JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat July 5, 2023

Notre Dame Football Live Chat July 5, 2023

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Eric Hansen

1:21

Marie, thanks it was great. Lots of time with the grandkids and great fireworks. They even cleaned up their messes without being asked. I almost fainted. ... I think the number feels lower for a lot of people, because of the expectation that Marcus would raise the ceiling. Based on classes dating back through the Rivals Era (2002-present), I'd say an 8 or 9. Based on the new expectations, I'd say a 7. Now if ND finished with Guerby Lambert, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and flipped either DT Justin Scott or CB Kaleb Beasley, the number rises significantly. (more)

Marie from Atlanta

1:16

Hi Eric, I hope you enjoyed your Fourth of July. So glad that Chart is back. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being an unmitigated disaster, and 10 being the best recruiting year ever, where would you rank Notre Dame recruiting right now? Can you rank it overall and then give separate rankings for offense and defense. What do you think needs to be done to get out of the current tailspin? Although it is great that Deuce Knight is coming at the end of the month are you at all concerned that none of the other offered 2025 quarterbacks made it up to ND this summer ? Changing topics completely, I know you don’t care that much about apparel, but who would you like to see you get the deal and why, and who do you think will get the deal? As always, thanks for your great insights.

Eric Hansen

1:15

Notre Dame will always want to build primarily via high school recruiting and development, but getting a transfer like Sam Hartman is absolutely critical to how the 2023 season will play out.

Bill from St Jos, MI

Oops I got too close to the send button….than not being in the hunt for them. I like to look at the entire post season, and ND got the cream of the entire crop with the transfer of Sam Hartman!

1:13

Eric, great to have you back on WSBT Radio… you were seriously missed! For me this time of year can get one down because it seems that the principal news is recruitment and ND seems to lose more high 4 and 5 stars than they land, but I like shooting high and missing than not competing for

Eric Hansen

1:13

Notre Dame is not in a hurry to reconfigure the WR board. They'll look at senior-year film and take their time. ... ND is very much in play for both of the linebackers you mention, but I don't think they lead for either at the moment. I don't think they will end up with both.

Matt salem oregon

1:11

After the wr decommit do you know of other targets? Do you think ND could land lbs Shaw and Viliamu-Asa?

Eric Hansen

1:11

Don, you guys are killing it today. ... Couldn't agree more with the lead-in to your question. I think overall, Freeman has an outstanding recruiting staff, led by director of recruiting Chad Bowden. The guys is relentless, creative, and charismatic. Matt Jansen, the new director of scouting, has recently come aboard. Butler Benton, the new assistant athletic director for player personnel, is another key piece. But you're right, the assistant coaches have to perform to a high standard to make those other additions pay off. I think Freeman holds them to a high standard, but Al Washington at DL and Chris O'Leary (safeties) are two who have work to do to meet that standard in my opinion. I should note that O'Leary has done well with the transfer portal. I think we'll get a much more accurate gauge of OL coach Joe Rudolph in the 2025 cycle since he came aboard so late.

Don in PHX

1:01

Eric, Happy to hear you're back on the radio. While I'm disappointed with the Scott news I'm glad ND has been in the mix. As I used to tell my sales team you cant start to win until you know why you lost. While the 5 stars have different reasons there is a common thread with the D linemen.....path to the NFL. Currently not in a state of panic but if DL recruiting stays the same one has to conclude the problem is with the "product" which is getting them to the next step. Venture to say position coaches spend more time with players than anyone on campus except the strength and conditioning team. If they dont connect with their position coach, game over. 3 years ago ND couldnt recruit CBs, now there is real competition. Same for running backs. CMF's next hurdle is making sure he has the right guys as assistants. Your closer to this than we are. What's your take regarding the assistants and Freemans management of them?

Eric Hansen

1:01

I think the biggest obstacle to compete with the schools you mentioned is deepening the transfer pool for Notre Dame. The Irish are bringing in a record number in this cycle, including an impact quarterback, but realistically they're largely limited to grad transfers and players who finished their freshman season. Marcus Freeman is working hard to change that, and he feels like he's making progress. Above all, Marcus isn't going to dig his heels in and be stubborn about how he recruits, whether ND has a great cycle or a 'meh' one. He's committed to constantly evaluating and re-evaluating what the Irish can do better.

12:56

Two points I'd like to make in addressing your questions. I talked to a very trusted and knowledgeable source recently regarding ND's NIL initiatives. I am convinced the Irish are competitive in the NIL space now without getting into "acquisition fees." The school does not do a good job of promoting its NIL prowess and that's by design. The feeling is recruits know and they'd rather not beat their chests about it beyond that. I'm not sure I agree with that approach. (more)

12:53

Ken, I'm impressed by the way you framed this question. A tip of the cap to you. ... I'll start with I agree Marcus Freeman has raised the floor of Notre Dame recruiting ... with the potential to raise the ceiling consistently. But's important to remember he (and every other college coach) are breaching new territory with NIL. And its effects are shifting and will likely continue to evolve. But there's also recruiting via the portal and having to re-recruit your own roster every year that figure into this equation. I think he's very good at the latter and needs some help from the university for the former. If you haven't read my piece from last month Behind the scenes Marcus Freeman is living his 'Question Everything' mantra, I would suggest it. It may help answer some of your lingering questions, (more)

Ken - Steel City, PA

12:39

I am concerned about the miss on Justin Scott. After last season’s class, I felt optimism in that ND almost had Keeley, Bowen, and Moore. This to me, was a step in the right direction. After this recent miss on Scott, I can’t help but feel deflated and am questioning whether ND can recruit at the level it takes to win a national championship. My question is: has Marcus Freeman simply raised the “floor” for Notre Dame recruiting? Sure, he’s swimming with the big fish and they have the 4 for 40 pitch, etc. but at the end of the day, what can be done to narrow the gap between Bama, OSU, UGA, and Clemson? It takes talent to beat and win playoff games consistently and it’s hard to beat OSU when they have multiple recruits better than your best one. Will Notre Dame make the necessary changes to improve recruiting and be a more legitimate contender? They have a fine line to walk certainly but they should walk it a bit quicker to narrow this gap.

Eric Hansen

12:38

Rui, I only posted your manifesto because I know people are frustrated — unerstandably — and this is representative of what that frustration looks like. Since you're not open to my opinion, we'll move on.

Rui from Westchester, NY

12:36

I’ve come to terms that ND is wayyyyy and i mean way behind on NIL after losing Justin Scott to Ohio St. You can not change my mind. ABSOLUTELY NO WAY does a kid of a Catholic school out of Chicago get away from ND…this is the kind of commit that we expected Freeman to get…can’t fully blame him but we need ton figure it out or else it’s gonna be the same thing year in year out and once we lost our top assistants/recruiters because of $$$ then we are back to square one. It’s gonna happen only a matter of time

Eric Hansen

12:36

Nor do I think Justin Scott's decision will necessarily affect LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa's decision (he announces on July 23). I think Ohio State's staff probably feels the best about KVA, but Notre Dame is very much in play and I don't believe he's made his final decision yet.

12:34

Hey Ron. I explained some of it in the my last answer, but I wanted to expand on the NIL angle. I think there's a tendency, not just with the ND fan base but with others too, to assume NIL is the driving factor when the Irish lose a prospect or one decommits. In some cases, that is the case. In talking to people close to Scott, I don't believe it was a driving factor in this recruitment. I think more and more five-star prospects are MOST concerned with the generational wealth first-round draft picks command ... not that they're willing to take a vow of poverty while in school. Al Washington doesn't have the track record with NFL success that some of the others do at Georgia and Ohio State for example. I'm not sure Al Golden's scheme in year one was a recruiting game-changer, either. Could it be in year 2 ... that's the Notre Dame coaching staff's expectation. We'll see. I don't think Lorenzo Styles affected Justin Scott's decision. (more)

Ron Dover , De

12:28

Happy 4th of July. Hope you enjoy the day. Glad you are back doing the live chat I only wish there was more good news to discuss. My question is do you have any insight on why Scott chose Ohio State ? Was it NIL, their coaching staff, or did he have a conversation during his visit with Styles. I don’t sense he left ND happy. Do you think this will impact Kingston Viliamu-Asa ‘s decision.
Thanks for your thoughts.

Eric Hansen

12:25

ND in the Rivals Era (2002-present) has yet to sign a five-star interior defensive lineman. Louis Nix, for one, was highly ranked but was a four-star and No. 85 overall and the No. 7 DT back in 2010, for instance. ... So how could ND let a Chicago kid from a Catholic school slip away? There was a lot of recency bias for Scott as he assessed his choices, with different schools rising to the top as he visited each one. In splitting hairs, OSU D-line coach Larry Johnson's track record of developing high draft picks seemed to be an important factor. I've said since the end of last season, ND D-line coach Al Washington has a lot to prove on the field with development and in recruiting in 2023. He still has a chance to make a statement in the fall. The Irish are counting on that with their ambition on flipping Scott.

12:18

Hi Tim. The Beth Elston's cookie line made me chuckle. In full disclosure, they are as good as any chocolate chip cookies I've ever had. She and her daughters one made some for Tyler James and me ... and we ate them live on our podcast. ... To the Justin Scott question ... and there are scads of them today (and a few manifestos). ... Let me say off the top Notre Dame does not consider the recruitment to be over. If you're a subscriber, there's more detail on that in The Insider Lounge at insideNDsports.com. But what I can share is the Irish coaching staff is determined to flip him from his July 2 commitment to Ohio State. I don't think it's accurate to say Elston was landing elite interior defensive line talent comparable to Scott, but he did land outstanding edge prospects and he did a really good job of developing D-linemen regardless of star ranking. Scott is a five-star prospect and the No. 8 player overall in the 2024 class. (more)

Tim from Kansas City

12:10

Eric, Thanks for your insight and levelheaded commentary. Wondering your reaction to the Justin Scott news given he is from a Catholic school in our backyard of Chicago. Does this reflect on the overall state of the defensive line and Coach Washington’s leadership? It seems like ND was routinely landing talent comparable to JS under Elston, but maybe it was just the lure of Beth’s cookies?

Eric Hansen

Let's get started.

12:09

A friendly reminder, PLEASE include your name and hometown along with your question(s).

Here are the rules.

12:08

As for today's chat ...

12:07

One quick announcement. 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. I'll also be co-hosting the pregame shows with Darin. Looking forward to it.

12:03

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