JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Jan. 2, 2026

Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Jan. 2, 2026

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Marie from Atlanta

2:17

Hi Eric, happy new year! I hope you had a fantastic Christmas and wishing all the best in 2026. Although I am relieved to see that HCMF will be back for 2026, do you anticipate that this angst of watching him flirt with the NFL will be a yearly event? If so, how do you see that affecting high school recruiting? Certainly other teams will use that against Notre Dame, how do you think high school football players will look at it? In your opinion, did Wagner and Schrauth make the correct decision in declaring for the NFL? Do you expect any other players to declare for the NFL draft? Finally, looking into your crystal ball, will Freeman be the coach at Notre Dame in 2027, how about in 2031? Thanks so much for hosting the chat during a holiday week, looking forward to a great chat year in 2026.

Eric Hansen

2:17

Happy New Year Roger!!!! And thanks for the shoutout for Jack's story. For Colby: How Notre Dame DE Bryce Young dedicated the 2025 season to his late brother
I'll make sure I pass along your great feedback!!

Roger from Peoria

2:14

ERIC: Happy New Year 2026!!! I started the new year as a start most every day by checking out On3 Rivals for the latest on the Irish. This New Year's Day I was looking for any Transfer Portal news (Burnham's was a bummer!!) and was expecting to submit a question seeking your take on Miami's win over OSU. That changed big time when I read Jack Soble's piece on Bryant Young. While I will not suggest the Irish have a monopoly on football players who are good people, I do believe the Irish have the most due to the values ND espouses for all of its students plus the culture engineered by Marcu Freeman. This makes me more proud to be an ND Alum. If any of the chatters have not read the Soble piece on Young, I encourage them to do so. GO IRISH and LOVE THEE NOTRE DAME!!!!!!

Eric Hansen

2:14

Hi Monty. Notre Dame does a great job of fast-tracking these guys to finish in 3 1/2 years if not sooner. Think about it, most get a semester head start with being an early enrollee. Then you add up classes they take over the summers, and it makes the timeline make more sense.

Monty Kuka, Great Falls , MT

1:59

Many, if not most football players who transfer or opt into the NFL draft after three years, have an ND degree. Given how hard the curriculum is, and the training and travel demands, how does this happen?

Eric Hansen

1:58

On defense, how the new pieces fit on the D-line and how the new D-line coach fits. Scheme tweaks via Chris Ash. Some injury timelines like Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa's. Obviously he wouldn't be back for spring.

1:57

Thanks for the feedback on the New Year's Eve column ... The storylines will become more clear once the portal shopping/wooing is done. Off the top of my head though ... who's the backup QB? How does the offense change? Sifting through the RB options, risers in the WR room, big one -- starting offensive line, James Flanigan emerging as the No. 1 TE ... (more)

1:54

OK MikeD is the one who I appropriated TransferPortalPalooza from. Mike you have three options. You can have a virtual pat on the back. 2) You can have a beer with me if you're in town, my treat. 3) You can have my last Dump Davie sticker if you email me your address. Now to your questions ... No, I don't think Deuce Knight would consider ND or vice versa. He's not better than CJ Carr, so he would sit. (more)

MikeD from Rochester NY

1:50

Happy New Year and a belated Merry Christmas, Eric!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you had a wonderful time with the grandkids, they are what make the holidays so special! You and Tyler are the best but the rest of your team at On3 is pretty damn good too. TransferPortalPalooza is upon us and the next two weeks are going to be wild. Do you think Deuce Knight would consider transferring to ND or is he probably looking for immediate starting opportunity? Coach Wash will hopefully pull at least two very good DTs and one DE out of the portal with all the attrition we’ve seen on the DL. Random thought I had after Josh Burnham threw his TD pass and you mentioned (somewhere) that he had played QB in high school: why didn’t we ever put him under center in short yardage situations ala Mitch Evans? We’ll never know now. Any early thoughts on what the big storylines and questions will be going into spring practice? I loved point #18 in your list of 25 observations, Pat Nardopey needs to STFU until he makes Pitt relevant.

Eric Hansen

1:50

Happy New Year, Terry!!!!!!!!!!! When you look around college football, any coach and any player could conceivably leave at a moment's notice. There are some other questions regarding Marcus Freeman and what the recent tweet/announcement mean, so I'll go deeper when I answer those. But to answer your specific question, he's still looking for players who are elite who also value the education piece. That matters.

Terry, Huron, SD

1:38

Terry Huron, SD Hi Eric and Happy New Year!!!!! ND Nation is elated Coach Freeman is returning. My question is last year he received a four year extension and this year we had to sweat out a month and he received a one year extension I know someday he may leave. I just want him to know we love him. He has rejuvenated ND Nation. My question is related to recruits. ND is rolling. Recruits must know he may or may not be there for their 3-4 years, or one year with the transfer rule. How does he and his STAFF continue to bring the right young men to South Bend? MF is the best thing to happen at ND since Lou Holtz and if he stays long enough, will have his own statue. Happy New Year my friend.

Eric Hansen

1:38

I don't see that among ND's reserve O-linemen. They don't need another project at that position group. They have some of those already, but really good question. Also the transfer portal makes wholesale position changes like that much more rare.

1:36

Happy New Year Mike/Mo !^!^! 1) Yes, getting a grad transfer through admissions is pretty easy. And yes how credits transfer or do not transfer is the challenge with undergrads. So it is much more complicated and restrictive. 2) Jerry Tillery was being recruited as an offensive lineman by Harry Hiestand, and then ND sold him on coming as a defensive lineman before he signed. It was a position of desperate need. Tillery went on to be a first-round draft pick and a first-tea, All-American at ND. Harry told me later Tillery had the talent to do that on offense as well. But numbers isn't the issue at interior D-line, it's quality/experience. If you are going to flip an OL to defense, it would need to be someone who could start or at least play a lot. (more)

Mike AKA Mo from Maumee OH

1:29

Happy Yew Near, Eric !^! With the medical retirement of Donovan Hinish, ND's defensive line depth seems to be dangerously thin. A couple of question along that line (pun intended): Assume the admission requirements for a portal transfer who has already graduated are much less restrictive than a player who has to transfer credits, have a minimum GPA, etc.? Secondly, I recall that Jerry Tillery came to ND as an offensive lineman- are there any current offensive linemen stuck on the depth chart that were also standout defensive linemen in high school? Thanks!

Eric Hansen

1:26

As these become public, I am happy to share. Nick Marsh at WR would be a big-impact addition. One of the best WRs in the portal.

1:25

1:22

Happy New Year, Don!!!! The Notre Dame coaches are very transparent with their players and usually get it in return as well. That's been a winning formula in terms of planning. Specifically, they discuss how the player first in next year's plans. Now do they say, hey here are the portal guys we're scouting at your position? I don't think they get that deep in the weeds, but they would tell them if they plan to add a player at their position group.

1:19

One more for Isaac, yes I think Notre Dame should and will pursue an edge player from the portal. ... now to Don.

Don from LA

1:19

Happy New Year, Eric!!! Surprised the Josh B left. Do coaches share their portal plans with senior players? I just wonder how open the process is within the team.

Eric Hansen

1:19

Notre Dame is scouring the portal for someone willing to be No. 2, with no hope of being No. 1 unless there's an injury. Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss is the poster child for what ND is trying to sell. He was at D2 power Ferris State last year. Ole Miss OC Charlie Weis Jr. found him scouring game film from players at that level. Couldn't believe how good he was. At the time. Chambliss was pondering a move to Temple. ... Mike Singer did a recent piece on who ND might be interested in for 2027 QB and yes I think ND is looking at nickels/corners and has a visit already scheduled.

1:11

Hi Isaac. Happy New Year to you. Let's unpack Josh Burnham first. He is a really good player with some versatility on the edge. But he played just 235 snaps, compared to Bryce Young (314) and Jordan Botelho (292) at that field end position. The way Burnham looks at it, he has his degree and now he wants to fortify his NFL future where he can be more or less guaranteed a starting spot where he doesn't have to rotate as much. Bryce Young is going to turn into a monster at some point, and Burnham knows that. (more)

Isaac from South Bend, IN

12:58

Hi Eric! Happy new year! I was very saddened at Burnham's entering the portal. There were few players I was more excited to see next year than him. Was his transfer simply a product of wanting to be "the guy", or was it incorrectly handled in some way by ND? Do you think we should pursue an edge in the portal? If so, who? For my second round of questions: who is an experienced QB you could see ND pursuing in the portal to be Carr's backup? Who will ND pursue in the 2027 class for QB? Also, do you know of any good nickels in the portal who could fit ND? Thank you so much! I really appreciate the work you do

Eric Hansen

12:57

Paul, absolute respect for you on your follow-up, and when I get a chance, I will make sure I get an answer for you. I'm impressed.

Paul from Arlington VA

12:56

Hi Eric: I was on the chat two weeks ago about returning to real turf at ND stadium and you asked me about my sources. The first, was Freeman at an Alumni Club event in DC in 2024, where he was asked a question about it and responded that he preferred natural grass but it was complicated. The second was a letter to me from Pete B, the AD, in which he basically said the same thing. So if we need something officially on the record, maybe you could ask Coach Free or Pete when you next talk with the. Thx very much, love your work and the chats. Paul

Eric Hansen

12:56

Manny!!!!!!!!!!! I think both are true. I think ND will grab two DTs, and I think guys like Elijah Hughes, Chris Burgess and Sean Sevillano will be exciting players to watch as well as Davio Dixon and coming freshmen Elijah Golden and Tiki Hola.

Manny from San Pedro

12:54

Eric!!!! Freeman is back for at least one more year!!!!!!! Do you see us grabbing two DL in the portal or are the young kids ready to step up?

Eric Hansen

12:54

Thank you Michael! I haven't done much poking around on Brian Kelly, though I've had some casual conversations with some sources where his name came up. Three thoughts come to mind. 1) Brian Kelly is a good coach that could help someone, but at age 64, is he up for a tough rebuild? 2) BK has been good at critical junctures at reinventing himself. He needs to do that again. 3) If I were him, I'd take the year off from coaching, do TV and reassess what I really wanted to do.

Guest

12:47

Hi Eric-Michael from Hooksett New Hampshire. Brian Kelly has seemed to go off the radar. Have you heard of anyone trying to hire him? If not, why do you think nobody is looking at him? Thanks for all you do!

Eric Hansen

12:46

Patrick, your question kind of reminds me of my Calculus final in college. I kept asking myself why I took Calculus as an elective. In any event, I would imagine if he sued, he might have been successful in getting that third year. He was successful in getting a second (2025) after initially only getting one year. The whole European waiver thing is very confusing to me, to be honest. I need to find a Euro live chat to catch up. As far as Schmidt, he'll be in the mix for both and I expect ND to bring in a portal kicker to challenge him. I figure he will be the kickoff man, but between place kicking and punting, not knowing who the portal option is, I'd give him a better shot at punting next year. In time I think place kicking will be his greater strength, however.

Patrick, Philadelphia

12:41

Given some of the eligibility waivers the NCAA is giving for European basketball players, is there any legitimate reason why Rendell's eligibility was declined. Ive never seen an explanation....On the topic of specialist, do you expect Schmidt to more likely be the kicker or punter next year.

Eric Hansen

12:41

Pat Coogan is having a heck of a run with Indiana. I'm sure a lot of Irish fans are cheering for him.

12:40

You might have missed the piece I did around Xmas time on the topic of CJ's areas of offseason emphasis, and here it is:
Irish Intel: Inside the next steps for CJ Carr, and who might emerge as Notre Dame's Plan B at QB
A chat-formatted version of the answer is continuing to make better decisions ... sort of like this kind of internal dialogue:

I can make every throw, but do I need to make every throw? Do I need to fit it in such a tight box when I can run for 5 yards and a first down on second-and-5? When is it time to do that? When is it not time to do that? When do I have to make the throw? When do I have a choice?

12:34

Happy New Year, Tom!!! And excellent use of the exclamation points!! Marcus Freeman and director of scouting Matt Jansen had a system in place the precedes GM Mike Martin and is still in place. Jansen starts building a database of more than 20 players per position, whether they're likely to go into the portal or not, whether ND has that position or need or not. During the season that list gets refined. As Notre Dame gets closer to the portal opening and needs become more clear, that list gets pared down, and ND vets those players, both from a character standpoint and academic fit. So when the portal opens, there's a clear decision as to whether ND's targets can pass through admissions. (more)

Tom F, Kennesaw, GA

12:28

Happy New Year Eric!!! It seems the portal is a fast moving operation with players making quick decisions. The ND Admissions seems to work much more methodically. How does Admissions work with the FB Admin so that hopefully we don't miss out on a player of need that could really help??? With a year of experience, where do you see CJ's improvements coming next season??? I would think leadership would be near the top of the list. Go Irish!!!! Oh, if I didn't say it before I really hated to see Coogan leave.....

Eric Hansen

12:28

To give you a succinct answer, it was the NFL pursuing him and it was not about the money.

12:27

To your CFB committee question, I don't see this as an anti-ND thing as much as it is an overall process that needs more transparency and integrity. As we get deeper into the offseason and I can give it more thought and I talk to some people in that area, I'll offer more specifics. But at least that's my concept. For more insight on the NFL/Freeman question, I did a column on that recently that really spells out both what could be the allure for Marcus Freeman and vice versa. Charlie Weis Sr., was incredibly helpful in providing insight into that situation. Why the NFL looked at Marcus Freeman and vice versa, and why Notre Dame still fits

12:21

Happy New Year, Aaron. Let's break these down one at a time. It's not the numbers at the interior D-line positions, it's experience and quality. As of the moment I am typing my answer, the Irish have 6 returnees at those positions, 2 incoming freshmen and 2 wild cards -- Jason Onye applying for a sixth year and Christopher Burgess moving over from defensive end. I feel Notre Dame will add a sure starter, an elite player in other words to that mix as well as someone like Elijah Hughes was last year, a diamond in the rough who turned out to be impressive. I'm going to leave the names at this point to our reporters who did the deep work to produce premium content. It would not be fair to them to do otherwise at this point (more).

Aaron, DC

12:10

Hi Eric, Happy New Year and thanks for the chat today. With another DT loss to the portal, it would seem that this position group is a critical need for ND in the portal and one that cannot be solved with the existing roster. Any insight into who ND will go after and who they have the highest chance of getting? Regarding the CFB, do you think that ND is legitimately fighting an uphill battle with the committee based on the hit job this year? No sour grapes, but honestly asking if an anti-ND bias (as a non-conference member) should be expected going forward, particularly with how much the SEC is unjustifiably flavored. Last question (only 3, not 17), it's hard for me to understand why Coach Freeman would legitimately have interest in the NFL. He makes plenty of money at ND, probably has more roster control, the school seems to fit him perfectly, it's not quite as cut-throat as the NFL, etc. Was he truly interested in the NFL or was it really just the NFL pursuing him? Thank you

Eric Hansen

Enough blathering, off we go.

12:10

Only the no gambling rules of those listed is in play today, so spit, fight and drink (responsibly) to your heart's content and kick off your shoes if you'd like.

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