JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 2, 2022

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 2, 2022

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Eric Hansen

2:03

Hi Marie. Thank you. I think the three most important elements for a possible ND upset of Clemson are: 1) Be at least +2 in turovers. 2) Win both lines of scrimmage. 3) Drew Pyne needs to be around 70 percent of so in his passing accuracy. ... I don't know whether Clemson will show the drop 8, rush 3 looks that have bothered Pyne the past three weeks. But if the Tigers do, you should see more checkdowns to the back and Pyne taking off and getting 6-8 yards running the ball. I think that's the best way to attack that.

Marie from Atlanta

1:58

Hi Eric, I hope you’re having a great week. What three things do you think have to happen this weekend for Notre Dame to win the game? Do you think we will see more use of the running backs in the passing game this weekend, as we will not be able to run the ball as easily against Clemson. It seems like they have been forgotten about in the passing game recently. Is this by design or do you think Pine is just not seeing the read/check down. Also, I know Pine is not the runner Buchner is or even Book was but on the few plays where he has taken off he has been pretty decent. Would you consider a few Designed QB runs just to keep Clemson on their toes? Thanks for hosting the chat and for all your great insights.

Eric Hansen

1:58

Hi Joe. I've posted the quote from Marcus a couple of times in the chat, so I will hold back today, but essentially OC Tommy Rees told him Buchner and Pyne were both capable of playing championship football, so the transfer portal interest ended there. And keep in mind, if JT Daniels walked in the door, another QB may have walked out. Two things that did not weigh in JT's favor. He was not available until AFTER spring practice and spring semester. And, I heard he was looking for a school where he would be guaranteed to be the starter. ... And taking a glance at how he's doing? Not good. He's 87th in pass efficiency at West Virginia this season (128.1). The Mountaineers (3-5, 1-4) at in ninth place in the Big 12.

Guest

1:49

Joe H Williams Bay Wi Hi Eric Nice victory by the Irish Saturday but once again unsatisfying due to a very subpar quarterbacking performance I don’t Drew Pyne as much as I blame Notre Dame coaching staff for their mismanagement of the quarterback position How in the world could they have gone into this season with no backup plan in case of an injury (which was highly likely)to Tyler Buchner I was told that JT Daniels would have jumped at the chance to play at ND and Im sure there were others as well. I wonder if first do you think my Daniels statement is true and secondly do you think there was any reason other than fear of a Buchner transfer why they did not act

Eric Hansen

1:49

Hi Franklin. I asked about Wilkins a couple of weeks ago or so, because I wondered the same thing. He's played in five games -- 27 offensive snaps with no catches and 18 plays on kickoff returns. He's competing for playing time with two surging players -- Deion Colzie and Tobias Merriweather. Marcus Freeman tells me he's not still hurt, so his lack of playing time seems perplexing to me as well.

Franklin Bash, Medford MA

1:44

Hi Eric, hope all is well with you. I am confused about the absence of Wilkins in the WR rotation. We have seen the kid is talented and can make plays and help the offense in season's past. What's the story at this point, still hampered by his injury? Surely he can help in the pass game, no?

Eric Hansen

1:44

I saw so little of him in truly competitive situations in spring practice and fall camp, it's hard to gauge with the eye test. We actually had Steve on our podcast back when Tyler and I were still at the South Bend Tribune. There's a lot to like but more unknowns. He's intelligent, a decent athlete, smart, played against very good high school competition and mature. He also knows very limited parts of the playbook, would need help in recognizing fronts and sliding protections at the line of scrimmage, things like that. I could see him looking good coming into a game and finishing. I think he would struggle at this stage of his career to be a starter. He might have a higher ceiling than Drew Pyne but I don't believe it's higher than Tyler Buchner's.

Darwin Dunlap, Columbus Ohio

1:37

Hi Eric, I'll come right down the barrel with it and ask how good is Steve Angeli and what do you envision his potential to be? I am intrigued by the kid, gotta say. Maybe it comes from of my dissatisfaction with the current QB play, but Angeli seems to bring a hop in his step and a spark/confidence that leads me to think that perhaps he is being overlooked in favor of guy's like 2024 Carr. He has yet to even see a year in the Balis strength program and feel he could develop into a specimen as well. Just curious to get your insider take on where Angeli is at in terms of his development, grasp of the offense, and growth potential moving forward. I'm rootin for the kid! Rooting for Pyne as well but......... will leave it at that.

Eric Hansen

1:34

Hi Tom. I didn't get the sense Phil Jorkovec had issues with Rees, but he sure had them with former OC Chip Long and apparently Brian Kelly as well. Had he elected to stay and come back for a fifth year, yes he'd likely be the starter. ... But as I pointed out in my Sunday analysis, he's struggling at BC, While Drew Pyne has slipped from No. 7 nationally in completion percentage after ND’s Oct. 8 win over BYU in Las Vegas to No. 72. And in passing efficiency, the slide’s been a little less dramatic — from 17th to 52nd (143.7).
But Jurkovec, playing with one of the nation’s worst offensive lines and paired with the FBS’s worst rushing attack, ranks 40 spots below, at No. 92 (125.9).

Tom from Sister Lakes, MI

1:27

Hi Eric, Tommy Rees has caught a lot of flak lately for the lackluster quality of the quarterback room. Refresh my memory, but wouldn’t Phil Jurkovec still be the qb if he had not transferred to BC? ND wouldn’t be in a situation where a jv quarterback is starting on the varsity. And based on the vitriol PJ recently spewed at Kelly, it didn’t sound like it was TR’s fault PJ left. What’s your take on this?

Eric Hansen

1:27

Happy Clemson week to you. Brandyn Hillman is a three-star multi-position athlete from Portsmouth, Va., who had one FCS offer and 0 FBS offers heading into his senior season. The 6-1, 200-pounder is a multiple-position athlete, whose recruiting has blown up since late September. For ND, he could play running back, wide receiver or safety full time. He does fit the profile was a Wildcat quarterback, but not a full-time one. If he has to pick a school today. I think ND would be the favorite. But he's still taking visits ahead of his Dec. 7 announcement date.

Tugg Speedman, Los Angeles CA

1:18

Hi Eric, happy Clemson week to you sir and shouts to the most confusing ND team in recent memory. My question is one of QB recruitment. One of the recent kids on the board who I am more excited about than any other propsect in recent memory is none other than Brandyn Hillman, as he can only be described as a weapon. A kid who, judging by his film, can just as easily throw a 50 yard TD as he can come downfield in a bad mood as a safety and decapitate a skilled ball carrier. Just a football player's football player who can seemingly make any program better. Firstly what do you think the odds are that he commits Irish in December and secondly, if he does find his way to South Bend, do you think we give him a look at QB? Personally i would love to see it. The man is a peacock and ya gotta let him fly! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts as always. Tugger out!

Eric Hansen

1:17

Replacing Patterson was just to give him some relief as ND took control of the game. Yes, he can play as much as his pain threshold will allow. He won't really have a chance to rest the foot (from a foot sprain) until December. We had a chance to chat with him Tuesday night, and here's what he said about managing the condition on a day-to-day basis:

“It kind of goes with working with training staff, and then (O-line) coach (Harry) Hiestand does a good job just rep practice management. Sometimes a walking boot is necessary just to ease that soreness of walking to class during the day, so I get to practice with as much juice as I have.”

Bill from St Joe

1:10

Eric, as always thanks much for hosting these excellent chats. I noticed that at about the 5 1/2 minute mark of the 4th Qtr, Andrew Kristofic replaced Jarrett Patterson but none of the other O Linemen were replaced. Was that precautionary, or does Patterson still have lingering issues? Mayer was also replaced on the same drive.

Eric Hansen

1:08

Hi Jay. When he first got hurt, I thought he'd still be the starter when the 2023 season opened Aug. 26 in Dublin, Ireland against Navy. My thinking has shifted somewhat. I now believe ND should and will pursue a grad transfer quarterback to COMPETE for the starting job. Not be guaranteed it. So if Buchner wins that competition, it should tell us three things: 1) He's still a better option than a now-experienced Drew Pyne. 2) He's 100 percent healthy. 3) He has overcome missing all the game experience he could have gained this season.

Jay, Granger

1:00

Do you think Buchner or Pyne will ever be. a starting QB for ND in the 2023 season or beyond?

Eric Hansen

1:00

Hi Mike. Yes, Bill Rees is still at ND, as the director of scouting. I think if ND had a shot at Clemson QB commit Christopher Vizzina and/or Oklahoma recruit Jackson Arnold, they would have been headed to campus this weekend. That's not happening, so no.

Mike costa mesa calif.

12:52

Can you please tell me if Bill Rees was retained by freeman ? If he wasn't who took his place? Does ND have a shot with VIZZENA or the Oklahoma recruit QB. Thank You

Eric Hansen

12:51

Hi Tim from Massachusetts. In the first instance, that was actually Deion Colzie and not Clarence Lewis. Colzie wore No. 6 instead of 16 that game, because he and Brandon Joseph (also 16) were going to be on the field at the same time for some special teams plays. On the Syrcause game, I'll have to go back and watch that play, but Pro Football Focus film reviews every game and charts snaps, and Watts didn't appear on offense, according to them. Maybe it was Chris Tyree (25) that you saw and not No. 26. ... As far as officiating goes, I don't notice a lot of the bad calls, because I don't generally rewatch the games in their entirety and I'm focused on other aspects as I'm watching live. Yes, I do notice blatant bad calls or missed calls on a sort of isolated instance. And, yes I have heard from fans and fellow media members the Syracuse game officiating was pretty bad overall.

Tim Thompson Nantucket

12:44

Wondering if anybody else noticed a couple of oddities. On the now-popular tight-end sneak, when first utilized in the UNLV game Clarence Lewis was on the right side. In the game at Syracuse, Xavier Watts appeared on one offensive play running the route of an end-around/jet sweep. How did we feel about the officiating last week…a mythical call on J.D. Bertrand and a missed taunting call on Syracuse receiver, plus the Irish d-line was held on every play, especially when moving laterally.

Eric Hansen

12:40

The next stage in the evolution of the program is winning some of these games against top 5 teams. Lou Holtz started out 0-4, then won 13 of the next 17 to finish out his regime. ND was 1-18 against the Top 5 in the 19 such games that preceded 2020 Clemson at Notre Dame Stadium and is 0-3 since. So, if Notre Dame wins this Saturday night, it's meaningful. But if they win and don't go into the USC game at 8-3, then the Irish are still in that growing pains stage. As far as Jack Swarbrick, the last time I asked for and got an interview was last spring. It took four months to make it happen. It was worth it. My plan is to try to connect after the season. I can't speak to what othes have tried or are trying to do.

12:35

Thanks for joining us, Phil. Much appreciated. I hear you oin the home-field issues. ... In comparing big games on big stages, to me what comes after is every bit as important as what happens in the big game. For instance, ND's win at Oklahoma in 2012 eventually led to a No. 1 ranking, a win at USC and a berth in the national championship game. It is perhaps the MOST significant game of the post-Lou Holtz Era. Compare it to the Bush Push game in 2005. Most people in the press box that day felt like it was the best game they had ever seen. And it felt like it was going to change the program forever. And it didn't. Over time, it's become a cool Notre Dame moment, but not a program building block. (more)

Phil - Litchfield, CT

12:28

Hi Eric, Thanks for all your great coverage of ND football. FYI ~ I'm NOT planning to renew my subscription to ND Insider at the SBT. I'd rather follow the great coverage provided by you, Tyler, and the rest. Two questions this week: Can you send a note to each ND coach and player and tell them this game is @ at ranked Clemson team's stadium. Not sure we can handle the home field advantage pressure (sheesh!). That's not really my first question but do you see this game perhaps being like the notable visit to Oklahoma in 2012 that makes a serious mark on this team's resume? Second question is not related to the game or the season but more of a behind the scenes question. I have not seen or heard much from J. Swarbrick this year. In comparison, he seemed to be tied to Brian Kelly's hip during his first years, in good times, and especially when things weren't going well on the field, or when there were significant controversies (academic impropriety) or the tragedy of Declan Sullivan. Only me??

Eric Hansen

JANUARY ENROLLMENT
LB Jaiden Ausberry
LB Drayk Bowen
S Peyton Bowen
RB Dylan Edwards
WR Rico Flores Jr.
CB Christian Gray
WR Jaden Greathouse
WR Braylon James
RB Jayden Limar
OL Sam Pendleton
DT Devan Houstan
DB Ben Minich
S Adon Shuler
LB Preston Zinter
JUNE ENROLLMENT
OT Sullivan Absher
CB Micah Bell
TE Cooper Flanagan
OT Charles Jagusah
RB Jeremiyah Love
DE Armel Mukam
OG Joe Otting
DE Boubacar Traore
DE Brenan Vernon

12:27

Hi Jimmy. It's a big recruiting weekend on a lot of levels. Kyle Kelly has a visitors preview. As far as who's enrolling early and who's not this is the way they're trending, barring any 11th-hour changes:

Jimmy, Boston MA

12:20

Hi Eric, i hope your week is going smoothly. Should be an interesting one on Saturday night! My question is one that may be too early for you to have an answer for but is there any idea currently regarding who among the current commits may enroll early? Hoping all the WRs do haha! I'm assuming we won't know more until they are officially signed but figured I would ask to see whether you have a sense of any developments on that front. Thanks and enjoy the game on Saturday!

Eric Hansen

12:17

I think that can and probably should be a consideration in the offseason. I can see why it wasn't a stronger consideration this season, because Logan Diggs wasn't fully healthy at the start of the season and Jadarian Price was out for the season. Freshman Gi'Bran Payne has not taken an offensive snap. Next year, Price and three newcomers will add speed to the mix -- Jayden Limar, Jeremiyah Love and Dylan Edwards. AND ND will likely still be light on WR numbers. So I will agree with you and say you are livin the vida inteligente.

12:11

Rick, thanks for the compliments and the exclamation point. Yours in one of many questions asking about, hinting at or outright demanding a position change/transition for junior RB Chris Tyree to slot receiver. But no one else included the concept of "la vida loca" so we'll go with yours. ... Tyree has dabbled in the slot already this year. And that versatility gives offensive coordinator Tommy Rees formational and play-calling flexibility this season. Tyree is ND's third-leading rusher and third-leading receiver. Can he make the move to slot receiver full time? (more)

Rick (not Ricky) Martin, La Grange Illinois

12:05

Eric! I hope the week is going smoothly for you sir, love your work and appreciate you doing these weekly Q&A's, they're great. My question relates to the ND rb room. My impression is that Diggs and Estime have firmly established themselves as extremely talented, young 1 and 2 backs (no particular order) for the Irish offense. With that being the case do you feel there are any rumblings that Tyree could transition to the slot where i think he may be better suited in terms of his skill set and perhaps projects better as a slot guy at the next level? Anything to get more speed and talent on the field to supplement the challenged passing game. Curious to see whether you agree and can see that happening or if I'm simply livin la vida loca over here.

Eric Hansen

Let's get started.

12:05

Having isssues uploading the rules jpg, so we'll make them up as we go along today.

Here are the rules:

12:03

As for the chat, PLEASE include your name and hometown along with your question.

Tyler James and I were back with our YouTube show, Monday Night Live, this week with the week’s headlines, a full review of the Syracuse win, viewer questions and a Clemson preview — all with minimal glitches. The show will run every Monday night at 7 ET the rest of the football season. If you can’t catch us live, you can watch anytime during the week, as the show keeps its shelf life going through the entire week leading up to the next game.
Finally, recruiting writer Kyle Kelly will host a subscribers-only recruiting chat in the Insider Lounge on Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT.

12:02

Some quick programming notes:
If you haven’t already, check out this week’s Inside ND Sports podcast presented by Dead Soxy with our special guest Jerome Bettis. Lots of great insight from the former Notre Dame All-American and Pro Football Hall of Famer. Among the topics discussed are his thoughts on coach Marcus Freeman’s bumps in the road and long-term viability as a college head coach, how coming back to ND to get his degree last spring has changed his life, and his breakdown of the Irish-Clemson matchup. Also, he weighs in on current Irish RB Audric Estimé, and going through the recruiting process with son Jerome Bettis Jr., a 2025 WR prospect.

12:01

Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, Clemson Week edition.

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