JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Feb. 3, 2021

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Feb. 3, 2021

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Jim Heckart

1:12

Jim from Berlin, CT Eric, do you think the fact that the Irish will probably be returning to a normal independent football schedule next season will cause some animosity among the ACC teams? Will there be a feeling that the league went out of its way to help Notre Dame when they quickly lost three games on their 2020 schedule and let them in as a full-time conference member, and now the league gets "repaid" by the Irish going back to their traditional ways of remaining independent and not joining the ACC full-time?

Eric Hansen

1:11

Erik, thank you for being here. I think there will always be a percentage of kids who either can’t graduate early (it’s harder through the Catholic schools) or they want to play basketball, baseball or track. But there are advantages for those who do come early, including a head start on academics.
Of the June arrivals, I think safety Khari Gee and linebacker Prince Kollie may have benefited from an early start, in part because there’s some opportunity to get into the two-deeps and having the spring might have enhanced that.

Erik (Granger, IN)

1:09

Thanks for being here! With so many early enrollees this year, do you expect spring starts to become the norm someday and June starts to be considered “late enrollees”? Which June starts this year would have benefited the most from enrolling early?

Eric Hansen

1:08

Ken, I will save the side discussion on how five-stars are determined, and some other interesting tangents and focus on your direct question. Keep in mind there are only about 30-35 five-stars each cycle. Compare that with 240-ish 3-stars and even more 3-stars. So there are not many of them to start with. Academics/fit does play a part and mutual interest plays a part, but I do think Notre Dame could be more ambitious and successful than what the Irish have been under Kelly. More importantly, I think Kelly now believes that. And we're starting to see a more aggressive approach through an early flurry of offers from new defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman.

12:58

First, Dan, I apologize for not thanking you back ... and if I do that again, it's not that I don't appreciate you. Sometimes my mind gets moving too fast and trying to formulate an answer and I forget.

Ken, Shipshewana

12:57

Hey Eric, thanks for a great year. Really appreciate your leadership, insights, and making this forum available! So glad to see us identify and recruit a five-star in disguise like Hamilton, JOK and others. And we can coach up and develop the three and four stars with the best of them. But we see one of the differences of where we are and where we wanna be is the absence of five star guys. We can get them if we don't offer them. Your perspective on why we don't seem to offer nearly as many five stars as the rest? Is it just entrance requirements? A mutual interest thing? Or, is there more to it than that?

Eric Hansen

12:56

I think the importance in getting Diggs is more long term than short term. I think ND has enough bodies at running back next season. and Diggs probably wouldn't play much. But just because Kyren Williams and Chris Tyree both begin 2021 with freshman eligibility (redshirt and COVID allowance for Williams, COVID allowance for Tyree) doesn't mean they'll stick around more than three years. So Kyren would be gone after 2021. ... Diggs shows really good balance and vision, and he's very versatile as far as catching the ball and being a willing-and-able blocker. He's worked hard on his straight-line speed. I'll be intrigued to find out what that is in 40-time numbers.

Dan, Grand Rapids, Mi.

12:52

Hi Eric, Thanks for keeping us informed with everything ND. How important is it for ND to get Logan Diggs this afternoon? Other than depth, what are his strengths compared to the other backs? You're the best!

Eric Hansen

12:52

Jay, I think because of need and where Khari is at this moment (6-3, 185) he'll start out at safety when he arrives in June with the thought he could eventually be a rover/linebacker down the road. I think Barnes begins his career as a corner with the consideration that he eventually could end up as a safety.

Jay from Palos Hills

12:50

Hi Eric, Do you know which position Bo Barnes is leaning between corner and safety and which position Khari Gee is leaning between safety and linebacker?

Eric Hansen

12:50

Stan, thank you. I think what difficult in evaluating Kelly is the context that you need to take into account, and there's a lot of it. However, I think it's fair to put the coaches with national titles ahead of him with one exception. From players I've spoken with who played for Dan Devine and from writers who covered him, there's a feeling the Irish won the 1977 title in spite of him rather than because of him. I'd put Brian Kelly ahead of him.

Stan from Chester Va

12:46

Hello Eric and thanks for a year of superior coverage all things Irish. I know many fans like to harp on Brian Kelly's lack of taking the Irish all the way to a NC, but overall, I believe that, throwing out 2016, he has done all that Notre Dame could expect and more. Where would you rank him among the school's top coaches, and do you feel a NC is possible, given the strict academic requirements?

Eric Hansen

12:45

Alan, there hasn't been discussion or really concern. Throwing out the weirdness of 2020, there's been an evolution in thinking among the CFP selection committee (which continues to rotate new members onto it) about the 13th data point. There's precedent for non-conference champions with 12 games played to make the field ... even some with a loss. AD Jack Swarbrick's scheduling philosophy is come up with a 12-game slate that can stand up to other teams' 13-game schedule. ... The only way ND could play a 13th game is a road date at Hawaii. And is that really going to make the difference whether you put them in the field or not?

Alan from Whiteland, Indiana

12:38

Eric, Has there been any discussion about Notre Dame playing a 13th game, so as to give them that extra data point the Selection Committee looks at in comparison to conference championship games? Of so, what are the NCAA and scheduling hurdles that would need to be ironed out to make this happen? Thank you.

Eric Hansen

12:37

Yes, it was great news ... and I still can't believe it's real news. I'll go with KC in the Super Bowl. The team is engaged in lifting and conditioning at this point. That's the emphasis as they get ready for spring ... and staying healthy. Speaking of Arenado, what place does Carter Karels come in, in the Nolan Arenado lookalike contest?

Steve from St. Louis

12:32

Great news for us Cardinal fans regarding Arenado? Who you got winning the Superbowl? What is the team allowed to be working on this time of year? Thanks for the chats!

Eric Hansen

12:30

How the Irish develop him, how his mechanics turn out, how he adjusts with his minimal experience -- that will determine how good of a player he becomes.

12:29

Congrats on the Vax. I am in the next age group on the waiting list here in Indiana, so hopefully I can get in line soon. ... With the deep ball, again, I'm somewhat limited on the eye test, so I asked Carter Karels to help me, since he studied the film. I would agree with his assessment. Here it is: This question has two answers. At the moment, Jack Coan throws the best deep ball. Some of the throws he made in poor weather conditions against Minnesota in 2019 really impressed me. His experience will make him better than the others with reading defenses, timing, knowing how to squeeze the ball between a cornerback and safety, etc. That being said, Tyler Buchner will eventually have the superior deep ball once he adjusts to college. He makes throws that others can't. He can throw to the wide side of the field. He can throw off his back foot. He can throw off platform. He's unlike any quarterback Notre Dame has had under Brian Kelly. (more)

Tom, Kennesaw, GA

12:23

Hi Eric, I hope that you are surviving the winter weather and the Covid issues. I got my vaccine last week and felt like I had won the lottery! A couple of comments and a question. I understand all the excitement regarding the hiring of Marcus Freeman but let's not forget Clark Lea was very good as a DC and a person. Also, I agree with the comments last week about putting more of a rush on opposing punters if we are going to fair catch 95% of the punts. Even if we don't block any we may force them to rush into a poor punt. My question is with all of the fast receivers that we are hoping to have healthy for this season, can any of the QB's get the ball to them on the deep routes? Who throws the best deep ball? Thanks and stay safe. Go Irish!!!

Eric Hansen

12:22

Of the others, Brendon Clark looks good in person and he had really good numbers his senior season in Virginia against good comp: 774 yards and 17 TDs. The issue with him is he's trying to recover from a knee injury. ... Drew Pyne didn't run much in high school but was effective when he did. Transfer Jack Coan is the wild card for me. He was not a runner at all at Wisconsin, but was that because of the system? He ran for 2,551 in his career in Sayville, N.Y. on Long Island and won something call "the Hansen Award" of all thing. Also a former lacrosse player. so my sense is he's better than what he's shown. So to review: Buchner, Book, Clark (with a good knee), Coan, Pyne, Clark (with a bad knee). This is open to revision after spring.

12:17

Larry thanks and glad you liked the podcast. Early enrollee Rocco Spindler, an elite offensive guard, turned out to be an elite interview as well. Others who may have missed it can catch up here:

Pod of Gold: Rocco Spindler on his family, recruiting and enrolling early at Notre Dame

To your question. I'll be able to answer that infinitely better if we get to see some spring practice this year, which just might happen. But here's what I know. Tyler Buchner is perceived to be the best runner and long-term better than Ian Book. But he'll have to prove the latter. It's too bad he didn't get to have a senior season at Helix High in La Mesa, Calif., where he would have faced some formidable competition. As a junior against small-school competition, his numbers were 1,610 rushing yards on 128 carries and 28 TDs, (more)

Guest

12:09

Larry from Topton, PA: Hi Eric! Great Pod of Gold this week. Thank Tyler (and yourself) for us! My question: Ian Book’s passing skills were fine, but what really made him a successful quarterback was his ability to create positive plays with his legs. How do the 2021 ND QB’s rank, in relation to Book-style running/scrambling skills? Thanks Eric!!

Eric Hansen

12:09

OK Dave, I'm using my phone-a-friend lifeline on this one, because this is up Carter Karels' alley. Here is what he said: There's a system Notre Dame uses for offers, and my sense is that Brian Kelly is involved in a varying capacity. He doesn't need much convincing on guys who are obviously great. Does Kelly really need to watch hours of film on someone as talented as Rocco Spindler before giving Jeff Quinn the OK? Probably not. But does he need to sign off on a three-star recruit when Notre Dame is crunched for scholarship space? Probably. Bill Rees often handles the initial evaluations. Position coaches, coordinators, Brian Polian and the recruiting staffers will evaluate and check into if a kid is a fit academically and personality-wise. So often times, Kelly doesn't need to do a ton of legwork.

Dave from Livonia, Mi.

12:08

Hi Eric. Thank you for these chats. It sure has helped get us through the pandemic. I hope you and your family continue to stay safe and healthy. My question is on recruiting offers. I know ND gives out many offers for each year. Does BK have to approve each offer or is Tommy Rees and the other coaches allowed to do some on their own. I wasn't sure how much BK gets involved and knows about each offer. Thanks - take care.

Eric Hansen

OK, let's get right to it.

12:05

We'll have plenty of coverage later today on recruiting, including Logan Diggs' decision, a story with new defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman and a piece with offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.

Please include your name and hometown along with your question. Please. Please.

12:03

Here are the rules.

12:02

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