JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat May 5, 2021 | 5/5/2021

Notre Dame Football Live Chat May 5, 2021

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Eric Hansen

"As it relates to Watts, he’d been nursing a quad contusion, so with X we really like his work when he’s out there, but he’s been kind of plagued by some nagging injuries, so we’re hopeful that he gets out there and he’s able to have a great spring game. But we like his body of work. It just hasn’t been — and I know he’s frustrated too — he just hasn’t been consistent enough.
So hopefully, the game really allows him to have some success."

1:27

Jim. Thanks. It was both uplifting and informing. There was so much I needed to see with my own eyes in order to feel confident about the developments I had only heard about up to that point. ... Putting the JJ issue aside, the ability to transfer an play immediately the next season is likely to create more knee-jerk transfer decisions universally ... at least at first. As it pertains to this specific situation, I don't think they're connected. Lorenzo and Xavier don't have the off-the-field struggles that JJ did. I think Lorenzo will be involved, perhaps in the return game as well. I asked BK specifically about Watts last Thursday and he said: (more)

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

1:12

Greetings Eric, hope it was an uplifting experience for you to be able to once again cover the Irish live and in person at the Blue and Gold game. With the departure of Johnson, there seems to be a palpable fear on the part of many ND fans that a number of other young receivers like Styles and Watts will also get antsy and leave if the don't see the field right away. Do you think this is a realistic concern or just an overreaction to the departure of someone whose eventual exit had many different layers? Take care and keep up your much appreciated work.

Eric Hansen

1:11

Phil. I think you misunderstood the injury report. Bauman did not play because of injury. What was undisclosed was the nature of the injury. Those details in the Zoom age are often hard to come by, at least in a timely fashion. There's nothing, though, to indicate there's a long-term concern with either Kevin's health or his potential to help this team in 2021.

Phil from Foster City, CA

1:08

KEVIN BAUMAN did not play in the Blue-Gold Game. According to the Trib his absence was due to "undisclosed reasons." What's up with that? If he were to leave or be physically unable to perform it would be a much bigger hit to Rees' offensive plans than the loss of Jordan. I remember during summer camp last year when Kelly was raving about Baumann, saying he was nearly as impressive as Mayer. Thanks.

Eric Hansen

1:03

Javier, thanks. I think player development is a shared responsibility with both the player and the coaching staff. The fact that JJ had Kyren Williams in his ear, helping him, is part of the reason I feel JJ is the one who bears most of the responsibility for this not working out. So then I suppose it become an evaluation issue, not for talent, but for fit. But I think sometimes it's worth taking a risk when you believe maturity issues can eventually be overcome. In this case, they could not be. Perhaps at his new school, they will.

Javier from Florida

12:59

Eric, again thanks for keeping us informed about ND football. I insist you are the best! My question this week is on the WR, particularly with Jordan Johnson entering the portal. Is the problem in the evaluation process or the coaching?

Eric Hansen

12:59

Mark. thank you. There was a lot that we didn't learn about the offense because of splitting up the talent and not rolling out all the formations and player personnel groups the Irish could have. ... What I felt I learned are: 1) Tyler Buchner needs to be in the QB conversation, though I expect Jack Coan to win the job. 2) Chris Tyree is surging and they'll need to find ways to get him on the field with Kyren Williams at times. 3) I think there are some good individual pieces for the O-Line. Chemistry will take some time. 4) The backup tight ends surprised me. 5) Lenzy and Keys looked healthy and improved.

Mark, Orange County CA

12:55

Hi Eric, Thank you for this chat. maybe a once a month until summer camp starts? What, if anything, did you learn about ND's offense from the blue and gold game? Thanks as always for the great work that you do.

Eric Hansen

12:55

I think you said very concisely what I and many others have blathered to say in many more words.

Bruce, Centralia, IL

12:54

Eric, when I read that Jordan Johnson had put his name in the transfer portal, I thought, “That is the right move for everybody.” The demands ND makes on its football players are pretty extraordinary, and not everyone is willing or able to buy in at 18 or 19. So why not shake hands and part as friends? JJ could still have a very productive career somewhere else. Is that how you see it, or are the pieces of this story that I don’t know or am not considering? Thanks Eric!

Eric Hansen

12:53

Denny, I was on the Zooms with JOK and Browns personnel Friday night when he was drafted. The Browns were asked about why he might have dropped as well as if they had any medical concerns. They attributed the drop to scheme fit and were thrilled to get him. ESPN's Adam Schefter then reported about possible heart issues prompting the drop. The Browns, JOK and some other NFL sources pushed back on that. Here's the link to a really complete story from cleveland.com on the subject.

As far as undrafted players, ND had five. I wouldn't be shocked if all five made at least the practice squad. I give Tommy Kraemer and Nick McCloud the best chance of sticking.

Denny from Liberty Hill

12:42

Hi Eric. Watching the Blue Gold game on The Fighting Irish network was great. So much better than last spring when only one practice was allowed. My question today is if you know anything about the mentioned heart condition that may have dropped JOK considerably in the NFL draft? He certainly lost potential money dropping out of first round but Cleveland is an exciting landing spot with a rising defense in the league. Here's to hoping he proves himself for a big hike on his second contract. Also do you think a couple undrafted players will make a final roster?

Eric Hansen

12:42

I think there is merit to both of your statements. But there's also some math involved. If you have 10 or more receivers on your roster and you play three at a time — sometimes two because of multiple tight ends — how realistic is it that they're all going to contribute? And if the younger guys only shine and the seniors atrophy, what does that say about player development? Where I very much agree with the questions and the criticism your suggesting is here: Notre Dame is to the point where it can get to the playoff, but it needs to win games there now. And the most glaring difference between the teams winning playoff games and the Irish is talent/development at the wide receiver position (and elite QB play to go with it). When I say elite QB play, I'm talking about a pass-efficiency rating in the top 15 nationally. Again, that's not all on the QB. WR play factors in too.

Dave from DC

12:35

Hey Eric, what are the thoughts around the gug about WR recruiting and development? I think that Jordan Johnson is a case of a player who didn’t fit or do what was required to be in the program. I also think it’s true, separately from Johnson, that the program has a poor track record of getting talented wideouts to make meaningful contributions on the field prior to their senior seasons.

Eric Hansen

12:34

I think Deion Colzie much more so than Jayden Thomas, because Colzie offers a skill set — specifically size (6-3, 200) — that there isn't much of on the ND roster. ,,, He's tearing if up this spring on the Georgia high school track circuit. He recently went 6-8 in the high jump and has a 10.87 100-meter dash without lots of season left to improve upon that time.

cederick walker saginaw michigan

12:28

ced walker saginaw do u think jayden thomas , deion colzie have a shot at wr playing as true freshmen

Eric Hansen

12:28

Most importantly, I think we need to see Kevin Austin Jr. -- if healthy -- become the dominant receiver that he's projected to be. He is a top 5 roster piece and needs to play like one. All of those things, plus recruiting in the 2022 cycle, will answer the referendum on Del, at least from the outside looking in. I think it's fair to wait until those results are in.

12:26

John, DelVaughn Alexander is certainly under the microscope this season, at least externally. We had Miles Boykin on our Pod of Gold podcast a few episodes ago, and he raved about Del. So that's one point of view to consider. Another, though, is player development over a 4-plus-year stretch. Taking Jordan Johnson out of it, there are still questions there. My thought going into the spring was that we needed to see guys like Braden Lenzy, Lawrence Keys III and Joe Wilkins take significant strides this spring. I think that happened with Lenzy and Keys, especially. I also felt we needed to see development with Lorenzo Styles Jr., Xavier Watts and JJ. That was a mixed bag. (more)

John, from. Yes Freedom nh

12:19

IMHO, coach Del is the weak link in a great staff. I believe coach Long was Instrumental in his hiring.If he doesn't up his game, will this be his final year? What's his rep like among coaches? Thank you

Eric Hansen

12:18

I think you can have patience as a staff if you see progress. But if you compromise, then you compromise the culture you worked so hard to build. Jordan Johnson showed flashes of promise in practice, from what I'm told. I think a fully engaged JJ would have helped ND's offense in 2020. I do not think it would have altered the final 10-2 record. The problem was he wasn't fully engaged in any significant stretches. So what would you get in a game from him? Likely very inconsistent performances.

12:15

Robert. The best way for me to answer your first question about whether anyone saw this coming is that ND coach Brian Kelly's 2016 reboot included a conviction on his part to raise the standards of the program and never compromise on them. When you do that, you've drawn a line and you risk losing players — sometimes very talented ones — who show an unwillingness to meet those standards. Dexter Williams and Kevin Austin Jr. are examples of players who initially fell short and stayed committed to maturing through the process and getting there. Jordan Botelho also fell short but is moving in the right direction. (more)

Robert from Sartell MN

12:08

Sad to see Jordan Johnson go, BUT let’s be honest. He never caught a pass or ran the ball in a game for a single yard. I will miss the two more years Tommy Tremble could have contributed. I guess my question is this: did everyone on staff see this coming AND did anyone really think he was that special in ND practices? I never saw anything in coverage of practices that claimed that Jordan Johnson was THE ANSWER to our future WR questions. I wish the kid well, but I’m not expecting a first round NFL DRAFT in his future.

Eric Hansen

Off ... we ... go ...

PLEASE remember to include your name and hometown with your question.

12:07

Here are the rules.

Feel free to ask about anything else, or JJ as well if there's an aspect you think someone might have missed.

12:06

We'll cover that ground in depth, but we probably don't need any more JJ questions during the live portion now, unless it's a follow-up question in which more clarity is needed.

12:04

The queue is overflowing with Jordan Johnson questions, as you might expect.

12:03

We'll be chatting intermittently over the next couple of months, then shift back to weekly mode when training camp starts in August.

12:02

Welcome to the final Notre Dame Football Live Chat of the spring season.

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