JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 24, 2021

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 24, 2021

Eric Hansen

4:49

Thanks for all the great questions. Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Black Friday and Happy Hanukkah, which comes very early this year. We'll be back to do it all over again next Wednesday at noon ET.

4:48

OK, I went 4 hours and 45 minutes today -- a new record and an still too slow (brain and fingers) to get to all the questions. ... There were quite a few about who's coming back and who's not in 2022. I touched on it a bit last week, so let's wait a couple of weeks before when there will be more clarity and less guessing.

4:45

Kyren Williams and Isaiah Foskey. Most improved from the start of the season until now? Joe Alt and Ramon Henderson.

Caleb from Charlotte

4:44

Who do you consider to the most valuable offensive and defensive players on this year's team? Who is the most improved?

Eric Hansen

4:44

Both. They're running out of bodies and Jordan was a standout linebacker in high school in Honolulu. Particularly against teams that like to play "big" (Wisconsin, Stanford), it makes even more sense.

Jeff from Phoenix

4:42

Hey Eric, did I hear BK correctly on monday that Jordan Botelho is doing some training at the rover position? Is this a fit for him or just based on current needs? Thanks, Jeff

Eric Hansen

4:42

Kevin Austin Jr., and yet I think he should come back for his own sake.

Ray from Normal,IL

4:41

After Senior Day the questions and comments always seem to ramp up as to which players will return for another year. Which current senior would surprise you the most by returning? To be fair I'm not going to allow you to pick Williams or Hamilton as they aren't seniors.

Eric Hansen

4:41

Hi Nikki. We really rely on those kicker/specialist academies/camps such as Chris Sailer and Kohl's kicking. Sailer has McFerson No. 1 and Kohl's has him No. 2 nationally. That's a position they can evaluate better than Rivals or 247sports. And Josh Bryan may very well turn out to be elite. He hasn't had his turn yet.

Nikki

4:38

Queens, New York. Hey Eric, just was wondering what you thought about our most recent commit in punter Bryce Mcferson...its so hard to get a good scouting report on these guys as every punter or kicker who commits seems to be listed as elite, just as Josh Bryan was last year.

Eric Hansen

4:37

It's hard to say. You would have thought the Cardinal would have been up for last week's rivalry game with Cal. I think it's more about health and talent than it is fired up or not fired up in this one.

Suzie from Chesterton, IN

4:36

Eric, this season ND had to face 7 opponents who were coming off a bye week. This week we see the reverse. Stanford is coming off a beatdown loss to their arch rival in their annual “Big Game.” As a result do you think Stanford will come out flat with low energy and little emotion? Or do you think they will come out fired up and more determined than ever to salvage their season?

Eric Hansen

4:35

Best wishes to you too, Tom. 1. Dark meat all day long. 1A. Only if Josh Bryan were injured. He kicked the final extra point Saturday. Harrison Leonard, a good walk-on kicked the PAT before that. Numbers are/will be so tight, it's hard to add a kicker you may never use and take away a scholarship from a position group. 2. He was injured last Saturday and presumably this week as well. 3. It's not necessarily 15, but lots of things ... revisiting fundamentals, tweaking schemes, development of younger players among them. 4. That was supposed to be Cain Madden's block, but he was tangled up, so Lugg alertly altered his assignment and threw the block.

Tom Kennesaw, GA

4:30

Hi Eric, best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!!! Turkey meat: white or dark?? 1)With our first game in '22 in the Horseshoe do you think that we will check the portal for a Kicker? Our current kickers have little to no experience. 2) Is C'bo able to play? He has been such a good teammate I hope he can get a couple of carries to end his career. 3) What are some of the things to be gained from the 15 Bowl game practices? 4) Screen pass to Logan was one of the best executed plays of the year! Congrats to Josh Lugg for earning a Pancake award from Jeff Saturday on ESPN's Get Up show Tuesday for his block on the play!! Go Irish!!!!!

Eric Hansen

4:30

Intriguing question Denis, and belated Happy Canadian Thanksgiving. Let's look at it in context. Vanderbilt had three winning seasons in the last 38 that preceded Lea's arrival at his alma mater. They went 0-9 last season, so their two wins is an incremental improvement. They were also competitive with South Carolina (21-20), Missouri (37-28) and Ole Miss (31-17), so there's something to be said for that. Let's check in in another couple of years and see what's happening then. Even if Vandy turns out to be a dead end, Lea could reinvent himself by becoming a defensive coordinator again (then seeing a head coaching job) or coaching at lower level (FCS), where he had a better chance to win.

Denis fron Niagara Falls,ON

4:21

Happy Thanksgiving to you Eric. I realize it's very difficult for a co-ordinator to determine when to make a move as a head coach or where to accept a position. There must be innumerable moving pieces. I have never seen this discussed on sites that I frequent. Do you think Clark Lea has hurt his opportunities to move on to another head position at a more renowned football program? It must be tough for other institutions to look upon Lea favourably when his team loses so badly even though the odds are stacked against him. Did he actually deadend himself? And if you are perhaps a school like LSU, Texas or Florida, do you offer co-ordinator Freeman over head coach Lea? Thanks a lot.

Eric Hansen

4:21

Gerry, thanks. And an early Happy Boxing Day to you. The committee is supposed to take the entire résumés into account, so playing an FCS team should be a part of that.

Gerry Labelle, Waltham, Quebec

4:17

Eric: Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Finally Notre Dame kept the gas on the peddle for most of the game and put Georgia TECH away early. Does the playoff committee ever look at teams like Georgia, Alabama and Cincinnati playing FCS teams? Only Notre Dame and UCLA have never scheduled an FCS opponent. That should mean something in the rankings - in my opinion! As I commented a while back, Alabama could lose 3 and still be ranked high by this committee!

Eric Hansen

4:17

Happy Thanksgiving, and if I continue much longer, it actually will be Thanksgiving. The members of the committee are selected by a board of managers, made up of university presidents and chancellors. ND president Rev. John Jenkins is on that board. The committee members must include at least one athletic director from each of the five Power 5 conferences. There are other guidelines in place. I'm not sure how Tyrone would rank the teams, but I don't think he's a vindictive person either and would have it out for Notre Dame.

Marie from Atlanta

4:08

Hi Eric, Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a great time with your family. I have found some of the CFP committee's decisions baffling this year. How are members of the committee selected? I am assuming this is a paid position. For example how does someone like Ty Willingham who basically had a forced retirement from college football land on the committee twice? I once heard one of his former players say that he never even watched film when he was the head coach at ND. Thanks for the insights and all your great work.

Eric Hansen

4:07

Hi Tom, thanks for the compliments and Happy Thanksgiving. C'Bo Flemister was in the doghouse, using your term, to start the season. Then he got injured and is still injured. Even with Kyren Williams expected to enter the NFL Draft, pondering the portal probably makes sense for Flemister, who will likely have his degree in hand when he does. ... Position groups the highest priority for development? For 2022? I'd say all of them, especially quarterback. Who has the most work ahead of them? Probably the defensive backfield, as you mentioned, although there have been some encouraging signs there recently.

Tom from Grand Rapids via Dowagiac

4:03

Eric, I hope you and everyone in your family has a Happy Thanksgiving along with good health! Thank you for these chats and doing your best to add insight and knowledge. With that being said is C’Bo hurt or in the perpetual doghouse? With the emergence of Diggs and the show Estime put on Saturday, do you see him entering the portal? Also with the view from the outside, what position groups are the highest priority for development. For me I felt the defensive backfield, minus #14, struggled to tackle effectively and fight off blocks from receivers most of the year. What say you on this??

Eric Hansen

4:03

Sean, a toast to you as well. ... to your question. It's nuts. It really is. And a lot of money being thrown around for buyouts a year after budgets were severely strained due to the pandemic.

Sean, Greensboro

4:01

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Thanks for the chat, especially the day before Thanksgiving.I will toast you with an Irish whiskey this weekend.I cannot remember a time in my adult life when so many major schools have head coaching openings,especially. Florida, 4 coaches in 8 years is madness.Your thoughts please, and go Irish! Thanks you.

Eric Hansen

4:01

Bruce, thank you. Just because he isn't starting doesn't mean he isn't progressing. In fact, when I've asked Brian Kelly about Rocco, BK's been very complimentary. Only two ND freshman offensive linemen have started an opener in the past 50 years (Sam Young and Blake Fisher). Only a handful more have even played as freshmen at all. The last four first-round draft picks from ND who were O-Linemen all redshirted as freshmen (Zack Martin, McGlinchey, Nelson, Stanley). I think there is a very good chance he'll start next season.

Bruce, Centralia, IL

3:56

Eric, if you’re willing to suffer one more O-line question, here goes: do you have any insight into why Rocco Spindler hasn’t progressed to the point where he’s gotten more snaps, and if that’s the case, can we still feel good about penciling him in at RG for next year? Thanks as always for your insights.

Eric Hansen

3:55

Frank, I have no idea which stations/shows you listen to. Maybe is a geography thing? That Missouri is in the SEC.

Frank Missouri

3:55

why Is it Eric that ND is pretty much ignored during the college football call in shows. Seems that only the SEC the Big 10 and Oklahoma and Clemson are discussed. We made the playoffs two out of three years and we are rarely mentioned.

Eric Hansen

3:54

My take on Drew Pyne is that he's a phenomenal teammate who's made the most out of his abilities. My take on that dynamic is Notre Dame owes itself to be the best version of itself in its postseason game. One of the ways to do that is to give reps to the players who can help you win that game, neither QB who was in the system last year or even had a fall season. Not a slap in the face.

Rich '69 Phoenixville PA

3:52

Hey Eric, home stretch. I was shocked that DP didn't get a snap. To me this was a slap in the face. Yet he was shown smiling and cheering the play of the walk on who entered after TB. Your take on the dynamic here?

Eric Hansen

3:52

Stosh, thanks to you. He's kind of an unknown as a college prospect. Not highly recruited, hasn't been able to practice or play yet due to injury. It would be quite a story if he turns out to be like Jack Coan down the road.

Stosh from Canton

3:50

Eric, on this holiday, I offer you great thanks. I live and die every Saturday in autumn with the Irish, and your work really means a lot to me. I like what I see from many Notre Dame freshman, but one newcomer I haven't heard much about is Ron Paulus III. Personally, I think he can develop nicely into a Jack Coan type of pocket quarterback. Eric, what have you heard about young Paulus? Again, thanks for everything you do for us, Eric!

Eric Hansen

3:50

Chad, I'm lucky if I have the tree decorated by Christmas. Seriously. December is more hectic than you think on the beat. And my tree is one of those small Fiber Optic trees. I do play Christmas music. Does that count?

Chad from Denver

3:47

Eric, I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Do you decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving or after? Great work as always and thanks for the chats. I'm sure the other fans will fill this up with great football questions.

Eric Hansen

3:47

Hi Jules, and think you. 1. No a team can't bring a player in during the season and have him be eligible, even with a really good lawyer. The cutoff for immediate eligibility this year was July 1 because of the pandemic. Next year it shifts to May 1. 2. In essence every walk-on BYU player, I believe, has an NIL benefit this year. But you technically can't offer a player NIL as a condition of signing with a school. The deals come afterward. But there are loopholes currently to abuse that which must be closed.

Jules

3:42

Joliet, Illinois. First off, thank you for conducting these chats. Great job. Two questions, please: 1. In regards to the transfer portal, assuming a team has an open scholarship, could they bring in someone during the season? 2. As for NIL, would a school be allowed to pay a walk on for the use of his NIL and pay him the price of his tuition? (In effect this would increase the number of scholarships over the allowed 85. I thought that I had read that a school had done this. But I’m not sure if I understood it correctly.)

Eric Hansen

3:41

I think laziness by voters not doing their research more than anything.

Jake from Saratoga

3:41

Hi Eric, just saw that Michael Mayer did not make the finalist list for the John Mackey award. He is widely regarded as the best TE in college football and it’s probably not close, so do you believe this is a political thing against the Irish as I can’t think of any other explanation

Eric Hansen

3:41

I think most coaches believe it challenges defenses more to make them play in space. And unless you have backs as ND does, who can comfortably slip into the slot, you can't do that with most two-back sets. I'm not sure Estime could do that as well as Kyren/Tyree. Need evidence that the spread challenges defenses. In 2009, Jimmy Clausen in a pro-style offense finished third in the nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 161.4, with Tim Tebow first at 162.2. This season, neither would make the top 10 with those ratings. The linebacker position skill sets, incidentally, have changed accordingly.

Todd from Burlington, Iowa

3:32

Eric, on this Thanksgiving Eve, thanks to you for your excellent journalism! Last Saturday we fans finally got a glimpse of Estime and we were definitely impressed. I can see him teaming up with Diggs to form a “thunder and lightening” combo in the years to come. That would necessitate Tommy Rees coming up with some two back packages. This raises the question of why do we rarely see two back offensive formations anymore? What is your view on why the two back backfield has disappeared (except at the academies)?

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