JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat March 13, 2024

Notre Dame Football Live Chat March 13, 2024

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Sean, Schaumburg IL

1:43

Eric, I very much appreciate your email response. Thank you. This new transfer from Colgate appears to be ready to play special teams.

Eric Hansen

1:43

Hi Jules. I wish I had more time to give this deeper thought, but off the top of my head, it standardizes the calendar for everyone and I actually think takes pressure off kids, who may be pressured into signing when they aren't yet sure about their decision. For roster management purposes -- and it's getting harder with the transfer portal -- you need to have certain deadlines and standardized evaluation, quiet and dead periods to do all those things properly. If this sounds like a word salad, It's because this is a tough question to answer off the top of my head. I'll maybe follow up with a more detailed answer in the next chat.

Jules, Joliet, Ill

1:39

There is a lot of talk of changing the signing days for the new commitments or even adding a third day. Can you explain why there has to be signing days at all? Why can’t recruits sign their letter of intent when they commit? Thanks for all of your great insights.

Eric Hansen

1:38

HI The Beave. And guess what, it's Phoenix-like in Grand Rapids, today! ... To be precise, Notre Dame is six over, at 91. A great way to check it and see the class eligibility position by position is our scholarship chart. Some of the motivations for players to stick for spring semester before transferring are: 1) Completing their work toward a Notre Dame degree or getting closer to one. 2) They're engaged in a position battle that may or may not lead to a starting berth or a notch up on the depth chart in a reserve role. So yes, you nailed the top two, and there are more. Some guys just love being at Notre Dame, love the friends they've made and the school .. and it's hard to leave.

The Beave.Grand Rapids via Phoenix today

1:30

Hi Eric. Last I checked ND was 5-10 over the 85 scholarship limit. We all know there will be spring additions to the portal. At first thought, it would seem advantageous to get to your final destination before spring practice to learn the new system and audition for the new coaches.Talk about some of the motivations for players to wait for after spring practice to enter the portal. Final attempt to play their way into the 2-deeps? Need spring semester to graduate? Other motivations? Always appreciate your insights. Thanks and happy Spring Football Season.

Eric Hansen

1:29

Hi Tim. Yes strength of schedule is a factor in assessing a team's inclusion in the playoff as well as its seeding. it's not the only factor, but it is one of many important ones.

tim st louis

1:23

Wanted to ask your opinion on "Strength of Schedule" relative to the 12-14 team playoffs? Don't misunderstand. Had loved the seasons opening with Michigan, Mich St, Purdue, Northwestern, etc. It built a culture of physicality, toughness and confidence. Just fear playing a soft schedule then jumping into the playoff. Is there a Strength of Schedule factor when seeding the playoffs or is win/ loss record the bottom line, in your opinion?

Eric Hansen

1:20

OK, let's tackle the NFL part of that question. I think it's easier for me to evaluate how far guys came than try to do that AND overlay what they've done in their NFL time so far. So I'll do this. Alohi Gilman is the guy in the Freeman/Kelly Eras who was drafted who was the biggest long shot. ... Two stars and started his career at Navy. Drue was a three-star prospect. Some other 3-stars who were drated in the Freeman/Kelly Era ... Jarrett Patterson, Kyren Williams, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Tommy Tremble, Ian Book, Ade Ogundejii, Juilian Love, Durham Smythe, Nick Martin, CJ Prosise and Bennett Jackson.

1:15

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you, too, Ed! Drue Tranquill is one of the most interesting players I've covered in my career for lots of reasons that go beyond his recent 3-year, $19 million contract extension with the KC Chiefs. Maybe more than anything else, how he pushed through so many seeming dead ends in his career to get to where he is today. I once asked Brian Kelly near the end of his time at ND, who is the player who changed everything. And his answer was Drue. (more)

Ed from Sayville NY

1:05

Happy St. Patrick’s Day Eric, and same to all on the chat. Considering all of the more highly touted 4 and 5 star recruits of the BK era, is there a more impressive ND NFL resume than that of Drue Tranquil? If not, who else should receive honorable mention?

Eric Hansen

1:00

I'm not sure what Kenny Minchey's motivation would be to transfer after this spring. He does not have the expectation of being the 2024 starter. So unless, CJ Carr jumped him and he didn't feel he was being developed, what would his motivation be for leaving? Same with him, the carrot is a chance to compete to be the 2025 starter.

12:59

If Angeli finishes the spring as No. 2, he has a 15-day window to transfer (which actually starts a few days before the April 20 Blue-Gold Game). He needs to take into account how close he is to his ND degree and how much that means to him. He also needs to gauge his chance of being the 2025 ND starter. Since he's in ND's spring practice and not someone else's it diminishes (but doesn't eliminate) his chances of being someone else's starter in 2024. So why not see how 2024 goes at ND and you can always hit the portal after the season. (more)

12:56

Hi Jake. I don't like to predict individual players transferring. I don't think it's fair to them. What I am willing to explore is what might go into such a decision. Tyler James and I discussed this on Football Never Sleeps, so you may want to check that out if you want more depth. First, anyone transferring in THIS day and age should surprise no one. But let me apply some logic if I may. (more)

Jake Saratoga Springs

12:54

Hello, curious to see if you expect Steve Angeli to transfer after spring practice and if you think there is a chance that Kenny Minchey could transfer as well leaving 2 scholarship QB’s on the roster

Eric Hansen

12:53

Hi Dennis. You always have to be careful about characterizing a schedule's strength in March, because there are always surprises. ... But let me answer this question more generically and take into account the teams we expect to be the strongest on the schedule. I think in most years, 10-2 is going to get ND into a 12-team format. I see that being difficult this season, because two of the teams most likely to cause the losses are in November (Florida State and USC). And losing two games in November would make it difficult for the committee to see ND as an ascending/improving team. Then again, the committee seemed to love Iowa for no appaently good reason last year, so who knows?

Dennis from South Bend

12:50

Considering how weak the ND overall schedule is in 2024, would a 10-2 final record still assure ND of a spot in the 12-team playoff or would they be skating on thin ice.

Eric Hansen

12:48

Hi Marty. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I continued to be very impressed with Marcus Freeman as a coach, as a father, as a person, his authenticity and his vision. And I agree with his approach to the transfer portal as it fits Notre Dame.

Guest

12:47

Marty from Sylvania oh. Marcus Freeman in Toledo last night for a fundraiser. Very impressive speech and interview with local sports network, BCSN. He was asked about the portal vs. recruiting. Coach said portal will never take the place of recruiting. It’s the foundation for ND. I sure see a great future for MF and I hope ND is one of the benefactor. What are your impressions Eric?

Eric Hansen

12:46

OK, having put in that context, surprises on offense for me were WRs Jayden Harrison and Micah Gilbert, although I was warned that the recruiting analysts fell asleep on Gilbert. On defense, I'd say Adon Shuler and Jordan Botelho. Thank you for all your great questions and yes I am having an amazingly good week.

12:44

I am not concerned at all about Aamil Wagner's more deliberate climb to putting on good weight. He's got the work ethic to do what's asked of him in the weight room and the diligence to keep learning on the field. Some guys just develop in a different time frame physically. It took Tosh Baker five years go get into the 320s and 6-8. Charles Jagusah was there when he walked in the door, at 6-7. I think even playing inside, Wagner would need more body mass to hold up against the bigger defensive lines ND will face. ... Keep in mind on surprises, there are players who are kind of under the radar who are not surprises for me. A good example would be LB Jaiden Ausberry. I had high expectations for him, and they are still very high after seeing him Thursday, (more)

12:38

I missed Marie's question ... let me circle back to that one.

12:37

Hi Denny. You are missing something. It has been a big deal in Notre Dame kind of carving out a day when it owns social media with its Pot of Gold recruiting event, when it creates all kinds of cool graphics and sends out en masse a ton (sorry for the imprecise count) of scholarship offers to players who completed their sophomore seasons in the fall. It's not an in-person event and has not been. Tyler and I discussed it on Football Never Sleeps on Monday night near the end of the program, so you may want to check that out. We'll have plenty of coverage of it Sunday, St. Patrick's Day.

Denny from Bullard, TX

12:34

Hi Eric. Here we are in March and I’m not sensing much going on for the “pot of gold” event that has been a big deal the last couple years. Am I missing something? Please advise if this is taking place as hoped and elaborate on potential attendees as well as maybe offers to go out.

Eric Hansen

12:34

Hi Ced. Beaux Collins is an interesting case, because he played the boundary receiver position, which is the receiver position at ND with the most proven commodities. As I mentioned earlier, he won't enroll at ND until June. That's because he's finishing his course work at Clemson for his degree this semester. However, he's doing it remotely in South Bend and was at practice watching last Thursday. I'm eager to see what he can do as well.

cederickwalker

12:32

ced Walker Saginaw michigan I was very impress with out wr jayden Harris & Kris Mitchell during our first spring practice the surprise will be beaux Collins 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

Marie from Atlanta

12:31

Hi Eric, I hope you are having a great week and really enjoyed the first practice last week. How concerned are you about Aamil Wagner‘s inability to gain weight? Is it possible to be a tackle at only 281 pounds? We have heard how immensely athletically gifted he is, if he is unable to get his weight up, is there another position or role he could play on the team so that his skills could be utilized? after last weeks practice which players on offense and which players on defense surprised you the most in a good way? I’m sure you’re looking forward to the next practice as much as we are looking forward yo hearing about it. Thanks for hosting the chat and the great insights

Eric Hansen

12:30

There are a few women's basketball questions scattered in here today. Since I cover that team as well, I'll be happy to take and answer those, but I'll wait until that last part of the chat and do them all at once.

12:29

Hi Ryan. Offensive line is one of the position groups that doesn't get an honest look in the early non-padded practices, just because of the nature of the format. What I can tell you is Rocco Spindler was out there, did all the drills and ran with the 2s. That doesn't mean he will not be a starting offensive guard. He didn't move to the top of the depth chart until fall training camp. We'll have a chance to talk to him and O-line coach Joe Rudolph next week, so stay tuned for those reports and insights on Rocco and the others.

Ryan Mars Pa

12:26

Good afternoon Eric how did Rocco Spindler look in Practice last week

Eric Hansen

12:25

It's so early for freshmen to stand out yet, and eight of them won't be here until June. Of those I expect to make a case for at least a niche role if not more are: LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, RB Kedren Young, WRs Cam Williams and Micah Gilbert and DE Bryce Young. NG Sean Savillano Jr. is intriguing because of his size and quickness at that size. There's no one quite like him on the roster. CJ Carr is run to watch, but he's not going to compete to start. ... this year.

12:20

Marcus Freeman even gushed about it. But speed in practice isn't the same about translating it into consistent production, but it's a great start in that process. ... Leonard is a big dude. Big, strong, looks like an NFL quarterback. I'm curious what he'll look like after spring practice in terms of chemistry with the wide receivers and throwing accuracy. He has a big arm, reminds me of the deep balls DeShone Kizer used to throw. Can't wait to see more of him. (more)

12:18

Hi Matt. The format of the early spring practices doesn't showcase a lot of the elements of the team, strengths or weaknesses, but the wide receiver group is one from which you can glean some useful information. (I hope Vicky Bishop, the best English teacher I ever had, noticed how hard I worked not to end that sentence with a preposition.) The one thing that really stood out about the WRs was speed. (more)

Matt from Austin

12:15

Hi Eric, I hope this finds you well. What insights can you provide regarding our Spring practices as pertain to our WR corp and Riley Leonard? And if I may tack on one more question, which freshmen have stood out to you this Spring as having a real opportunity to be impactful during the upcoming season? Thank you as always.

Eric Hansen

12:14

His spring is about becoming more dangerous in the passing game ... namely more accurate and consistent. ... Way different vibe from a personality standpoint. Leads differently, but very effective.

12:13

It is early, and there are lots of options, and spring practice will go a long way to informing us who the starters will be, but I'll take a stab at it. ... Remember, there are two not yet enrolled -- freshman Logan Saldate and Clemson transfer Beaux Collins, both of whom will enroll in June. I think this will end up being a deep rotation, so 2s are important as well, but I feel comfortable putting Jayden Thomas' name in ink .. and then projecting Kris Mitchell and Jaden Greathouse in pencil. ... I think Riley has the 'It factor" vibe and I noticed it in both the ND-Duke and Clemson-Duke games last season, but it's different from Hartman. Personality-wise and performance-wise. On the field, he has a great knack for toggling between the pass and run game and creating big plays in both (more).

Mike from Rockville, MD

12:09

Hi, Eric! Thanks for these chats! It's early, but who do you see being the starting receivers this season? Also, I remember Sam Hartman having an immediate "It" factor with both his presence and the way he threw the ball. Does Riley Leonard seem to have both of those qualities? Thanks!

Eric Hansen

Off we go ...

12:06

HOWEVER, because South Bend feels like Florida today, all but the "No Spitting" rule have been rolled back this week. So kick off your shoes, grab a beer and feel free to gamble and fight as long as it's not with me.

Here are the rules ...

12:05

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