JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat | July 10, 2025

Notre Dame Football Live Chat | July 10, 2025

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Marie from Atlanta

1:19

Hi Eric, I hope you are having a great week and that the new gig is going well. With Jagusah out indefinitely, what is your best guess for the starting O lline for the Miami game? Have you heard any Intel over the summer on some players that are surprising in a very positive way either incoming freshman or others on the team? Can you share who those players might be? Which position groups do you currently feel our national championship caliber level? Which, our playoff caliber level, and which still have work to do? Finally, which game do you think is the biggest trap game this season. Thanks so much for hosting the chat!

Eric Hansen

1:17

Hi Robb. I have not yet gotten to the perusing point of the summer where I've looked at positional rankings, and there are different ways to measure them. And you kind of combined several within your questions. Rating someone's passing game by quality is different than rating it by quantity and that's different than ranking the wide receivers, irrespective of their QB and running game. So let's just do that one ... independently rating the WR group. If ND's top six are Fields. Greathouse, Pauling, Faison, Gilbert and a wild card (Burress, Cam Williams, KK Smith), I would feel good about that group being ranked high. Top 10-15 seems too high, but I do feel this group is more dynamic and explosive than last year's group.

Robb, Colorado

1:13

I have read a couple of publications preseason ranking of the team WR's with both having them in Top 10-15 in the country. I am a bit skeptical of that, but wondered what you think? I am excited about the potential of the group just not sure it will be Top 10 at least partially due to a new QB and such a strong running game.

Eric Hansen

1:12

Hi Bo. We will have access to one full practice ... actually the first day and then some partials (stretching and the first few practice periods) all within the first two weeks of camp.

Bo Johnson

1:11

Michiana, will you have any access to fall camp or is it just held to interviews after practice?

Guest

1:11

Bo Johnson from Michiana

Eric Hansen

1:10

Hi Ryan. I'm in the same camp as you when it comes to those three. What a holiday weekend for Marcus Freeman and the Irish.

Ryan Frankfort Illinois

1:10

Good afternoon Eric what do you think about the Commitments of Kaydon Finley Devin Fitzgerald and Brayden Robinson i like all three of the Commitments GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈🏈

Eric Hansen

1:10

I think Kaydon Finley is a player that already fits the difference-maker category. The other four have traits that lead you to believe they'll also become that kind of player. Colleague Tyler James ranked those five WR recruits in a story recently and did film studies of all five of them, also on our site. Check them out and see for yourself.

Tim from Harborcreek PA

1:03

Are the Irish really getting difference makers at wide receiver or just hoping they are ?

Eric Hansen

1:03

Let's say theoretically Greathouse has a great year and comes out early. That leaves you with eight returnees if no one transfers and five newcomers. So 13 for 2026. I think 12-13 is about the right number. But I also think you have to be realistic about who might transfer from your roster. If there were more than anticipated outgoing, ND could go back to the portal. But the way the Irish recruited in this cycle, they may not have to do that next offseason.

1:01

Hi Matt. Usually math questions make my head hurt, but this one does not, so congrats/thanks. Keep in mind the scholarship limit of 85 is now a roster limit of 105. ND will look to go with a baseline of 95 scholarship players with some flexibility to compensate the other 10 in other ways. So 95 vs. 85, essentially. So positional numbers also grow. ND has 11 WRs in 2025 with only two with expiring eligibility (Fields and Pauling). (more)

Matt from LA

12:56

It looks like receivers recruiting may have finally turned a corner! I have a question about numbers that I hope doesn't require too much of a crystal ball to answer. Do you think taking 5 receiver recruits is a sign that ND is going to be making any position changes (like Scrap to DB) or anticipating transfers? Or are they just taking as many good players as they can at a thin position and figuring out the numbers later?

Eric Hansen

12:54

Black projects as a future starter in these early impressions -- his size, his motor, his athleticism. But unless injuries opened the door, I think the future won't arrive this season. Now being in the two-deeps, that could happen.

12:53

Hi Tony and thank you! For me, until/unless something I see in practice moves me off this point, I'd believe it will be from RT to LT -- Aamil Wagner, Sullivan Absher, Ashton Craig, Billy Schrauth, Anthonie Knapp. Because Knapp was a three-star prospect and because he doesn't have freakish size, we tend to discount his sustainability as a starter. But his footwork, technique, ability to learn quickly and his maturing physicality all play well for him. If Charles Jagusah returns in say, October, than that lessens the chances someone like Will Black would move into the starting lineup. Black has impressed this summer, no doubt, But keep in mind, in the 53 season since freshman eligibility was permanently restored by the NCAA, just 11 Notre Dame offensive lineman have started at least one game as a freshman. Only four have done so at LT and only two — Joe Alt and Knapp made more than one start there as a freshman LT. (more)

2581

12:46

Tony from Lexington, KY Eric --- As I'm sure many others will also say, I'm so glad that you are continuing your chats in this new forum ! They will enhance the site considerably ! My question: Now that Charles Jagusah will miss at least some of the 2025 season, who do you predict will comprise the starting offensive line when ND opens the season at Miami? And by mid-season, do you think that Will Black might be starting? I know those are tough questions when Fall camp hasn't even started, but we participate in your chats to garner your wisdom ! Go Irish !

Eric Hansen

12:45

The bigger challenge is dealing with the morphing big picture, and I think that's where Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame appear to be well-positioned. How to navigate the new college football world in the rev-share era. I believe the hiring of Mike Martin and his NFL experience is going to prove to be a seismic addition over time. The new game isn't necessarily who has the most money to spend (legally). It's who spends it the smartest. And that Marcus can deliver a message in this world that education still matters, and that it resonates with recruits and their parents, is huge.

12:38

Hi Stephen. I hope I'm interpreting your question correctly. From and X's/O's and player personnel standpoint, the next steps are to continue to upgrade the wide receiver and interior defensive line position groups and evolve the offense, including fitting it to a QB (likely) with a very different skill set than Riley Leonard's. (more)

Stephen from New Orleans

12:31

Marcus Freeman is going into his fourth year as head coach and has both improved the program and molded it into his own image with help from Swarbrick and Bevacqua. In your opinion, are there still any improvement opportunities for Notre Dame football to be sustainable at the high level the program is at?

Eric Hansen

12:29

Hi Kevin and thanks!! I think the 2026 wide receiver haul of Kaydon Finley, Devin Fitzgerald, Brayden Robinson, Bubba Frazier and Dylan Faison is a significant stride in the right direction ... quantity, quality and speed. As far as the WR group ND will put on the field this year? Jaden Greathouse is a great place to start, but the early reviews of Virginia transfer Malachi Fields and the revised reviews of a healthy version of Wisconsin transfer Will Pauling are very good signs of a positional upgrade for 2025.

Kevin from Calgary

12:23

Eric! Congrats on the new gig! You’ve come a long way from being the best on the ND beat in your days at SBT. It seems the Irish are on an unprecedented recruiting run. Do you think this past weekend’s trio of commitments put us over the top, or should fans still have concerns about our wide receiver group?

Eric Hansen

12:22

Hi Kevin. Thanks for moving for lurking to asking, though both are welcome. And strong debut by you ... I don't think the transfers hurt, because of the overall talent level on the team. And that talent level from ascending players like Guerby Lambert, Sullivan Absher, Styles Prescod and Will Black -- as well as Jagusah and the four healthy projected starters -- are why some of those transfers made a lot of sense. What they'll miss in Jagusah is a player who in a very small sample size showed the potential to be an eventual All-American. What they have to fill his spot are players with high ceilings, but perhaps need more time to get to that point, a little less experience and not expected to reach the same high ceiling even in time. But the timing of this gives O-line coach Joe Rudolph time to sort through the options, find one and then hone the chemistry for the Aug. 31 season opener at Miami.

Kevin from Muskegon, MI

12:16

Looking glass half empty with Jagusah being out for perhaps 4/5 months, will the team really miss that much of a step considering how last year’s team went through a gauntlet of injuries and made their run? Losing the transfers along the line looks worse now, but I feel like this might be the best team overall since 1993 when they had 4 picks in the first two rounds. I was born in ‘93 so I only have anecdotes and archival footage. Thanks for the chats. First time question but I always check up.

Eric Hansen

12:15

Hi Mike. I imagine we'll get a chance to talk to Charles after training camp has started. He's always been a stand-up guy. So we can get the details on the record at that time. As to restrictions ... Mike Singer and I talked about this on The Notre Dame Football Show on YouTube on Wednesday night. I think a college coach can ask his players to restrict certain activities, but contractually that's probably not a reality unless/until there's collective bargaining for players. Then it could be. And then where do you draw the line? Is pickup basketball considered risky, for instance? Those are all discussions that will be ongoing as the college sports model continues to evolve at a blistering pace.

Mike AKA Mo from Maumee OH

12:10

I know you can't wrap these kids in bubble wrap during the off-season, but do you see ND football placing specific restrictions on "could-be-dangerous" recreational activities? The Charles Jagusah incident is as heartbreaking as it was (in hindsight) preventable. I pray he didn't buy the UTV with NIL $$.

Eric Hansen

And off we go ,,,

12:09

I've rescinded the no-drinking rule for a few months now, with no regrets. Let's keep that rolling.

Here are the rules:

12:08

Please include your name and hometown along with your question(s).

As far as this week's chat ...

12:07

► Finally at WSBT Sports Radio 960, we’re rolling through a newsy Notre Dame offseason. Darin Pritchett and I were off this week due to Darin’s vacation. We’ll be back next Wednesday and Thursday on Weekday SportsBeat (960 AM, live streaming at wsbtradio.com). The weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET. You can download all episodes as podcasts.

► The Inside ND Sports Podcast returns next Tuesday and with a special guest from the Notre Dame women’s basketball team. More details to come. We’re offering it in a couple of different formats — our traditional podcast feed and as a video on YouTube.

► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, what are you doing with your life? Seriously, the show keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation, so you can catch up now or later on our YouTube channel. We’ll be back next week, Monday at 7 p.m. ET, for another presentation of Football Never Sleeps with a special guest host. And check out some great shows on the Blue & Gold YouTube channel as well.

12:06

Our partnership with WSBT-TV, our YouTube content and my radio work with WSBT 960 will all continue. As far as Blue & Gold, I encourage you to take a test drive — a seven-day trial for a $1 for all our great content and that around the expanded On3 Network.

► On July 1, Tyler James and I made the move to the On3 network and blueandgold.com and joined some amazing teammates. I believe this will be a great move for us and for our subscribers. I’m thrilled to tell you that the chats will continue under our new banner. We’ll still be intermittent through July, but weekly once training camp starts in three weeks and then throughout the football season.

12:05

Some quick programming notes:

12:04

Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, the first one under the Blue & Gold banner!

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