JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat May 1, 2024

Notre Dame Football Live Chat May 1, 2024

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Doug from Sunny Florida

1:35

Eric, what would be the biggest miss? ND Football not making the 2024 playoffs or ND Women's basketball not making the Final Four during the 24-25 season? Both programs are primed for success next season and the expectations are very high as well.

Eric Hansen

1:35

Hi Len. I think that would be accurate, which is why they're trying to add one. You could make a case for offensive tackle to be in that category, given the inexperience of the backups. ... and tight ends if Evans and Bauman's season debuts are delayed (which is not the trajectory). ... Having Kiser on the field is ideal. Should he miss a long stretch, I think Notre Dame would be OK there, certainly athletically. Jaylen Sneed would likely slide over and play Will, and Jaiden Ausberry would be the rover. That Drayk Bowen and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa at middle linebacker are such students of the game, in addition to being elite athletes, would help with the pre-snap signals, adjusting, etc.

Len from the Jersey Shore

1:29

Hello Eric, with the recent CB transfers is that the position in your opinion that can least afford an injury as the drop off from the top three players on the depth chart will be significant? How would the Defense change if Jack Kiser, the LB with the most experience, was to miss several games? The young LB's can play but are they ready for the nuances an offense can attack them with.

Eric Hansen

1:26

Hi Joe. This is a good place to put your question, building on some of what Matt was asking. I think wholesale portal makeovers are not for established programs who have been consistently building through recruiting and player development. But filling holes makes sense. It doesn't have to be one or the other. ND's defense was far better having Javontae Jean-Baptiste and Thomas Harper as starters than the alternative. And Spencer Shrader as the kicker. But just because ND is bringing in Rod Heard II to play safety alongside Xavier Watts doesn't mean Adon Shuler and Luke Talich won't play or get developed. And they may actually benefit from having a more deliberate development arc as rotation players rather than one of them having to start perhaps before they're ready. So I choose building primarily through recruiting and filling holes/needs through the portal.

Joe Cap from Massapequa ,NY

1:20

Hi Eric, always look forward to reading your articles on ND. You are top notch. It looks like ND is building some potential championship classes back to back with 2024 and 2025. What are your thoughts on taking experienced players from the portal that were developed from other coaching staffs as opposed to developing the players ND recruits? Which path will bring ND a title if you had to choose?

Eric Hansen

1:19

The transfer portal has changed the player development model for everyone, including Notre Dame. There are several reasons for this, including the QUALITY of the players who are transferring -- not mostly disgruntled backups, as it used to be. So, instead of holding your breath at a position rife with inexperience or with questionable depth, even teams like ND, that build primarily through high school recruiting, will fill holes at certain positions while still developing those younger players. So, let's say ND could have gotten a two-year Power 5 starter at tackle with NFL potential. That could mean the difference, perhaps, in winning or losing against an elite D-line at Texas A&M. Maybe. Wouldn't that be your choice if you were a head coach?

1:16

Matt. I'm appreciative to have chatters like you keeping these going. So let's take these questions one at a time. Notre Dame on Tuesday offered a scholarship to West Virginia/Kent State cornerback Montre Miller. That does not suggest they've lost interest in Rice CB Tre'Shon Devones or vice versa, but his timeline is a little fuzzy in terms of his decision. I have exchanged texts with Devones and he assured me ND's still in the mix. So, Miller is there in case Devones picks another school or his timeline gets too elongated. (more)

Matt, Salem, OR

1:07

I am so appreciative to have these chats on going in the off season. I saw there was an offer to a second corner back in the portal. Do you think that signifies a miss on the first target or another need due to the second transfer? The trend seems to be unhappiness with the OTs and desire for a transfer. Do you agree with that strategy? I tend to think that oline recruiting has been regularly praised and it is strange to not trust the players and coaches that are seen as strengths. I am a bit biased maybe to those that I know from years of recruitment and development, do you think the transfer push is bias to what is new? Thanks again for your expertise

Eric Hansen

1:06

“I think coming out of high school, Charles Jagusah is as good as Ronnie Stanley and Quenton Nelson and better than Mike McGlinchey. The challenge is always the next step. The other three took that next step. Having two great tackles to learn from ahead of him, in Joe Alt and Blake Fisher, is going to help Jagusah. Coaching and desire to be great will figure in too, but he’s built to dominate and seems wired to do that too.”

1:05

Hi Chris, and really interesting question. Yes, Joe Rudolph ideally would like to play the best five. I think what makes that a bit harder to achieve is that Harry Hiestand tended to recruit lots of tackles and move some of them inside. Rudolph (and to a certain extent Jeff Quinn before Harry Hiestand's reprise) is tending to recruit tackles and interior guys both. So making that move for a shorter guy who's not as athletic, who doesn't have the reach to make the inside-to-outside move is hard. And really, the biggest issue at tackle is not lack of talent or numbers, it's lack of experience. When ND recruited Charles Jagusah, for instance, here's what longtime recruiting analyst Tom Lemming told me: (more)

Chris, South Bend

12:59

I could be wrong, but I believe Joe Rudolph espoused a “play the best five” philosophy when he joined ND. The OTs seem to be struggling, but there’s a lot of talent duking it out for two OG spots. Do you think any of the interior contenders—Coogan, Spindler?—could be a solution at OT? Why or why not?

Eric Hansen

12:58

Wagner to me is a better athlete, who's been patiently and methodically adding strength and bulk... just not there yet. He's extremely intelligent, great work ethic. I think his best football is ahead of him. And given his other traits, he has what it takes to reach that ceiling. And that's why I'm willing to make that projection. And if I'm wrong, I can live with that.

12:57

Andrew! It's more about what I've seen and what I know than what I've heard. And just getting feedback from people who have played the position but don't necessarily talk to the ND coaching staff, which sometimes can lead you down the right road and sometimes not. It's much easier to take the safe route and predict that guy who got the most No. 1 reps in the spring, but that wouldn't be doing my job. You have to take risks based on some things that are NOT obvious. To me, Baker has done the things physically to put himself in position to win the job. He's added bulk and strength. He's worked very hard. He was a guy who was a DI basketball prospect for a long time, then switched to football. So his upside was intriguing but unknown. I think we know what his ceiling looks like now, and that's a good player who'd make a good third tackle. (more)

Andrew from DC

12:52

Eric! You have been consistent for months that Aamil Wagner will start over Tosh Baker. Is this based on what you have seen, heard, and/or both? How have reps been split between the two in the Spring? I get the impression that Baker has been running with the 1's more but I have concerns, especially with his abilities in pass protection.

Eric Hansen

12:51

Angeli is 1 or 2 going into training camp and the season. If he really wanted to start somewhere else in 2024, he would have had better options in the winter portal than jumping in the spring. Plus he would have had a chance to learn a new system. If I'm Angeli, I would have stayed and complete, knowing I would be the starter if I lost the competition but Leonard got hurt. I also think Angeli will have a much better feel in December about his chances of being ND's starter in 2025. Because he redshirted as a freshman in 2022, he has eligibility in 2025 and 2026.

12:47

So what would have been the point of transferring. Could he be a starter somewhere in 2024? Perhaps at some schools? But what's his long-term plan? To be developed, and he can do that at ND as a non-starter likely better than any of his available options. If CJ Carr passed him on the depth chart during the season or next spring, he could always transfer at that point, have better options and still have three years to start somewhere. Or he could stay and complete. (more)

12:45

Hi Norris. No, it doesn't indicate that to me at all. Could Riley have a setback? Sure, and so could any of the quarterbacks suffer a summer or fall injury. But I don't think ND was sandbagging on the severity of his injury or the timetable for his comeback. ... Let's look at Kenny Minchey first. Just finishing his freshman year in school and will be a sophomore in the fall with four full years of eligibility remaining, since he redshirted in 2023. If I'm Minchey, this spring and summer was/is about positioning myself to be a starter in 2025. Leonard on the roster in 2024 doesn't impact that negatively and may be a positive to learn from him, just as Angeli did from Sam Hartman. (more)

Norris from Singer Island Fl

12:42

Since neither Angeli nor Minchey put their names into the transfer portal, does that indicate to you that Leonard’s injury is more serious than acknowledged and that he may never see the field in an ND uniform? Will ND seek another QB in the portal?

Eric Hansen

12:41

Hi Pat, and thanks for your flattering comments, and especially the multiple exclamation points!!!! ... To your question. Notre Dame is at 87 scholarships with the hope of adding two more, a cornerback and a punter. The Irish do not have to be to 85 scholarships until the first day of fall-semester classes, which I believe is Aug. 27. So how do they get there? The grad transfer window to the transfer portal is open until tonight at midnight. Previously grad transfers were not restricted by the transfer windows. The underclassman transfer window closed last night at midnight. So there could be a player or players still enter yet today. There also may be some medical retirements. And there may be players who leave the roster but stay at ND to get their degree. Joshua Bryan and Philip Riley were two players in recent years who took that route.

Pat from Bordentown, NJ

12:29

Eric!!!! As always thanks for the chats and excellent reporting! Still the gold standard on the beat! I’m a little surprised that only a couple players went into the portal. Where does that leave us in terms of scholarship numbers especially if we add anyone else. Do you expect some grad transfers or medical retirements?

Eric Hansen

12:29

Hi Joe. Notre Dame is serious about special teams and has been really good under Marcus Freeman in attracting walk-ons — including through the transfer portal — to build depth and competition and sometimes even a starting role (punter Jon Sot in 2022). Jake Tafelski got most of his action via special teams at Central Michigan, and that will be his path to possible playing time at ND.

Guest

12:23

Joe H from Williams Bay Wi Hi Eric I just saw that we picked up a Central Michigan running back in the transfer portal I guess my question is why him That is one position where we are pretty well set What am I missing?

Eric Hansen

12:23

Hi Skip. They get to eat steak instead of hot dogs at training table ... I kid. Preferred walk-ons are players actively recruited to ND, with some -- like safety Luke Talich -- being pitched that they could earn a scholarship later on based on performance. Other non-scholarship players could do that too, but they work their way onto the roster via tryout.

skip/Houston

12:21

What is different about a "preferred walk on" from other non-scholarship players? Thanks.

Eric Hansen

12:20

Hi Bob. KK Smith missed all the regular-season practices and games his freshman season while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. But he was healthy for bowl practices and the Sun Bowl, and he started to flash then. That continued into spring. His speed is impressive. But I think Kris Mitchell will win that spot with consistency and experience showing through. Could KK Smith play significant snaps too? He also had to contend with Cam Williams surging. It's a good problem to have. But when you think about an overall wide receiver rotation of six deep maybe seven, KK Smith is right on the border line of being on or out ... so fall camp will be huge for him. But again, impressive spring.

Bob (Oxnard, CA)

12:17

Do you expect KK Smith to play a lot this fall rotating with Mitchell?

Eric Hansen

12:16

If Riley Leonard is going to start Aug. 31 at Texas A&M, the team is going to have to see him win the job on the practice field, particularly after the performance Steve Angeli had in the Sun Bowl. So, naming a starter any earlier than mid-August doesn't make sense. But given the transparency of the coaching staff, the closeness of the room and both QBs getting a fair chance, I think it eliminates or at least mitigates the chances of a locker room divide.

12:14

Hey John/Gipp. Thank you. We've got several questions in the queue that dig at transfer portal issues regarding the QBs. This is a really good one to start with. I'm reasonably sure Marcus Freeman will agree with this, but I think the coaching staff will devise the summer and first few weeks of August training camp to keep a divided locker room from happening. And you're right, that hasn't always happened at ND (or other places). A case in point was the leadup to the 2016 season with Malik Zaire and DeShone Kizer. (more)

johngipp

12:08

Ltitz,PA Hey Eric, If the quarterback room stays status quo, do you sense a locker room division could occur over the starting qb named given the present atmosphere of college football? I had heard of this occurring in the past, but since transferring has become a rite of passage, would that mitigate the chance. Glad to see JD getting drafted higher than predicted. Thanks for the insights.

Eric Hansen

OK, let's roll ....

And the "no fighting" rule is partially in effect ... no fighting with ME.

12:07

BECAUSE it is a breathtaking day here in South Bend, Ind., from a weather standpoint, I'm rolling back all but the "no spitting" rule this week.

12:06

Here are the rules:

PLEASE include your name and hometown along with your question.

12:05

As far as this week's chat ....

► Finally, we’re spinning forward into the offseason for Notre Dame and into a big week for former Irish players in the NFL Draft at WSBT radio. And Darin Pritchett and I are together this week on Wednesday and Thursday on Weekday SportsBeat (960 AM, live streaming at wsbtradio.com). The weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET. You can download episodes as podcasts.

12:04

► Tyler James and I remain in weekly podcast mode. We’ll have a new one out Thursday afternoon. On our most recent Inside ND Sports Podcast, Bob Morton, a former Notre Dame offensive lineman from 2002-06 and a director of regional development for the university, Tyler James and me. Morton discussed his biggest takeaways from the Blue-Gold Game, his thoughts on the offensive line, how the offensive tackles can improve, who he likes on the Irish line, how good freshman quarterback CJ Carr looks, his expectations for QB Riley Leonard, the impact of a new football facility and more. The podcast can be listened to via SoundCloud or on your preferred podcast platform including: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podbean and Pocket Casts.

► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, it keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation. We remain in our normal Monday at 7 ET time slot and will continue on doing so into the offseason. Remember, if you miss the live show, you can catch up anytime on YouTube.

12:03

I’ll commit to doing a live chat next Wednesday, but we’ll probably slide into a schedule with longer gaps between the chats after that … unless there’s a relentless demand to stay weekly from you all. … And for you submitting your questions live, you are welcome to weigh in.

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