JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Nov. 11, 2026

Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Nov. 11, 2026

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Eric Hansen

2:04

So let me get your PFF scores on Craig and Zackery. A score of 60 is the starting point and the average. So it's not a D-minus, as it would be in school. Let's start with center Ashton Craig. His overall score was 40.0. That's not only the lowest score of the 17 ND offensive players who saw action against Miami, it's Craig's career low. Is it an outlier? His 71.6 vs. Navy the previous game was his season high. Zackery was at 49.9, which was 18th among the 21 Irish defensive players who saw action. (more)

1:57

Hi Tom!!! I was hitting the Keurig machine on Saturday night, so it sounds like your house was a lot more entertaining LOL. Thanks for the game ball choice affirmation. Notre Dame used to announce those, but they don't anymore. Hope to have some intel soon. The only one who is clearly back of that bunch is Jayden Sanders. That is official. Not sure there is a pressing need to push the others with regard to their timeline. (more)

Tom F, Kennesaw, GA

1:52

Hey Eric!!! What a weekend and win!!!! I had the best Jack and Coke Saturday night!!!! Liked the game balls you handed out. Were they the same as what CMF handed out after the game??? Do you have any updated, behind the scenes intel on when McKennie, Brewu, Onye and Sanders will be available??????? When ND's defense is healthy there is none better!!! It appears as though Ashton Craig and Mark Zachary are both really struggling. Do you and PFF see it the same way????? If so, what are some alternatives??? Glad to see Premer get a lot more PT, but watching him try to block, he has to get much, much stronger. Do you agree???? Let's hope that both the OL and DL continue to dominate our opponents!!! Go Irish!!!!!!!!

Eric Hansen

1:52

Boston College is struggling on both sides of the ball lately. Earlier in the season, the Eagles had cleaned some things up on defense and were surging. No longer. The best thing they have going for them is their dual-threat QB, Mason McKenzie, a D2 transfer who is their leading rusher. They're also pretty good about creating takeaways with their defense. That's the list.

1:46

The next possession was also a three-and-out. This one maybe qualifies as conservative, but maybe just poor execution. ND faces and second-and-3 and ran two running plays. Each netted 1 yard, so the smart thing to do was punt at that point. Marcus Freeman talked about when and why his team throws short of the sticks. We can all agree third-down conversions is an area that needs to improve over the last three regular-season games, for sure. ... Ashton Craig struggled Saturday, and the good news is Joe Otting is in the wings if a change needs to be made. It'll be interesting to see how Craig responds in practice this week. (more)

1:42

Hi Marie. Thanks for the compliments. I might not be understanding the concept of conservative, but by my standards, it was not. Notre Dame got the ball four times in the third quarter. It scored TDs on two of the four, with the fourth possession stretching into the fourth quarter when the TD was scored. The other two drives were 3-and-outs. On the first of those -- ND's second drive of the third quarter -- Carr threw three passes, and two were deep balls, so that doesn't feel convervative to me. (more)

Marie from Atlanta

1:34

hey Eric, I hope you’re having a great week. What a fantastic game this weekend I’m sure you must be exhausted from all you had to do but your coverage was amazing. Did you feel that Denbrock got a little conservative in the second half? Denbrock seems to have a tendency to throw short of the sticks on third and mid and third and long and most of the time a conversion is not made. With the third Down conversion rate not being that great this season do you think this is something he needs to stop doing? I know occasionally he is trying to set up fourth down but a lot of the times they are not going for it on fourth down. Ashton. Craig had a very rough game, and they’re still seem to be some problems with his snaps, are you at all concerned about the Center position moving forward? Changing topics, what threats can Boston College pose for the Irish this weekend? as always, thanks for hosting the chat and all the great insights.

Eric Hansen

1:34

Hi Cllint. There were issues with then wide receivers coach Chansi Stuckey and a number of wide receivers at the time. Shortly after Flores announced he was leaving, Freeman fired Stuckey. Mike Brown came aboard while ND was preparing for the Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl in December of 2023. I haven't talked to him, so I am not sure he regrets it, but his biggest stumbling block has been injuries since he left ND after his freshman year. Flores hasn't played a full season since at UCLA (2024 and 2025) or this year at Virginia. In fact, he was lost for the season after four games in 2026 with a knee injury.

Clint from Winnipeg

1:27

What were the reasons that Rico Flores chose to transfer from Notre Dame? He's had a somewhat star-crossed career since. Do you think he regrets that decision?

Eric Hansen

1:27

Walk-ons rising to prominence is not unique to ND, but we're going to see less of it with fewer walk-ons on 105-player rosters and the line blurring between walk-ons and scholarship players, because they can receive money in other ways legally now.

1:24

Jonathan!!!! You no longer have to hide away! And thanks for your relative restraint. Let's get to your gamut of questions. 1) The first steps of portal scouting always go to Matt Jansen, director of player evaluations at Notre Dame. He starts building a data base in July and massages that data base throughout the year and the vets each position group and ND's portal goals come into focus. Then it's Mike Martin, Marcus Freeman and the assistant coaches. So former DBs coach Mike Mickens would have been heavily involved in the Sanders and McKinney decisions, because he had not yet left for the Ravens. (more)

Jonathan from Hideaway, TX

1:17

Eric!!! Miami!!! Number 1 no more!!! Darian Mensah no longer 80+% completion rate!!! ND no longer getting schedule-whipped!!! Today I’m drinking, barefoot, and considering 17-parts!!! But for you, I’ve trimmed it down: (1) The night/day difference between Moore AND Sanders vs. Moore OR Sanders was on full display on Saturday night. That advantage came from a surprise 2-cornerback portal class. Who deserves credit for the piling on at that position? General Manager MM’s recruiting philosophy? Coach BJM’s Michigan connection? The doubt-erasing mantra of HCMF? A similar plan seems to have been in place for stacking defensive tackles. (2) The biggest, best, most important, and most-NFL-like of plays were made by transcendent walk-ons Talich and Faison. Is this unique to ND? Not just 1 but 2, not just contributing but dominating, not just in key moments but on the biggest of stages against the best of competition? Seems like it’s time to call Hollywood. The Rudy sequel is writing itself.

Eric Hansen

1:16

Hi Mike/Mo from Eric/Eric !!!^!!! Irrespective of whether Zackery gets it together and DJ McKinney is able to be a starter again in late November (he is at the very least expected to be back for the CFP), getting Pouncey ready is a smart move. He is talented and ready, and the game reps will only help. I think Adams is less of a priority unless there's an injury. Super talented and confident kid who's going to be a star. But he got behind with his March surgery and recovery and I think will emerge in 2027.

Mike AKA Mo from Maumee OH

1:12

Hi Eric !!!^!!! GREAT relief after ND took down the Hurricanes. Thankfully, on the defensive side of the ball, the Irish look deep EXCEPT for one notable exception: cornerback. My intent is not to pick on one particular player, but he looked absolutely LOST when he substituted for Moore & Sanders when they left the game for minor injuries. Seems like he received some early playing time as a frosh last season, but wasn't quite up to the task. Using the example of TE Premer, the 5 star frosh who has looked impressive (at least to me) handling his blocking assignments as well as catching the football, maybe it's time to let the two highly rated frosh CB's, Adams & Pouncey, play meaningful minutes over the next three games in order to get them ready when ND makes it's Playoff run? Your thoughts? Thanks!!!^!!!

Eric Hansen

1:12

It did not. A lot of teams' top priority is having the ball to start the second half and winning the "middle eight." That is scoring points right before half and having the ball last, then having it first in the third quarter.

Rick- Peoria

1:11

Miami won the opening toss and deferred...I was very surprised 😮 that Miami's 4th quarter drives going away from student section 😳 🤔 Did that surprise you ?

Eric Hansen

"That's what hopefully all of our players will do is not let the maybe outside opinions or your thoughts of the outside opinions affect your confidence. That comes through success too, though, right? I don't want false confidence. You are doing something and having success, maybe now it's in practice because you can't do it in the game right now. And when you trust your technique and you have confidence built in practice, now it gives you the confidence. Okay, I'm ready to go do it in the game. But right now it's going to be how do we create situations where you're building that confidence in practice.”

1:10

“That's not a young [player] problem. That's a human problem. When you have failure, and you feel like a lot of people see it, you can at times question yourself. That's not a young player. That's everybody. What you’ve got to do is you got to be strong on the inside, and you’ve got to believe in your ability. You’ve got to believe there's an answer to the problem. There's a solution. Like, how do we make sure we do it? And that's what Mark would do.

1:05

As far as Drescher, he has the best leg of ND's options. Can they get his head right? That's what this week of practice will tell us. Having interviewed him before, he's a pretty grounded, mature young man who played a lot of sports besides just being a kicker and knows how to bounce back. I sense he will. With regard to Zackery, let me share this quote from Marcus Freeman about players bouncing back from adversity, which was asked with Zackery in mind: (more)

1:02

Rick, thank you for coming out to the signing. And I remember right, you are a HUGE Ohio State fan right? Kidding. ... I agree with you on Luke Talich. I vote on the AP All-America team and I know he'll be in my thought process and I'm sure for others as well. But if the season ended today, he's played at that kind of level and just seems to be getting better by the week. And he's done it much of the season with either a cast on your wrist/hand or with it heavily taped. (more)

Rick from Ohio

12:53

Eric, it was great meeting you at the book signing Friday before the Miami game. Your knowledge and expertise of Notre Dame football is second to none. My questions were somewhat answered on the football never sleeps show but I wanted to express my thoughts on the play of Luke Talich. I think he is the most valuable player on the defensive unit and deserves all American recognition. He reminds me of Harrison Smith. Do you think Drescher will kick off anymore? I remember him kicking perhaps two other balls out of bounds. Finally the play of Mark Zackery is confusing. In his brief stint on the basketball team last season he looked extremely quick. Do you think his failures in coverage are technique related or something else? Thanks for your time.

Eric Hansen

12:53

Hi Boston. A hard no on that one. That's not what playing a team sport for a coach who's culture is built around team glory is about. Now could they have fun with it in a blowout game with a particular play? Maybe. But to pad stats sends an awful message. Just win games and the honors will take care of themselves.

BostonIrish

12:51

Is it time for Coach Denbrock to put CJ’s Heisman Campaign into the game plan and pad some stats.

Eric Hansen

12:51

Some of it might be youth. Micah Drescher and Jasper Scaife are both freshman and that was a pretty big moment for both of them. But it's been a trend this season and something to ask about in a presser soon. Thanks for the nudge.

12:48

Hey Beth! I am going to hold you to it. In fact, if you, or anyone else wants to snap a photo of themselves eating one during our livestream the Sunday after Thanksgiving, please send them to me and we'll show them off on that Monday's Football Never Sleeps show. BUT FIRST ND has to win the next three November games as well. I think there have been some high highs and some puzzling lows with special teams this season. I don't think it's related to special teams coordinator Marty Biaggi's workload, because he has more help than ever and it was working very good last year with the same arrangement. (more)

Beth from Westfield

12:44

Hey Eric!! I am getting excited about Turkey Leg Day! I will eat one with you only not on live stream. Anyway, why have our special teams not been that special? Kicking balls out of bounds, poor punts, missed field goals. Faison return only bright spot. Is it because Biaggi also coaches safeties?

Eric Hansen

12:43

Dan!!!! You must have gotten that 20 bucks I stuck in your coat pocket! Thanks for the kind words. It was a blast meeting you, and I am glad to see you are a man of honor in keeping your promise to me! The culture is real and palpable and not something you just throw out there as a talking point. And some coaches and media do that. But at ND, culture wins. So I think you asked an excellent question, and I hope I matched that with my answer. And thanks again for putting up with us at the signing.

Dan from LaPorte, IN

12:41

Hi Eric! It was an honor to meet you at your book signing last Friday where you made me promise that if Miami lost, I had to submit my 2nd ever question to the chat, and my first since 10/29/2014, so here I am! My question is an easy one: How awesome is Marcus Freeman and the culture/attitude he has created for this team?? As a fan, I have never been this excited nor felt as confident about ND’s place in the college football landscape as I do now. ND Nation is lucky to have him, and we are equally as lucky to have the legendary Eric Hansen sharing his own superior abilities and insights with us. Thanks!!!

Eric Hansen

12:40

Hi Ed. It was an amazing experience to cover it and a privileg to do so. I don't think fixing officiating is related to eliminating conference championships, unless you are making a case for both being pains in the you know what. Ed, they have been talking about new organizational structures for decades re officiating and nothing has happened of significance. I'm not sure that solves all the problems anyway.

Ed from Sayville NY

12:37

Hello Eric. Great battle to the finish last Saturday. I’m sure you enjoyed the experience of covering it. Yet another big game with the officials once again on the spot. Warrented or unwarranted controversy ensues. Now that conference championship games are about to become another thing of the past, do you think officiating will come under a new organizational structure?

Eric Hansen

12:36

CJ Carr went from preseason Heisman contender to invisible to new Heisman favorite (per Polymarket) after the Miami game. ND has had a plan all along in case his performances aligned with a Heisman campaign. We'll probably see them soon. They were ready to meet the moment, and on Saturday night, so was CJ Carr.

12:33

Aloha Eddie, and a very astute observation on your part. I wrote an in-depth piece on the very subject last fall as it pertained to Jeremiyah Love. The way Heisman voters process information and the way smart campaigns are run are very different than when I was first in the business (my first Heisman ballot had Doug Flutie at the top of it if you're wondering how old of a dinosaur I am). Back in those days, if you were promoting a player, he had to hit it early and often and be creative. And if you weren't known from the season before, it was a realy uphill battle. Now the guys who get the early hype tend to burn out, because people start to think of reasons NOT to vote for them instead of reasons TO vote for them. (more)

Eddie from Honolulu

12:25

Aloha Eric, So blessed to be part of this group, fans, and university. I remember Heisman campaigns being major movements in the past. Now I feel it’s won and lost in November. Does ND scheme their game plan differently now that the award is within CJ’s reach?

Eric Hansen

12:25

I asked Marcus Freeman about Adon Shuler last Thursday and again this is a player Marcus Freeman believes can and will play better. And he did against Miami, the best he's been in weeks. But not to his typical elite level. Keep in mind the young man lost his father right as the season started. That's a heavy burden for someone at any age to carry. But he has been such a great leader and has the respect of his teammates, I expect him to continue to make incremental improvements back to his best self.

12:21

And maybe coming in cold off the bench is still something he's adjusting to. In the three games he started last year, he was pretty good and not nearly as good in the games he rotated in. The bottom line is he's a very talented kid with some experience. He and ND both have to get him right. And if that continues to be a struggle, I think it's fair to look at some other options. But again part of Zackery's issues were scheme. (more)

12:19

Marcus Freeman addressed this through a series of questions at his Monday press conference. And we'll tease that out with some other similar questions. But the bottom line is Mark Zackery shows up in practice, but it's not translating to the games as it should. Could you put Gray at one of the corners and move Dallas Golden into a starting spot? You could, but against certain teams you might be weakening yourself at two positions. Per Freeman, the biggest thing that went wrong was not enough safety help for Zackery and poor technique by Zackery. (more)

12:16

Hi Dave, Let me skip the special teams question for now, because a lot of others are asking about it and I don't want it to get lost in the answer about Mark Zackery. (more)

Dave from Mitchell, GA

12:10

Hi Eric! Big, big win and I couldn't be happier. I was extremely impressed with the defensive effort in the first half...second half was a little sketchy and that gets to my first question regarding the play of Mark Zachery. I understand he is young and it's hard to come into a game like that cold but he looked completely lost. Is he really our best option when McKinney and Sanders are out? What about putting Gray out there and moving someone else to nickel? What does Ash need to do to stop the slant. It was killing us and other teams will pick up on that. Next question, what in God's name is going on with the kickoffs??? Two times in a row out of bounds?? I believe that is 4 times this season and 3 from Drescher. He does not need to be kicking off anymore. There were some bad punts too. What is the issue with our special teams this year? Last question, is Shuler hurt? He is not playing with the same downhill speed he has in the past. He shouldn't get beaten on a corner fade by a TE. Thanks my man!

Eric Hansen

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

12:08

Every single one on this list is rescinded this week in a tip of the cap to the Miami upset. ... So behave as much as you can, but have fun.

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