JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat May 4, 2022

Notre Dame Football Live Chat May 4, 2022

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Eric Hansen

1:38

Hugh, you are in luck. I have a story I posted this morning on Gi'Bran and his college readiness. IF he's healthy he will be able to help, it seems. He's up to 210 and running track at Cincinnati La Salle this spring. Yes, I think both Chris Tyree and Jadarian Price could help bolster the slot receiver position doing double duty.

Hugh Jaynus, Brown Gap TN

1:33

With Logan Diggs sidelined by injury presumably for 3-6 months, what are the odds that Gi'Bran Payne breaks into the rotation this year? Along that same vein, would/should/could Jadarian Price do some slot work to bolster the passing game or all simply too early to tell?

Eric Hansen

1:32

Bobby, simmer down now. I believe Notre Dame will be able to find a match in the portal his month. Not easy, as I've mentioned many times, with undergrads. Jayden Thomas did surge this spring. I think Colzie will this summer. And Lorenzo Styles will be WR No. 1. I'm not sure how Tobias will fit, but he's confident and running track to get ready. Lenzy had a really good spring, but yes those three all have injuries histories. So ask me again in a month. And if you're still on edge, maybe we can discuss it over a beverage.

Bobby - Cleveland, Ohio

1:17

Hi Eric! Calm my nerves about the Irish's wide receiver squad. All of the 5th year seniors (Davis, Lenzy, and Wilkins Jr.) seem to have injury histories and haven't shown a lot of production. Davis is still coming back from his ACL surgery and Wilkins recently broke his foot. Behind them are the 3 soon-to-be-sophomores, only 1 of which played significant minutes. Will Jayden Thomas or Deion Colzie emerge? Will Tobias Merriweather, the only incoming freshman, be forced on the field? Are there any hopes of getting a WR in the transfer portal?

Eric Hansen

1:16

Lorne, a lot of people -- including Austin -- were shocked, especially in light of his elite testing numbers. His medicals, his 2019 suspension and his inconsistnecies in 2021 apparently all added up to too much risk for a draft pick. It wouldn't surprise me if he made a roster this fall.

Lorne

1:14

Lorne from Reno. While many people thought Kevin Austin would benefit from another year in college, I'm sure most people were surprised that he wasn't drafted, especially given the emphasis on WR's in the NFL and in the draft. Have you heard of any latent concerns that affected his status (health issue like the JOK thing, etc.)? I know he was a little rusty this year -- which likely wouldn't have been the case with another full season in college -- but "undrafted" seems inexplicable.

Eric Hansen

1:14

Frank, to my understanding, there is that kind of scholarship flexibility when it comes to Ron Powlus III. As far as the worthiness of a walk-on earning a scholarship, I trust the coaching staff to assess those situations based on whatr those players bring to the program. I'm not about to question that.

Frank from Royse City, Texas

1:12

Eric, can Paulis go to school free because of his Dad working at ND? If so, doesn’t it make sense to open up a scholarship for someone that can help the team. Also, ND has a scholarship Fair catch expert, again the scholarship can be used better!

Eric Hansen

1:12

John, please don't take it personally if I miss a question of yours going forward. Usually, it's sheer volume and not the quality of the question. ... John, I'm not sure if you're asking does ND have the No. 2 class nationally at the moment because they're paying kids illegally or if they've incorporated an effective NIL strategy into the recruiting pitch. Or neither. I think if NIL did not exist, ND would be in contention for a top five class because of Marcus Freeman's personal involvement in recruiting and the standard he sets and the example he sets for his entire staff. Since NIL DOES exist, I believe it's a combination of the Freeman effect, as you call it, and the effective way he and the staff have gone about explaining the NIL options that will exist for them at ND.

John - Palmyra, PA

1:05

You missed my question last week or the week before regarding NIL (and specifically with Dante Moore). I want to believe in what separates Notre Dame from other football factories, and what makes it special. However, I don’t walk around with my head in the sand either. One could assume that Notre Dame has not been paying for players over the last 30 years, given that the talent gap has been exposed over and over again on the national stage. What gives with this current class? I want to believe it’s the Freeman effect, as well as Notre Dame being on the cusp of being relevant once again. Players definitely want to play with other great players, and win at the highest level. I get that, but are these kids signing because they’re being paid?

Eric Hansen

1:03

Haha. For some reason I get way more into Cinco de Mayo than the May 4th Star Wars stuff... Could it be because there might be a TACO BAR? ... Jeff, I remember Marcus saying that and watched that very closely. While the defensive structure wasn't revolutionary, there is a signicant amount of change. I think what eliminated or at least mitigated the frustration is because it was taught so well. Al Golden is a master teacher and adding James Lauinaitias as a grad assistant was a brilliant move along with having Brian Mason work part-time with the rovers/snipers when he wasn't coaching special teams.

Jeff from Phoenix

12:59

May the fourth be with you Eric! Nerd alert. So…..When Marcus Freeman was hired as HC he acknowledged that installing the third defensive coordinator and scheme in three years could be frustrating to his team and result in some learning fatigue. So he indicated that changes to the defense would not be revolutionary but rather complementary to the last strategy. With spring practice completed, have MF and Golden met that objective? I haven’t detected frustration with the players, but what have you heard? Maybe they were more adaptable than MF anticipated? Your thoughts? Thanks

Eric Hansen

12:59

Absolutely. There are many players-only practice sessions and extra throwing sessions. And I would expect Drue Pyne to do the same thing. Remember, having a capable No. 2 QB is going to be very important.

Brian - Ashburn, Va

12:57

Even though Buchner has not been officially named the starter, do you think he will get together with some of the skill players and work on routes and timing on their own time over the summer?

Eric Hansen

12:57

Hi Jim. A definite yes with Kevin Austin. Should have come back. He still can make this work and have an NFL career. Kyren, I don't think that was a mistake. He had family circumstances that he wanted to address that maybe NIL couldn't do. Running backs have limited "tread on the tires" and short careers. The knock on him wasn't a lack of experience or production. It was his speed and his size, which aren't likely to change. I believe 14 backs went ahead of him. Twelve of them were 210 pounds or more. Kyren is 194. The NFL prefers the bigger backs. Again, he can make it work as a late-round draft pick, plus he went to the team he dreamed about playing for (Rams) growing up.

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

12:51

Hi Eric, thanks so much for doing these informative chats. Regardless of how their pro careers may turn out, isn't it a fact that Kyren Williams and Kevin Austin would have significantly improved their draft stock had they come back to ND and delivered productive seasons in 2022? And if neither goes on to make an impact in the pros, won't both of them be viewed as two players who miscalculated by not returning for a final season? Going in the fifth round and being undrafted were clearly disappointing results that neither one expected. Thanks again.

Eric Hansen

12:51

Hi Tom. Thanks for the kind words and the great questions. For question one, the best piece of encouragement I can give you is that it's not unusual for kickers to struggle in the spring in this climate, when their routine and rhythm is disrupted. Blake Grupe does have a long track record, while Josh Bryan is unproven, but both will be able to get around their private kicking coaches this May and into the summer and that can do wonders. Also Zac Yoakam is coming in as a walk-on in June to compete. Question 2 is, yes ND can run more multiple-tight end sets and also move Michael Mayer around the formation. Mitchell Evans and Kevin Bauman each made strong bids this spring to be tight end No. 2. I'm going to have a story later this week on freshman Eli Raridon, and he's way ahead of schedule in recovering from a torn ACL playing basketball. He might be an option if he's fully recovered in August. Let's also see if ND gets WR help from the portal. Then Tommy has lots of options for personnel groups.

Tom Kennesaw, GA

12:45

Hi Eric, always enjoy talking to you in these Chats!!! You are the best without a doubt. Two questions, #1 even before the poor showing in the Spring game I have been very worried about our Kicking game, namely field goals/extra points. With the schedule we have and many close, high anxiety games on tap this season please tell me that you have seen something that won't come back to bite us in the close games??? #2 Even though the TE's beyond MM don't have much experience I think they are still pretty good. If the WR's continue to be so-so do you see TR using more 2 TE sets?? If so who do you think the second TE will be? Thanks again for all you do for us ND fans. Go Irish!!!!

Eric Hansen

12:44

So the overrriding principles are accuracy and fairness. And you keep working to get things on the record, even if it happens after the fact. Remember, there are times the head coach is hamstrung from commenting because of privacy rules. If you've got multiple sources you can trust, then you can report it without attribution, but the nature of the suspension cannot always be reported unless the suspended player cooperates. I hope this doesn't come off as a word salad.

12:41

So let's address your question in a general sense. There are times the university will announce a suspension and other times it will not. There are also times when the kid himself will announced it. Alizé Mack did that when he had to sit out. Sometimes it's a relativve. Dexter Williams' mother told me about his suspension and was candid about it. The VERY BEST scenario always is to have someone put their name to it. If you use an unnamed source, you better be right. Remember when someone had reported Jordan Botelho was going to be suspended for the entire 2021 season? And he was not. (more)

12:36

David, thanks for the question. Let's start with Kevin Austin. If he was really suspended three or four times, then it must have been some kind of double-secret probation. He played in all but two games as a freshman (and may have been in the doghouse for those two late in the season if I remember right). He was suspended for thee entirety of his sophomore season in 2019. Played in two games in 2020 between his first foot fracture and his second. And then played in every game in 2021. Played every spring that there was spring ball to my recollection when healthy. (more)

David from DC

12:30

Thanks for the chat, Eric. When a football player is suspended, either by the university or by the team, and the media learns about it through sources, what is the protocol for reporting this? I read that Kevin Austin was suspended 3 or 4 times during his time with Notre Dame, but I only recall hearing about one of these contemporaneously, when he sat due to academic issues. Are reporters limited in what they can report, for privacy reasons or otherwise?

Eric Hansen

12:30

So there were only 10 players who even were in the draft pool. Next cycle, there will be 41 draft-eligible (most will come back), but 16 will have expiring eligibility or in position to take the COVID exemption. There will be roughly 17 in play to get drafted or make a camp as an undrafted player. Depending on who comes out, the number of drafted players could be anywhere from 8 to maybe 12. ND was coming off its highest three-year total of draftees (21) since 1993-95 (24), so I'd look at this draft as an outlier more than anything else.

12:25

Four players from that 2017 class were drafted in previous years. ... JOK, Aaron Banks, Robert Hainsey and Cole Kmet. ... If you remember, ND has to scramble to fill out the class, flipping several players and adding six right at the end. One of those was JOK, but he was a three-star prospect then. ... I think one of the layers people are missing is what a great job Marcus Freeman did at recruiting his own roster once BK left and Marcus was elevated from DC. You've got six players (not counting transfer Blake Grupe) taking advantage of the COVID exemption extra year. Then you have Jarrett Patterson and Isiah Foskey who came back and would have been day 2 picks. The Sports News projects each of them as first-rounders next year (Brandon Joseph and Michael Mayer too). More

12:17

Andrew, I agree there are a lot of layers here, including some you didn't suggest. ... Let's start wtih recruiting. The 2017 class was not a standout class in total. That's the one ND struggled to hold together during a 4-8 season, all the rumors about Brian Kelly's future and then a mass turnover of assistant coaches. Notre Dame lost six players to poaching in that class -- most ever in the Kelly Era. Typically, the poached players have ended up busts or very average at the poaching school more often than not. This group was loaded. Three have been drafted (Paulsen Adebo, Elijah Hicks, Pete Werner). Two will still be playing in 2022 (Robert Beal at Georgia and Jordan Pouncey at Florida having transferred from Texas). One -- Donovan Jeter (Michigan) just want undrafted. (more)

Guest

12:05

Andrew Barlow, Austin TX. Does the two-pick outcome of the 2022 NFL draft support the narrative that the '21 Irish overachieved with limited talent (ie. great coaching job), recruited poorly in 2016/17, didn't recruit their own roster well for retention, didn't develop the talent they had, fell prey to the transfer portal or all of the above?

Eric Hansen

12:05

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