JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat July 19, 2023 | 7/19/2023

Notre Dame Football Live Chat July 19, 2023

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Eric Hansen

I DO learn a lot from talking to the assistants, and we'll get all of them at least once during training camp.

1:41

Hi Marie. I hope I don't bore you or anyone else to tears with this answer. Let me preface it by saying, we should have three reporters at every practice, something we didn't have last year, so I won't likely have to be locked into only one side of the ball in a given practice. I do have certain things I'll want to check on in a given practice, but I'm open to being surprised and changing my focus. For example, Jadarian Price was so dynamic his first spring in the early workouts that I ended up spending more time evaluating and watching him that I had expected. And then once you start practices, the story lines shift. Certainly in the early ones, newcomers and players coming back from injuries will get a good look. In the abbreviated windows, it try not to overthink and overanalyze. Those largely are not competitive periods. And while you can see things like speed and agility, etc., you are not seeing it in a competitive context, so the value is somewhat limited. (more)

Marie from Atlanta

1:34

Hi Eric, I hope you’re having a great week and thanks for hosting the chat. With summer camp right around the corner I was curious how you approach your coverage of camp so that you can get the most out of it. Do you have set things that you’re going to look for at each practice that you’re allowed to go to, and have an outline that you follow, or do you just go into practice and gestalt it, and find the area where you think you might be able to get the most information on that day? I know it’s difficult to garner any significant information when you’re only there for the first five periods but are there certain things that you look for besides who is injured, such as body language, effort, levels, etc. that you feel help give you accurate information? Do you feel that you gain anything by evaluating the coaches during summer camp? As always thanks for all the great insights.

Eric Hansen

1:33

Ryan, I think Estimé is a good pick. The receiving TDs will be too spread out to challenge that. ... And for sacks I am going with Jordan Botelho.

Ryan mars pa

1:31

Eric who will lead the team in touchdowns and sacks this season I’m going with estime and Mills go Irish

Eric Hansen

1:31

OK sorry Chris ... now to your question, which requires math I can handle. I'm going to go conservative and say under. My guess is two, but I think you'll see more by perhaps Labor Day.

1:29

Finishing Tom's question ... I feel very good about ND signing Lambert, a coin flip on KVA and no go on Wingo.

Guest

1:26

Chris from Sugar Grove IL —. Over / under 2.5 2005 new commitments within 1 week after ND cookout event next weekend. Where’s your money?

Eric Hansen

1:26

Hi Tom, thanks for being here today. Wow, lots of recruiting questions today and my phone-a-friend is on vacation, but I think I got this. ... And part of that reason is your premise. I'm going to write about this more in depth early next week before camps starts, but recent success does put on thumb on the scale when prospects are trying to split hairs. ND's opponents can claim that the two playoff runs (2018 and 2020) were Brian Kelly's doing, not Marcus Freeman's. It's important for Marcus to build that kind of equity with his own success. And that's why it's important that this season there's a step forward. Whether Al Golden is here for the long term or not, it's also important for ND to build a brand on defense. I think Sam Hartman will help bring that on offense, but there needs to be Marcus' stamp on the defense, and I think we'll all be surprised with some of the tweaks we see defensively this season. ... As far as signing WR Ryan Wingo, OT Guerby Lambert and LB KVA ... (more)

Tom Kennesaw, GA

1:19

Hi Eric, so glad the season is just a few weeks away. Thanks for helping get us through the off-season again. There seems to be a lot of disappointment lately because we have lost out on some of the top-rated recruits for 2024, although until they sign their LOI anything can happen. IMO there are many hurdles to potentially overcome when recruiting these top student-athletes. Ties to their state school; staying close to home; some don't want the challenges in the classroom; then there is the new NIL to deal with. But I think one of the reasons that we lose out on the really top kids is I'm not sure they believe they can win a Championship at ND until we win a play-off game and show that we are really a contender for the Championship. Kids make their final choice many times on what they feel the school/program can do for their development. Your thoughts. Chances of ND signing Wingo, Lambert and Villiamu-Asa??? Go Irish!!!

Eric Hansen

1:18

But bottom line, recruiting safeties has to improve. There's a handful of highly regarded 2025 safety prospects with Notre Dame offers coming to the Irish recruiting cookout event on July 30. That's a good opportunity for the Irish to establish some traction, so stay tuned.

1:15

Other than Hamilton and Harrison Smith in 2012, the last ND safety to be drafted in either the first or second round was Jeff Burris in 1994. ... Now let's look at some positives. I think people in the fanbase are underestimating how good 2024 commit Bruntae Johnson has to be. Right now he's ranked No. 58 overall in the Rivals250 and the No. 5 multi-position "athlete" prospect. If he were rated as a safety, he'd be sixth. And I think that's even low. Kyle Hamilton, who admittedly was woefully underrated by Rivals, was No. 75 overall and the No. 7 safety in the 2019 class. ... O'Leary has also done well with the portal. Brandon Joseph was a coveted transfer last year, and I really like Antonio Carter II is this transfer class. Thomas Harper, now healthy, has reportedly had an impressive summer. ... And among young safeties on the roster, Ben Minich so far is overdelivering compared to his recruiting pedigree. (more)

1:09

"All Knowing" Hansen? Wait 'til I tell my kids. Man, are they in for a surprise. ... Where to begin. With the exception of Kyle Hamilton, safety recruiting had been inconsistent at best BEFORE Chris O'Leary. The fact that the best three non-transfer safeties on the roster are players who started their college careers at other positions is a testament to O'Leary's on-field coaching as well as perhaps swings and misses off of it. Why? It's not for lack of effort or bad evaluation. ND is identifying the right guys, but I think Chris is fighting some of the history that precedes him in that elite safeties want to play in programs where there's an NFL pipeline. Prior to Kyle Hamilton going to the Ravens in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, the last recruited safeties drafted out of ND (excluding transfer Alohi Gilman) were Jamoris Slaughter (sixth round) and Zeke Motta (seventh) in 2013. (more)

Jim, Rochester, MI

12:47

Greetings from the Mitten! As we're in the quiet period, minus Power 5 Media Days, time to reflect on where we stand at the midpoint of recruiting. As such, much attention is being paid to the wins the staff has achieved with one glaring outlier, Safety! With the accolades MF is given for his hands on, lead recruiter role, why consistently falling short against teams, right or wrong, deemed to be inferior to an ND offer. I appreciate it being often discussed though perplexed as to why we've been unable to consistently, secure talent proportional to the other positions. Thus the question from me is: WHY? We hear from Rivals beat writers Coach O'leary is a competent coach, enthusiastic recruiter yet the results don't equal the acclaim. So Mr. "All Knowing" Hansen, what say you to help us civilians understand the chink in our armor. I know D'tackle is another but IMHO, not to the degree of safety. Thank You & GO IRISH!

Eric Hansen

12:47

Hey Mickey, thanks for the question and the compliments. Please send your hometown next time. I'm guessing Pensacola? In any event, CJ Carr is a Notre Dame commitment in the 2024 class. The QB is ranked No. 21 in the latest 2024 Rivals250. That's the highest position that carries four stars. The top 20 are all five-stars, so he's right on the cusp. Given his growth as a player this summer and that the number of five-stars will expand to 32 at the end of the cycle, I like his chances of ending up with that status.

11mickeypenscla@att.net

12:41

Thier was a lot of talk about c.j. carr, earning a fith star, but things have changed, and for the past month the talk has died down. During the q.b camp everyone was talking about what an elite o.b. he was and he outclassed some of the 5 stars there. Is the issue dead, or can he still earn that next star? Thank you for everything you do, and your response.

Eric Hansen

12:40

As far as position group growth. The D-line and linebacker group HAVE to take a step forward. I have more confidence that the linebackers actually will. The D-line did show enough strides in the spring that I'm open to the possibility that they'll also surge this season. But I need to see some evidence of that in the coming weeks, in camp, before I'm ready to project that.

12:38

Hey Ken, thanks for reading and for the follow-up questions. I think Notre Dame's facilities are better than average and not enough to either away or dissuade recruits from picking the Irish. Where there's some urgency is that the program has outgrown the Guglielmino Athletics Complex and needs more space for pragmatic reasons that will help the program on a day-to-day basis. That includes more (injury) recovery space, more offices for a growing support staff, a kitchen and a place for the team to eat together in adequate space, etc. The indoor facility was a very important and impressive addition, but it's time for the Gug expansion to be on the front burner. And from everything we're hearing, it finally is. (more)

Ken from Steel City, PA

12:33

Hi Eric, thank you for your in depth analysis last week. I did read your article about MF’s challenge everything mindset and was happy to see recently that he did not use the facilities as an excuse not to win. I do have a two questions for you this week: 1) in your opinion where do ND’s facilities stack up compared to others in the game. To an outsider walking on campus they look very nice and competitive with other universities I’ve seen. 2) What position groups are you looking to see the most growth from this season? I think WR will happen naturally given the existing talent. I would like to see growth from the DL group and the LB group.

Eric Hansen

12:31

Mark, thank you. Early in Brian Kelly's time at ND I actually visited St, John's Prep in Danvers, Mass., and did a story on it. Pat Connaughton was still as student and basketball star there at the time. I know you're referring to some comments that the former ND coach made about his current job and situation at LSU during SEC Media Days. I'm not sure that I understand your question, but what I will say is that I've resisted the urge to reconnect and do a big one-on-one with BK, because I don't sense there's an appetite for that right now within the Notre Dame fanbase.

Mark,Ipswich, ma

12:26

Hi Eric, first time caller longtime listener,enjoy your hard work !!!! Brian Kelly claims now he doesn't like recruiting or flying,do you think that's a put on to the good people of LSU ???? people that knew him in prep school are amazed at how well he's done at his profession !!!! Shows how persistence pays off !!!!

Eric Hansen

12:25

Hi ND Harvey. Rocco definitely is the non-starting player I get asked most about. I think the most encouraging thing about those in the Rocco fan club (and he's a big, fun personality, let me tell you), is that he surged significantly enough late in spring that he's still in play to compete for the open starting spot at right guard and he didn't jump in the transfer portal after spring. But there's a lot of competition for that spot beyond just Andrew Kristofic and Spindler. The next few weeks will be huge for Rocco.

ND Harvey Philly Pa

12:21

E, hope all is well, packing and getting excited for Dublin, 1st time in Ireland. What are you hearing about my boy Rocco Spindler, will this be the year he is a starter on the O-Line. Enjoy the rest of the Summer. Go Irish

Eric Hansen

12:20

On Tuesday, Notre Dame extended an offer to Bear Bachmeier from Murrieta, Calif. I chatted with Bear last night and will have a full story on him son. He is a fast-rising prospect who has had a great summer. He's currently No. 106 in the 2025 Rivals250 and rated as the No. 6 pro-style QB. He definitely has an interest in ND but has other options as well. I asked longtime recruiting analyst Tom Lemming who was the better prospect, and he said ND would be fortunate to land either one. They're both elite. If ND feels like they're losing traction with Knight at some point and/or not gaining it with Bachmeier, they are in position to expand their board. But right now, there's positive momentum with both players.

12:15

Hi Jules and thanks for resuming with me. Deuce Knight is a four-star QB in the 2025 class from Lucedale, Miss., whose top two schools at the moment are Notre Dame and Tennessee. He's ranked as the No. 54 player nationally and No. 1 dual-threat QB in the class. Tyler James and Charleston Bowles recently had him on the Inside ND Sports Podcast, so you can check that out. ... To your question, I think ND learned from the Dante Moore mistake in the last cycle, and first-year QB coach Gino Guidulgi has done a great job of scouting other QBs in the class and building relationships with them. (more)

Jules, Joliet, il

12:10

Thank you for resuming these great chats. Right now it appears that Duece Knight is the #1 choice for the 2025 QB slot. However, I don’t see much on other QBs that are in the mix. Do you know of other players that are being recruited? Are you at all concerned that if Knight goes elsewhere ND will miss out on an elite QB?

Eric Hansen

OK, let's get rolling.

Please remember to include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question ... or at the very least your home planet.

12:09

Here are the rules:

Now to today's chat ...

12:08

Because of heavy training camp commitments next week, we'll skip the chat next week, but start in weekly mode on Wednesday, Aug. 2, and continue through the end of the regular season.

12:07

Football Never Sleeps on YouTube and the guest-oriented Inside ND Sports Podcast will be back next week and continue throughout training camp and the regular season.

12:05

A couple of quick programming notes. ... I'll be returning to WSBT radio as a co-host with Darin Pritchett on Weekday SportsBeat (960 AM, wsbtradio.com) a couple of times a week during training camp and the 2023 Notre Dame Football season, beginning July 26,next Wednesday. I'll also be co-hosting the pregame shows with Darin. Looking forward to it. The weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET.

12:02

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