JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat | July 23, 2026

Notre Dame Football Live Chat | July 23, 2026

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Marie from Atlanta

1:30

Hi Eric,

Thanks so much for hosting the chat! It’s been way too long and I know we are all excited to be chatting, I know you’ve had a super busy summer and from the looks of it it’s been incredibly productive. I Have really enjoyed reading all of your articles. I know for the first practice you will probably be assigned a certain area that you have to evaluate, but if that was not the case, what would you want to spend your time looking at the most. Who do you think are the candidates for punt return and Kick return this year? Of the players that will benefit from the new five for five rule, who do you think are likely to stay? If Luke Talich does end up staying do you think there would be consideration to move him to linebacker? Looking ahead to the opening game, what do you think Wisconsin has that will be most troubling for the Irish. As always, thanks for hosting the chat and for all the great insights. So excited to be chatting away for the upcoming season.

Eric Hansen

1:29

Hi Ced, the reason Notre Dame is getting such glowing offseason projections is because this list would be very very long. But let me single out someone on each side of the ball that needed to have a strong summer. I'll go with new LT Will Black and CB DJ McKinney (the transfer from Colorado), but there are many more.

ced

1:27

ced walker Saginaw Michigan aka sagnasty Saginaw Pride with summer workouts done last week who were the players that stood out God Bless This Football Team here come the irish trust the process the golden standard rally we are nd God country go irish love thee notre dame our mother pray for us

Eric Hansen

1:26

Now you are dealing with the very slow, very unpredictable (in terms of timeline) aspect of nerve regeneration. So far the signs have been encouraging. So how ever you want to interpret that is up to you. When he does return, someone way way smarter than me about offensive line play suggested Charles first come back in a position rotation. The thing I know about Charles is how invested he is in this return and how hard he'll work to make it all the way back if his body cooperates.

1:24

The Beave, you lively minx! Wow, what a great line. I want to steal that, but I'll give you credit. ... Now to the serious Charles Jagusah news. If you think back to Jaylon Smith's recovery from a serious knee injury, the scary and unpredictable part of nerve regeneration. And there were plenty of media and others who buried Jaylon and were very anxious to put an epitaph on his career. Here is how I view it. Charles had six surgries in the first 8 1/2 months following the UTV accident last July. That was for infections, for new plates/screws, all kinds of setbacks. Since March, there has been none of that. Some very positive progress. But ... (more)

The Beave (Grand Rapids)

1:18

Eric: I’ve missed you and the rest of the chat gang! It feels like a family reunion today . . .minus the alcohol, dancing and the strange cousins. As to this week’s update on OLCharles Jagusah, I’m feeling that the recovery needle hasn’t moved unless/until a practice timeline is discussed. Is that too pessimistic? It seems that Marcus Freeman and the rest of the leadership is still on “stay positive”/“still rehabbing” mode with nothing concrete to change that status yet. If we are to hope that Charles returns this year, is an October 31 the most likely, since that game is after the only bye and his re-introduction would presumably result in more shifting of the OL positions?

Eric Hansen

1:17

As far as the backup QBs and their ceilings, I think the two true freshmen, Noah Grubbs and Teddy Jarrard, have the best chance to not only be the backups in 2026 but to become the starter in 2027. I think they both will be better versions of themselves in 2027, and Champ Monds, in the 2027 class, might be the most high-potential QB, of the three of them. But CJ Carr is setting the bar very very very high for anyone. ... Now the turkey legs thing ... if you play your cards right, we might just be able to eat a couple together in September.

1:12

Hey Scott. Happy Thursday to you!!! And thanks for plugging the book. I'll include some info on it at the end of the chat and put that in the final transcript ... to your questions: I'd like to meet you before the Rice game, so shoot me an email as it gets a little closer and we'll put a finer point on that. ... The second question, I think I might be misunderstanding it. My interpretation is you want to know what would be the aftermath if Marcus Freeman left in say five years, across all fronts? I do think Notre Dame will win a title in the next five years, maybe this one. And given the administration's commitment and the program infrastructure and having a recent title to point to, Notre Dame will be well-positioned to get the best possible of all those things. Marcus doesn't want to just win a title. He wants to leave a legacy, whenever that time comes. (more)

Scott, Greenville SC

1:01

Happy Thursday Eric!!! Well, I received an email telling me I should get my copy of The Gold Standard in a month or two. Really looking forward to reading it. If I receive it before the Rice game, I hope to see you there and maybe get you to sign it. So question time, recruiting has been off the charts the past couple years. I remember the Holtz years well. I think Marcus is now at that level. I know he said he would like to retire here and maybe he will. But I suspect he's here for at least 3-5 more years. That said, how much will this impact recruiting and luring more high impact coaches? And if that plays out, how high of a bar will that set the team for the coming years? Last question, sorry, what is the ceiling for the three backup QBs, and could they reach CJ potential? Thats for all the great articles Eric, the online shows with Tyler and Mike, and sharing your culinary expertise with turkey legs! Renaisannce man!

Eric Hansen

1:00

Hi Penny. The way the NFL Draft still works, if you leave eligibility on the table and declare, you can not go back to college. That hasn't changed. If you remember way back in 1990, former Notre Dame fullback Braxston Banks sued the NCAA and lost his case to return to play at ND in 1990 after declaring for the draft and going undrafted.

Penny-Adrian, MI

12:56

Hi Eric 👋, welcome back! With the new 5 in 5, or whatever it's called; say a player declares for the draft after four, but doesn't get drafted. Can he return to team? Thank you.

Eric Hansen

12:56

John!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you. It's hard to come up with one this year, which is one of the reasons a lot of national pundits, including most recently Kirk Herbstreit, are picking the Irish to win the national title. The most vulnerable one from a depth standpoint is quarterback, once you get past CJ Carr. Not that the others aren't talented, but right now there's a gulf between where his game is and where theirs are. Beyond that, it would really have to be injury-related to make one of those a concern. Maybe running back, but I think that group is going to surprise.

John from Scottsdale

12:53

Eric!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome back from your long break from conducting chats. You were missed. Which position group are you most concerned could underperform this year and negatively impact the upcoming season?

Eric Hansen

12:53

Hi Jack. I have not seen a shift in the way players deal with the media. The Notre Dame kids have always been pretty media-savvy. And that's not an accident. Now where it is a bit different is that Notre Dame used to control their time and access. Now many of them have NIL commitments, and other people offering to set up interviews. They also have a lot more off-the-field demands, particularly someone like CJ Carr. So there is more stress put on him, and he handles it very well.

Jack, Strongsville, Oh

12:48

Hi Eric. Hope you are getting some R & R this summer before the season kicks in! You have been on the CFB beat for many years. Are the kids different to deal with now then they were 10 years ago especially since the NIL and other pay for play arrangements have kicked in? Thanks as always for your great work.

Eric Hansen

12:44

As far as Johnson at safety, heck he was my spring 2025 platonic football crush, but he was a redshirt freshman learning a position he didn't play in 2024 and only rarely during his high school career, so he was ascending during August training camp, but the consistency would come after the season started. Given Jalen Stroman's experience and history, that seemed like a reasonable starting point. And while Stroman did struggle against Texas A&M, he ended up being ND's No. 5-rated defender, per Pro Football Focus, right behind Johnson. Now, should ND have been better at marrying coverages to what was going on up front on defense? That's a very fair criticism and something Marcus Freeman has addressed this offseason.

12:41

Hi Bob, and Brauntae will be happy you used his new preferred name, as he was known as Tae last season. I don't think the issue was at safety as much as it was at nickel. If you remember, DeVonta Smith had some injuries issues in the opener at Miami and shared time with Karson Hobbs that game and then missed the entire Texas A&M. Karson Hobbs filled in and struggled against the elite slot receivers in those games. Eventually, ND turned to true freshman Dallas Golden, who was a June arrival and didn't even practice nickel until just before he was inserted in the starting lineup. (more)

Bob (Oxnard CA)

12:34

Hi Eric, after coaching players all spring and fall camp, why did Chris Ash and rest of the coaching staff not see the problems last year with our secondary in the first two games? These were good and experienced coaches, including Mickens, yet they didn't get Brauntae out there early enough and over-relied on certain other guys. I'm curious how that can happen. Thanks

Eric Hansen

12:33

Hi Paul. I can't see any momentum for that for the foreseeable future. Nor will they take down the video board and do away with flush toilets. And I understand why you'd like to see natural grass. But the cons of going back to it far outweight the pros as the university sees it.

Paul from Arlington VA

12:31

Hi Eric: time for my annual question on when will ND stadium return to natural grass!

Eric Hansen

12:31

Hi Joe. Doing great here! I like your picks, although I am more skeptical of Loghan Thomas, not because of his skill set or motor but because as a 6-3, 215-pound DE, he's roughly the same size as redshirt freshman QB Blake Hebert. Maybe he made some gains this summer, and we will find out soon. But your examples gave me the gist of what you're looking for here. It's hard to answer these, because not everyone has the same level of surprise if I said, for instance, Ian Premer and Rodney Dunham. So I will try to go a little more in the weeds and say Matty Augustine at OG and Ethan Long at safety. Ethan as a non-starter at safety, but someone who plays in packages and on special teams.

Joe from Baltimore

12:26

Hi Eric. Hope you're doing great. If the season goes as we expect (12-0 or 11-1), who are 1 offensive and 1 defensive difference makers that we likely didn't expect to be such key pieces of the winning recipe? I can see Kedren Young making some noise on offense, while Loghan Thomas racks up a shocking 6-8 sacks with some big plays. Thanks for everything!

Eric Hansen

12:26

Jim is this a trick question? Miami, Nov. 7, Notre Dame Stadium is going to be EPIC!

Jim From Springfield, IL

12:25

Which game are you, personally, looking forward to watching the most?

Eric Hansen

12:22

1) I do think AW will have a big year, but I think a lot of his yards will come in the passing game. He will be an impact player in both the run and the pass games. 2) I think Notre Dame is going to go three deep with its running backs ... AW, Nolan James Jr., and likely Kedren Young. And now that redshirts no longer exist with the new 5-for-5 rule, the freshmen will likely get more carries than they otherwise would have. But again, I think people will view Williams as a significant contributor ... it just might look a little different.

12:20

Hi Lorne. I think our job as media who cover the team isn't to rattle off the predictable and obvious, but to be able to peek around the corner and give you a projection of what that might look like. So, I love this question from that context. I think Aneyas Williams will have a big year, but I am not sold on him being a 1,000-yard rusher at least not during the 12-game regular season. Now if Notre Dame plays 15 or 16 games, the math would change. So here are my reasons for saying that. (more)

Lorne

12:17

Lorne from Reno. Losing a future hall-of-fame running back and a 1,300-yard rusher (two different people) to the NFL. What will we do? Finish number 2 in the country (with only a loss to BC keeping us out of the title game), beat the "national champions" 31-24, have a 1,000-yard rusher and have two others combine for 1,000 yards. Yes, I'm talking about 1993, not 2026 (Reggie Brooks was the 1,300-yard rusher and Bettis the future hall-of-famer), and just as Lee Becton (and Ray Zellars and Randy Kinder) stepped up in 1993, I expect Aneyas Williams to go for 1,000 this year. Between the O-line and defenses getting torched by Carr, our running backs will be just fine. Question? Do your think Williams will go over 1,000 or will blowouts put him on the bench too early in too many games? BTW, the 1993 team also lost Rick Mirer to graduation and freshman phenom Ron Powlus to injury.

Eric Hansen

12:16

Hi Robb. I think Notre Dame goes into its August training camp, starting Aug. 6 with Cooper Flanagan, James Flanigan and Ian Premer as the three tight ends most likely to play the most in Green Bay on Sept. 6. Ty Washington and Jack Larsen are in that next tier, with freshman Preston Fryzel more of a long-term prospect as he adds strength and size.

Robb, Edwardsburg

12:14

Eric, hope summer is good so far. Almost time for camp;can't wait. My question is related to the TE position. Cooper Flanagan is back along with Ty Washingon and maybe 1-2 guys who didn't play much, if any, last year. It seems like Premer or someone else has a real opportunity to jump in there and fill a major role at TEU. Who does that in your mind?

Eric Hansen

12:13

Hi Trent, please shoot me your hometown next time. .... I like both of those bets and several others in the class. But for me, it's tight end Ian Premer, splitting hairs.

Trent McNeer

12:12

If you had to buy stock in one Notre Dame true freshman's entire college career, are you taking Rodney Dunham, Ian Premer, or betting on the field?

Eric Hansen

12:12

Here's the bottom line for me. I think Marcus Freeman's curiosity about the NFL in December was real. But I think over time this offseason, Notre Dame just continues to feel like home. And I do believe there was a shift in how he felt, not just how he said it. Again, that doesn't mean down the line things couldn't shift again, but this is where his head space and heart is right now.

12:10

Hi David. Colleague Mike Singer and I were talking about this last night on The Notre Dame Football Show, and the way Marcus Freeman has framed what his future might look like has certainly shifted. Now, that doesn't mean it couldn't shift again sometime down the road, but him being adamant about wanting to stay at Notre Dame for the long term plays well on a number of fronts. And with Marcus Freeman's track record for authenticity, it doesn't play as just a throwaway line to help recruiting, for example. (more)

David - NY

12:06

What has taken place over the last half year that has really changed Freeman’s (at least public facing comments) regarding his future at ND? It’s gone from “run it back”, which sounded like one more year to most, and clear NFL interest being signaled to “retire at ND”. I imagine the administration deserves a lot of credit here…

Eric Hansen

12:05

OK, let's get rolling.

The "no drinking" rule has been rescinded this week for everyone but me.

Here are the other rules ...

12:04