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

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 24, 2021

Prev Page View Full Chat

Eric Hansen

1:43

I don't know what plantar-facia socks are (I'll Google them later), but of course they're a welcome accessory during the chat (and hopefully alleviate some pain). To be clear to the folks in Ohio, he's referring to Oklahoma State as OSU, not Ohio State. I think there's a chance Oklahoma State would, with ND playing Stanford and Okie St. having to beat Oklahoma and Baylor in consecutive weeks. The ND/Okie State résumés are pretty similar. Oklahoma is much more of a stretch. Their path would be to beat Oklahoma State twice. So is that the high octane beating two different top 10 teams would give you? Oklahoma's résumé is also weaker. And they're sitting at No. 10, not 7, so history is against the Sooners. No team ranked below 7th at this point in the season has made the playoff field.

Mark from Golden Valley, MN

1:33

Eric: As always, a stellar job with this chat and your ND Football writing. My question is do you believe OU or OSU will leapfrog ND even if Cincinnati and Michigan lose? Do you get that sense from the committee? Finally, I did not come to this chat barefoot, but did wear plantar-facia socks. And hope I’m still in good standing.

Eric Hansen

1:32

Hi Tom. These hypothetical questions are fun for fans, and I get that. They're hard for me, because my mind doesn't work that way. There are so many variables, including whether Jack Swarbrick would even be around ND still to make such a decision. I do think the world of Mike Elston, and not just as a coach but how he has prioritized his family. I don't think there's a single thing missing from his skill set that would keep him from being a successful head coach somewhere. What's missing from his résumé is experience as a coordinator. So if he gets that opportunity, that would enhance his viability as a head coaching candidate.

Tom from Dowagiac

1:23

Hi Eric: I hope BK stays for many more years and has earned the right to do so. He has the program on a great trajectory with great recruits in the pipeline. That said, there will come a day when he retires, and as he said at a presser, watch the Navy game on tv. I know you greatly respect the job Mike Elston has done over the years--especially the last few years with the great defensive lines. After Diaco put his foot in his mouth a number of years ago it seems like BK has clamped down on his assistants even talking to the press. But I'd like to see JS and BK develop potential candidates from the inside. I know you want previous head coaching experience. But an outsider has little idea what the ND job is really all about. Since he already holds the title of Asst Head Coach, what can BK do to groom Elston for the head job?

Eric Hansen

1:22

I would say a yes to that.

Bluey

1:21

Bluey from Louisville, KY. After Harbaugh finally defeats your alma mater, then loses to Wisconsin, the Irish coast into the playoffs. My question is simple: will we see Kyle Hamilton in the playoffs?

Eric Hansen

1:19

Hi KJ and Happy Thanksgiving and tryptophan dreams to you too. I know some of the other people on the beat have weighed in on this. I'm going to wait until after the season before I log my perspective ... but certainly it's been a job well done.

KJ from near the Channel Isles

1:18

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family Eric! May your tryptophan hangover be all you hope for! This has been an unexpectedly good year for the Irish. Not many thought they would have a real chance at the CFP when the season started. Some still don’t believe they should be in the discussion. But here we are. Is this CBK’s best coaching job? And have another drumstick!

Eric Hansen

1:17

Thank you, Peter. It's a bit of a complicated back story, but the bottom line is Jack Coan does not have eligibility at ND in 2022. ... I think what Drew Pyne is thinking at this point is how hard he's going to work to get ready to compete in the spring for the starting job. After that, we'll see.

Guest

1:10

Peter from Utica NY. When it comes to remembering all the blessings we have tomorrow on T-Day, you along with your reporting and chats are certainly to be included! Question- does Jack Coan have another year of eligibility due ti Covid and what do you think Drew Pune is thinking about next year?

Eric Hansen

1:09

Thanks Bruce ... and you and your family as well.

Bruce, from Dayton Ohio

1:08

Hello Eric, Hope you and your family will be able to enjoy Thanksgiving together.

Eric Hansen

1:08

Hey Denny. They're moving in the right direction. After losing to Cincinnati (currently No. 1 nationally in pass-efficiency defense) on Oct. 2, Notre Dame stood 71st out of 130 in team pass efficiency. Heading into Stanford, the Irish are 32nd. That's kind of getting to the cusp of what you need. ND's two playoff teams were both ranked 43rd and its 2012 runner-up team 73rd -- the worst ranking of any team to reach the national title game in the BCS and Playoff Eras. Ideally, you'd like one like the top four teams in the CFP rankings have: Georgia is 7th, OSU 3rd, Alabama 2nd, Cincinnati 12th.

Denny from Beaverton Or

12:59

Hi Eric; Last year you said that the pass efficiency offense of Notre Dame was not high enough to make them competitive enough to advance very far in the CFP. I believe we have progressed, especially after the break, so how do we compare to last year and how do we rate among those teams that we are competing with this year?

Eric Hansen

12:58

Brian Kelly sort of confirmed on Monday that punter Jay Bramblett is going to graduate early, then take a grad transfer for his fourth year at a school presumably closer to home (he's from Tuscaloosa, Ala.). Once the Irish coaches were told of his plans, they went out and got the No. 1 punter in the 2022 class in Bryce McFerson, who visited ND and committed to the Irish this past weekend. He had previously been committed to Wake Forest since September.

Mike from Chicago

12:52

Hi Eric - can you elaborate on the Jay Bramblett situation? It seems unclear to me why he plans to leave ND after being a 3 year starter.

Eric Hansen

12:47

In terms of sheer talent, 2015 — which predates your timeline — might be the best. In terms of everything considered, including coaching, chemistry, etc. of just the past six years, I'd go: 2020, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2017, 2016. ... That 2019 should have never lost at Michigan, let alone get blown out. The 2017 team was establishing a new culture and is a special team. This 2021 team is still ascending. It has a chance to move up the list.

Ken- Pensacola

12:41

Eric - Happy Thanksgiving to you, Tyler and your family. Overall, how would you rate this year's team vs teams during the last 6 years? Do you feel they have hit their peak and could win the National Football Championship if they are lucky enough to get there? Thanks Mucho - Ken

Eric Hansen

12:40

Hi Kim. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family as well. Since 2018 Brian Kelly teams have been pretty good in regular-season games in November/December -- 16-0 heading into Saturday night's matchup at Stanford. But you're right about this being a cut above in terms of the level of improvement . I think ND would destroy Toledo and would beat Cincinnati, for instance. And it's come in so many areas, the improvement.... As far as Drew Pyne — and there are a few questions in the queue about him — I think ND has prioritized reps for their improving starting QB of the present and their developing starting QB of the future.

Kim Wichita KS

12:33

Eric a special THANKSGIVING to you and your family for all that you do for the ND nation!!!!!!!! You are clearly the best of the best! I believe that this team has had the greatest ascension of any team I have witnessed from start to finish. What are your thoughts? Also how do you feel about Drew Pine, he hasn’t played in a while I hope he stays? A SPECIAL THANKS AGAIN! Kim

Eric Hansen

12:32

In the 2021 class, there were eight flips coming in and two going out. Off the top of my head, there are three flips into this class so far (Tuihalamaka, McFerson and Staes). So grab some popcorn and enjoy the ride. ... The good news is Brian Kelly doesn't have a conference championship game to prepare for, and he can stay out on the road after Stanford and do in-home visits with all the committed recruits -- shaky or otherwise.

12:29

Al, it's sort of business as usual when you step up recruiting expectations and the consistent caliber if players you're chasing. There's going to be drama, and it's not guaranteed to end poorly. Irish Illustrated's Kevin Sinclair did a nice piece recently reminding fans of some of the anxious moments in recent classes, including Michigan making a run at Lorenzo Styles last cycle and Styles not completely shutting that down until the very end. Logan Diggs and LSU flirted with each other. And there's more. It's going to happen. ND has poached way more recruits in the Kelly Era (59) than it had poached (31) going into this cycle. (more)

Al from St. Charles

12:24

There are rumblings that there are not one, but two potential flips possible with our receiving corps. Does the staff have a break glass in case of emergency button if that happens? Does Ohio St., Florida, or some other program have some potential transfers we could pick up? What happens to the perception of this offense and its coaches if we hit catastrophic levels? You can tell I'm super, totally not worried at all, right? Thanks for answering our questions.

Eric Hansen

12:23

Travis, thank you. ... Think back to the Wisconsin game. Coan gets hurt. Buchner was already hurt, so Drew Pyne had to come in. Now what if he had gotten hurt in that game? What if Pyne gets to the end of spring and decides to transfer? It's not a given Ron Powlus III is going to be healthy enough to play effectively anytime soon or effective enough ever to move up the depth chart. What if Angeli shows up with a bum shoulder from his team's playoff run? You need those numbers, especially when the stakes are so high these next couple of seasons.

Travis from Newport KY

12:15

Hey Eric, hope you have a great Thanksgiving and time with your grandchildren. I've noticed Notre Dame offered Devin Brown, USC commit. It appears their attempt to flip Walker Howard was unsuccessful. Why does it seem they are pushing so hard to get a 2nd commit from a QB in the 2022 class? I understand they lose both Coan and Clarke but Buchner, Pyne, Angeli, and Prowlus seems like a strong, albeit young room. Do you think they are pushing hard in expectation of another transfer? (Pyne being the most likely) Side note: I really like the potential I've seen from Angeli. In my unprofessional opinion, he is underrated.

Eric Hansen

12:14

Ideally, you'd probably like two percentages that add up to 100%, something like 52.457% O-line improvement and 47.543% play-calling. ... But ... I'm not that good at math AND there's more to it than just those two factors. I think the two most contributing factors are the offensive line's improvement and fitting the structure and tempo of the offense around Jack Coan's strengths and weaknesses better. A byproduct of the second would be play-calling. Also, ND is not facing a lot of better-than-average defenses in this stretch. And players have stepped up at other positions. Kevin Austin has been much more consistent. Lorenzo Styles has surged into the picture, etc.

Andrew C - Munster, IN

12:08

How much of the offensive improvement would you attribute to improved offensive line play, and how much would you attribute to changing the play calling to adjust to the offensive line not being as good in the past?

Eric Hansen

Ok, let the actual chatting commence!

12:07

If you haven't had a chance, please check out this week's Pod of Gold Podcast with Mike McGlinchey, one of my favorite episodes of all time.

12:06

We'll be chatting into December on a regular basis, at least the next two Wednesdays.

A couple of quick notes ...

12:05

Here are the rules.

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

12:04

Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, Stanford/Thanksgiving/Black Friday Edition.

Connecting…

Message History

On Off

Your current subscriptions

None

E-mail Address	Chat Owner	Status	Remove

Enter your email address to be notified when Eric Hansen hosts a chat