JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat March 23, 2022

Notre Dame Football Live Chat March 23, 2022

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Eric Hansen

12:49

Hi Jack, and thanks for watching. And you can actually ask questions if you're watching the show live. I'm happy to answer it here. So there is NIL as it was intended -- players who receive money for their actual name, image and likeness, like signing autographs, endorsing clothing lines, etc. The offensive line even had a deal with something called "Dude Wipes." Acquisition fees is NIL as it was never intended. Basically, a school will pay a player to come to their school without having to actually earn the money. Just an upfront guarantee of cash.

Jack Strongsville Ohio

12:45

Hi Eric. I watched you and Tyler on your Football Never Sleeps podcast last week. Always informative and interesting. You mentioned acquisition NIL. What is that? Sounds like a employee contract between the school and athlete. Thanks for the great work.

Eric Hansen

12:45

Hi Denny and thanks. So, you're talking about Caleb Johnson, Philip Riley and Josh Bryan. With those three, and all the rest of the players with returning eligibility, there's good communication in November and December between the coaching staff and the players about where they stand heading into the next season in terms of prospects for playing time. That way, they can enter the portal in December/January or stick it out for a while and see if things change in winter workouts or spring football. The only time players in good standing wouldn't be invited back is if they already have obtained their ND degree. Otherwise, it's more like a dance than an edict, figuring out what's best. And yes, there are players who graduate having never come close to cracking the two-deeps. Ositadinma Ekwonu is a recent example. He's now in grad school and playing football at Charlotte.

Denny from Beaverton Or.erton

12:26

Hi Eric; I just read Tyler James' article about the 6 players no longer on football scholarship. My question is about the 3 who did not receive a medical type scholarship. Would Marcus have told them that there was no room for them on the roster and thereby terminate their scholarship or was it the players choice to seek playing time somewhere else. When a football scholarship is given will the player be allowed to graduate if he chooses even though he doesn't crack the depth charts on the team? Love the Irish but my other love is playing UCLA tonight and I am already nervous. I so look forward to your chats.

Eric Hansen

12:24

Hi Marie. Except for the getting up early part (Tyler and I are both night owls), it's one of the fun days of the year. Full disclosure I spent way more time watching offense than defense, and more time watching the quarterbacks than the other positions on offense. We also do not yet have the latest updates and heights and weights, so that would lead to better questions about strength and body-mass gains. Having issued a disclaimer longer than your question, I'd say WR Rico Flores surprised me with his speed coming off a foot injury. I'd also classify Michael Carmody getting first team-ish reps at guard surprised me a bit as well. We've got a full practice viewing coming up a week from Saturday, and I promise a more detailed and updated answer to your questions at that time.

Marie from Atlanta

12:18

Hi Eric,

I hope you had a great week. It must be so fun to be back at spring practice. Short question for me today, what were two or three of the biggest surprises for you at the first practice yesterday? Also, which players do you think made the biggest transformations in the weight room this winter? As always thanks for your great insights, and for hosting the chat.

Eric Hansen

12:18

Frank I don't share that concern. Ideally, they'd like more healthy bodies this spring, but when fall camp opens, they'll have six tight ends if everything goes right. Six. That's a big reason Cane Berrong hit the portal after the season.

Frank from Royse City, Texas

12:14

Do you share my concern that with the injuries at TE ND has only 2 pass catching TE’s. Should ND look in the portal for some depth?

Eric Hansen

12:13

Hi Mike and Happy Spring Football. It felt like a national holiday yesterday except the part about going to work, which I'm not complaining about. Fun day. To your question, I asked Joe Rudolph that very question recently when the media had a chance to meet him for the first time. I'm curious about it too. His answer was best five as a rule. That's why you see tackle Michael Carmody competing for a starting guard spot out of the gate. If you'd like a little more depth about this, his other philosophies and his connection to Harry Hiestand and Joe Moore, I'd suggest this piece to read: How Joe Rudolph plans to build upon Notre Dame's rich O-line culture.

Mike from Rochester NY

12:07

Happy spring football, Eric! Has Joe Rudolph indicated whether he follows the Harry Hiestand model of “find your 5 best linemen, then decide where they play”? Or the more traditional model of 2 best tackles, 2 best guards, and best center? Either way, should be an interesting competition for the two deep spots with all the talent in that position group.

Eric Hansen

Let's dive right in.

12:05

Here are the rest of the rules:

No 17-part questions. No manifestos.

12:04

As for this chat, please remember to include you name and hometown along with your question(s).

12:03

A quick programming note:
► If you missed this week’s live episode of our weekly offseason Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, you can catch up anytime on YouTube. In our latest episode, Tyler James and I share our observations from Notre Dame's first spring football practice Wednesday morning, discuss the news revealed at head coach Marcus Freeman's press conference and answer questions from viewers.

12:02

Welcome to the first Notre Dame Live Chat of spring football.

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