeman can pull it off this year? I have to say that the quality of the questions that you are getting in the chats keeps improving as does the quality of your answers and insights. I learn more and more each chat. Thank you again for your excellent work and to the chatters for theirs.

Eric Hansen

12:58

I think 14 teams only make sense if the Big Ten/SEC are going to get their way with a power play of having four automatic qualifiers each. And I don't like that idea at all. You're right in most years, those league would get four teams each in a 14-team field on merit. But last year would not have been one of those years. The fourth Big Ten team was Iowa, No. 24 in the final CFP rankings and vastly overrated at that. That's messed up. I don't think the SEC and Big Ten can pull that off at this time. I'd like to see the playoff stay at 12. Let's have a couple at that number before changing the format and the number of teams.

12:51

Hi Ray. Thanks for lurking and reading all these years and for taking the plunge and asking a question. And it's a good one. Feel free to ignore the "no bare feet" rule this week. .... Yes, you're right about some of the talking points that have surfaced with the playoff format beginning in the 2026 season. We're apparently set for 2024 and 2025. For me the way at 14-team playoff would work, and this is me speculating, is giving the top two seeds byes and then everyone else has a first-round game. So 3 vs. 14, 4 vs. 13, 5-12, 6-11, 7-10, 8-9. ... I think adding a round would not pass and would be bad for college football. Say giving some teams a double-bye as they do in some of the postseason conference basketball tournaments (more).

Ray (Dallas)

12:43

Eric - Longtime reader of your chat transcripts but my first question. I have been reading about the possible playoff scenarios after the 25 season. One had it expanding to 14 teams with some number of guaranteed slots for the BIG and SEC and the elimination of conference championship games. I can't visualize how 14 teams would work. At least not very well. I can easily visualize how 16 teams would work with no conference championship games. Also, with 16 teams, I don't know why the BIG and SEC would need guaranteed slots, especially with 16 playoff teams. If playoff teams are selected based on rankings they would probably each have about 4 playoff teams anyway. I realize this is all far out speculation at this point but I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Eric Hansen

12:42

Hi Patrick. I'm not sure I completely agree with your assessment of what Tom Lemming said about Deuce Knight on the podcast. Having has many conversations with Tom about Deuce outside the podcast, I feel comfortable that Tom believes Deuce Knight, ND's 2025 QB commitment, has plenty of talent, but he didn't necessarily show it to the full extent last season in which Knight split the season between two high school teams in two states. So he does believe Knight is raw and needs a good year of development in his senior season. I think that's a fair assessment. Great athlete who needs to channel that into actual consistent production. As far as the 2026 group and Brady Smigiel, I like that Notre Dame has cast a wider net with the 2026 group, but that Brady is included and there's already some relationship-building going on there. I know Rivals right now has him as the top QB prospect in the 2026 class at the moment with a lot of evaluations ahead.

Patrick, Fort Wayne, IN

12:35

Good afternoon Eric. Northern Indiana is in full February swing with Tuesday's high temp at 70 and snow overnight. On a recent Inside Sports podcast, Tom Lemming was not overly impressed with Deuce Knight and the all the hype he has received. I noticed ND aggressively recruiting a top 2026 high school QB. What do you make of Deuce Knight's evaluation and ND's pursuit of Brady Smigiel?

Eric Hansen

12:34

Hi Dave, Beaux Collins (Clemson) and Rod Heard II (Northwestern) are both living in South Bend, Ind., this spring while completing their degree work at their respective schools remotely. They CANNOT practice with the team this spring in the formal 15 spring practices, including the Blue-Gold Game. Nor can they participate in team lifts, etc. What they CAN do is watch practices, lift and have access to the strength staff on non-team lifting times, attend team meetings and work out informally with teammates on their own time, watch film on their own time.

Dave from DC

12:31

Hi Eric, are the 2024 transfers who aren't technically enrolled at Notre Dame yet - like Beaux Collins - permitted to practice with the team this Spring?

Eric Hansen

12:31

Hi Tom. I did a story on Loghan Thomas recently that will give you more depth on what you've asked. ... Freshman DE Loghan Thomas sizing up his path to playing time at Notre Dame ... But no, Thomas has already put on some good weight and hopes to be at 230 by the time the season starts. He is working with the vyper ends, not the linebackers.

tom, boston MA

12:26

Hi Eric, happy chat day. My question is that with Loghan Thomas coming in at around 200 pounds and having experience at LB from his HS tape, do you anticipate him beginning his career in the LB room and potentially growing into an edge rusher? The kid has a good motor and i feel he offers versatility but wondering where you stand on this one?

Eric Hansen

12:26

Hi Rich, Notre Dame is likely to play deep rotations at both defensive end positions. If there was not the belief that Jordan Botelho would likely continue to grow and improve, he wouldn't have been invited back. And if the Irish didn't think Duke transfer RJ Oben had the potential to give ND something similar to what it got from Javontae Jean-Baptiste last season, they would have left him in the portal. At the same time, there are some intriguing young players who could push for larger roles. So it's not about impatience. It's about developing the depth and competitive atmosphere and then flexing that depth on game day,

Rich Key West

12:22

It appears to me like there will be substantial pressure on the starting defensive ends early in the season to produce. I can't see the coaching staff being very patient with the starters if they are in their last year of eligibility and not coming thru with the desired results. Do you think the day one starters will still be getting the lions share of the minutes by the time mid season rolls around?

Eric Hansen

12:21

their development and their work habits is tangible. His leadership met and exceeded Notre Dame's standards. He actually had very good numbers, just didn't deliver the storybook narrative, and again that's not all on him. It's interesting to me, because it's really tamped down expectations for Riley Leonard, and that's not necessarily a bad thing for Riley. Again the way he departed made him feel like a mercenary, and I do think that's unfair. I think he was all in for Notre Dame. And I think he was worth the investement.

12:18

Hi Tim. Appreciate the baseball question, though you and I might be the only ones interested in the answer (Sonny Gray has been announced as the OD starter). ... But I love the question about Sam Hartman, and I think a lot of fans can relate to that. I think people will look back at Hartman perhaps differently as time goes by, but right now for a lot of fans it feels like the present you wanted for Christmas that ended up breaking and not being as cool as it looked on the commercial. That is not how I see him, however, and I get that I am in the minority. I really think Sam Hartman's hints that he would play in the bowl game and then reneging on that soured those who were not already disenchanted. If he does not latch on and eventually do well in the NFL, that will color his story as well. For me, he was the right QB at the right time, paired with an inexperienced offensive coordinator who wasn't ready for that pairing. His positive influence on young QBs Steve Angeli and Kenny Minchey (more)

tim st louis

12:10

Eric - Appreciate the chats. Think its by far the best ND experience/ Pod Cast available. For the first time in many years the Cardinals opening day pitcher may be hard to predict. Who do you think it will be? Now that the Sam Hartman experience has run its course from commitment to ND through the Senior Bowl (NFL draft/ free agent, pending) how would you put a bow on the whole thing ? What would NIL investors opinion be on the same experience, in your opinion ? Keep up the great work.

Eric Hansen

Let's get rolling.

Here are the rules, all being enforced today,

12:06

PLEASE include your NAME and HOMETOWN with your question(s).

12:05

As far as this week's chat ...

► Finally, we’re in the midst of a busy football offseason at WSBT radio season, and Darin Pritchett and I are together this week Wednesday and Friday on Weekday SportsBeat (960 AM, live streaming at wsbtradio.com). The weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET. You can download episodes as podcasts.

12:04

► Tyler James and I will be back with a new podcast on Thursday. On our most recent Inside ND Sports Podcast, former Irish QB and two-sport player Evan Sharpley discussed his expectations for Riley Leonard, how a QB competition should be handled, if he would have transferred under today's rules, football futures for Tyler Buchner and Drew Pyne, what ND should learn from Sam Hartman transfer experience, how the staff can develop Kenny Minchey and CJ Carr this spring, the challenge of being a two-sport athlete, like Drayk Bowen and Jordan Faison, during the spring, and more. The podcast can be listened to via SoundCloud or on your preferred podcast platform including: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podbean and Pocket Casts.

12:03

► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, it keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation. We’re back in our normal Monday at 7 ET time slot. Remember, if you miss the live show, you can catch up anytime on YouTube.

Some quick programming notes:

12:02

Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, the "It was 70 yesterday but it snowed today" edition.

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