JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Jan. 20, 2022

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Jan. 20, 2022

Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page

Eric Hansen

2:34

Hi Steve. It seems like they're taking lots of lunch breaks and coffee breaks, doesn't it? I honestly don't know the steps and might be more frustrated if I did. But it works for them. ... We have pared the list of over 100 applicants down to the people we want/need to get to know more about. We'll reach out to those people this week and schedule some Zooms next week. Thanks for the feedback and interest.

Steve, Kenosha, WI

2:31

Eric, The official coaching announcements from ND just seem to be taking particularly long. We all know the thorough vetting that occurs, but do you have any insight on their particular steps? And speaking of hires, and update on your recruiting expert search? You and Tyler are doing great!

Eric Hansen

2:31

Hi Steve, Harry can and will make a difference in 2022 -- and beyond. There's a lot of talent, and Patterson coming back is huge.

Steve from DFW

2:30

Hi! Can Harry make enough difference to take the O-line up for 2022? Thanks!

Eric Hansen

2:29

Ken, thank you. 2022 is going to be fun. And maybe scary. And maybe not scary. I love sifting through all the unknowns and tracking how those are addressed and solved. One of the most fun parts of my job and probably least fun sometimes as a fan. Fans tend to like absolutes. I think Chris Tyree gives Tommy Rees some nice versatility, and it will be used. So I wouldn't move him to the slot per se, as much as I'd use him in both spots. As far as position switches, Lugg to guard likely. Might see Riley Mills pop out at end. And you might see one of the young corners down on the depth chart get a look at WR if depth is still an issue.

Ken, in Shipshewana

2:25

Hey Eric, So great to see you in a new home and with new and great opportunities! The '22 season should be fun, with all the usual twists and turns! I'm thinking Tyree would be better featured and add more to the offense from the slot. Agree or no? And, do you anticipate any other interesting position switches for next year?

Eric Hansen

2:25

Hi Bret. He's rumored to have emerged as a strong candidate for the DC job at Oklahoma State, Strong résumé from his time at Stanford and head coaching experience. Not sure he's a fit at ND, including not having full autonomy. He can coach a 4-3, but I think his comfort zone is 3-4. Yes he is getting closer, but if Mason goes to Okie State, it's not the end of the world as we know it.

Bret from Cincinnati

2:15

I saw Mason is now expected to take the Ok St job. Is Freeman getting any closer to naming the DC?

Eric Hansen

2:15

Hi Beau from New Orleans. There's a lot to like about Al Golden. He's been a college head coach. He's coached in the NFL. He was a really good recruiter at different points of his career. He has coached linebackers, as you've pointed out. But the last time he coordinated a defense was 2005. That's a different era of X's and O's. He most recent year coaching at the college level is 2015. So that's where my concern is. And if I'm Marcus, that's where I'd have to be won over in the interview. Again, there are a lot of positives.

Beau

2:07

Eric, What are your thoughts on Al Golden as a candidate for the Defensive Coordinator Position? He has coached linebackers as well, so he would be able to fulfill both duties!

Eric Hansen

2:06

I really like this roster, even with the challenging schedules. The biggest unknowns involve the coaching staff. The Hiestand hire is huge in my opinion. Right now I am more optimistic about the ceiling of this team than you are. That could change, but I really like the roster. I hope I like the DC choice. ... and thanks.

2:01

Hi Jim. As I look at each Notre Dame team and try to projects its record each year, I kind of start that process in the middle of the previous season and start with a floor and a ceiling for that team. The January churn helps me focus a little more and the spring a little more. Then come August, after I've seen some practices, I've narrowed my range. In the three recent seasons during the Kelly Era in which ND was in the BCS or playoff, one of those were teams highly predicted to get there. Things fell into place each of those years, especially 2012, where all kinds of things went wrong that offseason. The Charlie Weis team of 2005 was a huge surprise in getting to a major bowl. (more)

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

1:57

Hi Eric, congrats on the new gig and I hope all is well with you, Frankly, I think there are just too many variables as it relates to next season to expect something special. From the numerous coaching changes, to legitimate uncertainty at quarterback, to a testing schedule as well as other pertinent concerns, I can't foresee the Irish getting in on the playoff picture. There's simply too much that would have to go right. A 9-3 season seems like a reasonable outcome to me. Am I right in my appraisal about ND's prospects or am I being much too skeptical about their chances? I would truly appreciate your opinion in this regard, thanks.

Eric Hansen

1:56

Notre Dame will definitely monitor those, and spring practice and its aftermath will help dictate those decisions post-spring practice.

Guest

1:55

Nick, Granger, IN
Do you see any skill position players coming through transfer portal this time around?

Eric Hansen

1:55

Absolutely. Tommy Rees purports to mold the offense around the talent and Tyler Buchner has a different skill set than Jack Coan.

Doug Coeur d Alene Id

1:54

Do you see a big change in the offence with Buchner at QB?

Eric Hansen

1:53

Hi Mike. They can reach out to players, current ones and signed ones, but they can't go out on the road recruiting. They can also meet with other staff members and get ready for spring football. ... Players can transfer the first time without sitting out. The second time. that is not in play UNLESS they are a grad transfer. JT Daniels has been in college for four years, so I assume he's either graduated or getting ready to. In that case, he would not have to sit out the second time, because he's doing so as a grad transfer. The only way a grad transfer would not be immediately eligible is if he's not in the transfer portal by May 1. He doesn't need to have picked a school by then, but he does have to be in the portal.

Mike from Honolulu

1:47

Hi Eric - two questions for you. What can the new assistant coach hires do while awaiting the vetting process? Just wondering how they spend their time and if they have any contact with current players/prospects. The second question relates to the transfer portal. I've noticed players going through multiple times like JT Daniels. Is there a point where they would not be eligible immediately? I was under the impression that immediate eligibility was on the table the first time through, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Thanks.

Eric Hansen

1:45

John, I'm glad I could get to your question this week. Thanks for your patience. Notre Dame can't hire a QB coach per se without sacrificing another position group coach. So that's not going to happen, at least this season. I also think Marcus believes Tommy is a strong developer of QBs (you may or may not agree). If David Cutcliffe, or someone like him, were hired, it would have to be as an analyst. Analysts can't coach players in practice or in games, so while there'd still be some value to that kind of move, it might not be the impact you are looking for. As far as Sonny Styles, he reclassified in December into the 2022 class and signed with Ohio State on Dec. 15, so he's off the market. He'll be playing (or at least on the bench) against his brother and the Irish on Sept. 3.

John Utterback - Palmyra, PA

1:38

I asked last week about Cutcliffe and a specific quarterback coach to assist Tommy……. Any word? Also, do you see Sonny possibly giving ND another look with the acquisition of his lead recruiter and the immediate need for additional star power at safety? Go Irish!

Eric Hansen

1:38

Hi Denis. I don't think you have to sacrifice one to satisfy the other. Now there are going to be players, highly skilled and less gifted, that aren't fits, period. Marcus' philosophy is to find elite players who are fits but didn't initially considered that they could be fits at Notre Dame. teach them to appreciate what ND can do for them after football and be committed to that part of the college experience. That's been his secret sauce in his first recruiting cycle and in a strong start to cycle No. 2.

Denis from Niagara Falls, ON

1:34

Hey Eric. A very large strength of the ND football program is its elite culture. As Kelly frequently touted, ND recruited the right kind of guys. It could be argued that the quid of this philosophy limited ND's recruitment efforts to fewer higher level players but the quo was maintaining culture. Is it possible that Marcus Freeman recruits outside the box so much that the culture of ND football will begin to deteriorate? Or is it possible to recruit more aggressively while maintaining culture? How much is culture to be sacrificed in the pursuit of more elite players? Thanks Eric.

Eric Hansen

1:34

John, we've gone over the DC stuff (after you submitted your question) so let's focus on the portal questions. With grad transfers in the portal, it's a pretty straightforward transaction and ND has a large pool from which to choose. With underclassmen, it becomes about transferrable credits, and that's where it gets sticky. And that's why there are and will be so few matches. The higher academic schools tend to make those matches more likely. Notre Dame has taken safety Brandon Joseph and kicker Blake Grupe and non-scholarship punter Jon Sot. There will be another wave of grad transfers after spring practices and Notre Dame could be active with that group.

John from York, PA

1:26

Hi Eric, Great to know you are continuing these chats with your new employer. I am wondering why it has taken so long to name a new defensive coordinator. What names are being mentioned? Who has Marcus Freeman interviewed? My last question is about ND's use of the transfer portal. What percentage of the players who enter the portal are available to Notre Dame? Are the academic standards so high that we can't take most of them? In my opinion we need another quarterback and at least one more wide receiver but it looks like we will not be taking anyone from the portal. Football and basketball seem to only take kids from Northwestern, Stanford, Navy, Yale, Harvard when we need guys from Oklahoma, Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, Georgia and other successful programs.

Eric Hansen

1:26

Jumped. Was NOT pushed.

Ken from Portland, Oregon

1:26

There has to be more about the Elston story than what I've read. I don't understand how a parallel move to Michigan either enhances his career or benefits his two daughters who have spent most of their lives in South Bend. What part did the Fiesta Bowl play in this move? And did Elston jump or was he pushed?

Eric Hansen

1:25

Hi Kelly. Who I think is No. 1 is different than who I think should be No. 1. ... and a lot of these guys just got extensions and raises. I don't think the field has necessarily narrowed this week with Marcus on the road recruiting, but it wouldn't surprise me if at the end it is Doug Belk from Houston. Educated guess, not based on progress in the process.

Kelly from Calgary

1:23

I love what Marcus is doing with the coaching staff hires. The d coordinator is a big hire and who do you think is #1 on the list

Eric Hansen

1:22

Nope to the first part, although he hoped to be. They both knew it wouldn't happen after the bowl. But Michigan didn't have an opening until four days later (Jan. 5), when Shaun Nua left Michigan to join Lincoln Riley's staff at USC.

Steve from St Louis

1:16

Hey Eric. Hope all is well. Was Mike Elston ever considered for DC or do you think Freeman knew he had interest in going to Michigan? Thanks.

Eric Hansen

1:16

Thank you, Jim. There are two candidates who are younger than Marcus and three in their 50s, so it really runs the gamut. I don't think it's about younger or older or molding as much as it is schematic fit, willingness to take on a staff that's already in place and knowing Marcus is going to have his hand in the defense, so there's not complete autonomy. From Marcus' standpoint, he wants someone, young or old, who is a collaborator, but doesn't need the hand-holding at this stage. I don't sense Marcus will call plays, but he will be involved.

Jim Hill from Terre Haute, In.

1:12

Eric, thanks so much for continuing these chats. Have you heard anything new about who we may be looking at for the DC position? Also, in your opinion do we need a younger less experienced DC who Marcus can mentor and mold into what he desires in a coordinator or a DC with extensive experience that allows Marcus to focus more on the overall program? I feel like Marcus may not be ready to give up all of his defensive duties and could make it more difficult to land a more experienced DC...just my opinion. Thanks again for all of the feedback you continue to provide to all of your followers.

Eric Hansen

1:12

We should have a pool with fabulous prizes about when the HR/vetting process will end. It's happened every year since the George O'Leary fiasco in December of 2001 and it's because of the George O'Leary fiasco of 2001 that it endures. My sense is at least the first wave of four will be announced before ND's big recruiting weekend next weekend. And the analysts are really doing a great job on the road recruiting, but ultimately you'd like it to be the new hires.

Frank from Royse City Texas

1:08

When will ND named their coaches, they can’t have Grad Assistants recruiting? Hopefully they will be in place soon!!

Eric Hansen

1:08

He's the guy I knew the least about when the DC search started. But there's a lot to like. He's a positional fit in that he's coaching linebackers currently, though he's also coach d-line and safeties. He's had two top 10 defenses nationally in the past three years. There's a good chance former Irish lineman Chris Watt will return in an analyst role. After serving as a GA at ND in 2020, he spent last season at Tulane as the O-line coach. He would be an outstanding asset to go along with Harry Hiestand. The reason Marcus waited so long for the DC was that it looked like it was going to be Heacock until it wasn't. As I wrote about Wednesday, there are a number of factors that makes filling this opening a trickier dance than usual, and worth getting it right.

1:00

Hi Mike. Not sure I get there "don't defer" reference unless you think Marcus is consulting with me about what to do with the coin toss (he's not). Of the nine possibilities I listed in Wednesday's analysis piece, two of the three are DCs that would seem to be the least motivated to come -- Iowa's Phil Parker, who has a long track record of elite defenses and is a schematic fit, and Barry Odoms, who's got head-coaching experience, is really innovative and adaptable when it comes to running different fronts and has been really good at several different stops. The guy I like the most among the more realistic candidates is Joe Rossi from Minnesota. (more)

Mike costa mesa

12:43

ERIC Out of the current list of DEF. CORD candidates who would be your pick ? Please don't defer.Is Chris Watts coming back to ND ? I am thinking that the reason Freeman has waited last to hire the def. cod. is that it will be someone that could be young & freeman can INFLUENCE ?

Eric Hansen

12:43

Jay Bramblett is from Tuscaloosa, Ala. His dad is a high school coach there, so traveling to South Bend to see his son play wasn't easy. Bramblett hoped to land at Alabama, but there wasn't a scholarship available for him there, so he settled on LSU, which is about a five-hour drive for his family. He also cited wanting to play in warmer weather and in the SEC.

Ed from Ocala by the way of Niles, MI

12:38

Love your new gig Eric! I find it curious that a punter declares to transfer when he’s the incumbent. Any insight behind him following BP and Kelly to LSU? I cannot see an advantage for him to do that. What am I missing?

Connecting…

Message History

On Off

Your current subscriptions

None

E-mail Address	Chat Owner	Status	Remove

Enter your email address to be notified when Eric Hansen hosts a chat