JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 25, 2020

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 25, 2020

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Denis from Niagara Falls, ON.

2:02

Hey Eric. Happy Thanksgiving!!! In Canada, as you probably know, our Thanksgiving is in early October. I like yours in November to kick off the Christmas season. Anyway, ND's recipe for success against North Carolina: ND mashes their line to run for 250 yards; Book carves up the secondary for 350 yards; ND's defence stuffs the run; and the North Carolina qb gets squashed 4 times. If all that occurs, Nd gets it just desserts. Do you agree? Enjoy your holiday.

Eric Hansen

2:01

Don, thanks so much. to win a national title, ND would have to beat three top five teams in succession to get there. That would require everyone stepping up. I would highlight the offensive and defensive lines as key contributors if that happens.

Don Phoenix

2:00

Haven't had a chance to join the chats live; thankfully work is busy. Hope all is well with you and yours. Coverage is great in this challenging season. As ND is in the final quarter with 3 games left, other than the obvious; Book, Wu, Hamilton, Williams, who are the guys on offense, defense and ST that will get them to the championship and playoffs and over the top with wins? Thanks and keep up the great work. The entire staff has stepped it up this year. Nice work.

Eric Hansen

1:59

Kevin. Happy Thanksgiving. Kelly said it was precautionary, so Kyren conceivably would have been put back in if the score had tightened up. I don't think he was trying to send a message he wasn't willing to share with the rest of us.

Kevin from Rhode Island

1:58

Eric, Happy Thanksgiving and thank you for all the great Irish football coverage. Do you think Kyren Williams not playing in the second half of the BC game was injury related or was he sidelined because he put the ball on the ground again? I love almost everything Kyren is doing at the RB position and he is showing to be one heck of a complete RB but I believe he has put the ball on the ground 4 times so far this year. He hasn't lost all of those and my number could be off but I feel it has become enough of an issue for the coaching staff to take notice and hold him accountable for it. I'm not denying that he may have been a bit banged up vs BC but he looked like he could have played in the second half and have a suspicion that the coaching staff was sending him a message about his fumbling issues. Am I way off here?

Eric Hansen

1:57

Frank, thanks for all the compliments. You're right this is difficult to address in this kind of forum. A few short thoughts. If you widen the admissions window, how do you propose to keep the borderline academic guys that show no ambition in the classroom eligible for three or four years? ... I did a story that unfortunately ran print only early in the Kelly Era that addressed the myths and realities of admissions, including comparisons from various coaching regimes. I can email it to you. I think much of the info is still relevant. ... BK has found a way to embrace the academic fit and use it as a selling point.

Guest

1:50

Cincy Frank: Giving thanks to this forum, for your generous time thoughtful insights and all around good-guyness. A couple of weeks ago Carter Karels wrote a great article (props to Carter) about how Clemson built their program before their recent recruiting renaissance. Mike Farrell, national recruiting director for Rivals, was quoted widely in the article and ended up arguing (and I know this is not a new line of thinking) that the next step is for ND "take the handcuffs off Brian Kelly academically" (what's his major?) as they did for Holtz. I know this would be a lot to unfold but how (and why) was this done for Lou and your general thought on the subject? Like their independence, this is one of strongest reasons for me being so passionate about the Fighting Irish. If they can win with these restraints - it is the ultimate victory for all that is goodness and light (throw in Truth, Justice, and The American Way for good measure!:) If it comes to relaxing the standards to get a NC....

Eric Hansen

1:49

The ND coaches are making the investment with practice reps to see what he can bring to that position. I wouldn't expect a burst of opportunity, but he might rotate in a provide a big play here or there.

Tim in Atlanta

1:47

Do you expect to see Jafar Armstrong in the rotation at receiver? His skills and speed would seem to compliment the others. Or is there too much overload already?

Eric Hansen

1:46

I think Edwards is more realistic than Gilliam and that could change by the hour. WR recruit? You might be thinking of JoJo Johnson, who recently committed and played a lot of WR but is projected as a CB for the Irish.

Chris in Albuquerque

1:45

What are our real chances to close out recruiting with Gilliam and Edwards. Also who is the new potential wr recruit they might take? Happy Thanksgiving!

Eric Hansen

1:44

Happy Thanksgiving. Mike. With the transfer rule soon to change universally and such a bounty of QBs usually available via grad transfers, I think three scholarship QBs work fine.

Mike from Keller, TX

1:43

Hi Eric, Happy Thanksgiving and thanks for the great coverage. Does Kelly intend to get back to four scholarship QBs near term? If so, what path do you think ND will take to get there?

Eric Hansen

1:42

Jordan Johnson is super talented, and given the travel roster can be up to 80 players this year in the ACC, I'd expect him to be on it. He traveled to and played against BC, just didn't catch any passes.

Kevin South Bend

1:41

Did Wr Jonson make the travel roster and since Jafar Armonstrong is listed as the backup do you think Johnsons 5 star rating was warranted?

Eric Hansen

1:40

Thank you so much, and Happy Thanksgiving.

Steve from St. Louis

1:40

No question today, just wanted to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for the great work.

Eric Hansen

I forgot to say Happy Thanksgiving to Jim.

1:40

We don't have our typical Thursday chat with BK this week for obvious reasons. He will be eating squash at that time, I assume. ... Even if Lenzy plays this week, I wouldn't expect to see if in large doses. They'll ease him in slowly, which makes sense.

Pete in Erie, PA

1:38

Thanks Eric! I did see that about Lenzy, I guess we won't know more until game time?

Eric Hansen

1:38

Kelly told me Monday he expected no lingering ankle issues with either Kyren Williams or C'Bo Flemister. ... Pecan pie hands down for me. Yum.

Jim-Oregonia OH

1:37

Hey Eric, as always thanks for the weekly chats. I hope you and yours has a very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving. How has the bye week been for our RBs? Was getting pretty concerned when C'Bo and Kyren went down the last game. Hopefully they are mended and ready to roll. I think Zeke and Lugg will fill in admirably. I am from the Cincinnati area and Zeke was a beast in high school. I will be anxious to see how the o-line performs. One more question: pecan or pumpkin pie??? :-)

Eric Hansen

1:37

Happy Thanksgiving, Len. I don't expect the continuity to be at the level it would be if Patterson and Kraemer were playing, but I still expect it to be pretty good. .. .QB pressures ... My bet is on Isaiah Foskey.

Len from the Jersey Shore

1:36

Happy Thanksgiving Eric! Two areas - For the North Carolina game how do you expect the line continuity to be? Who is the next man in on the O line? On D who will lead ND in QB pressures this week?

Eric Hansen

1:35

Whenever you win big, people want to talk to your coaches. That's reality. That doesn't mean they'll listen.

Jean Marie Massie Lexington Ky

1:35

Do you think Brian Kelly will be able to keep his current staff next year? I would hate to see major changes since the Irish are doing so well.

Eric Hansen

1:29

Greg, thank you. Wisconsin was 16th in the CFP standings. They have two games left for a ceiling of 4-1. They're not even remotely in the conversation. ... I did an analysis piece last night on ND's one-loss scenarios among other things. You can read it here: Analysis: Notre Dame's CFP hypotheticals are promising, but its reality is even more so

Greg from Austin

1:25

Hi Eric and thanks for al the great work. It appears the Wisconsin and Minn game has been scratched and the Badgers are no longer eligible for the conference championship game (unless something changes). Do you see this as potentially big impact in the event a 1 loss ND is making an argument to get in or does it not mean much in the grand scheme.

Eric Hansen

1:25

I checked with our recruiting guy, Carter. He said 2-3 slots and that's assuming DE David Abiara is not in the class. DE, DB and RB are the position priorities. ... I wouldn't get caught up in the star ratings of players who haven't been properly evaluated by recruiting services due to COVID. I would trust the coaches on this one and their evaluations and connections.

Jeff from Cincinnati

1:20

Eric, I was surprised at the flurry of new 2021 commits over the last week, notwithstanding the expanded roster allowance next year. Two questions....1) Do you think we are settling too much at this point for 3 ish star talent, and 2) How many more slots do you think we have in the 2021 class?? Thanks for taking my question(s)

Eric Hansen

1:16

Eamonn, it's a really good question and one that deserves a really good answer. I've heard rumblings that all three have impressed, particularly the tackles. Because of limited access and limited questions due to COVID, it's not something I've been able to prioritize and ask yet this season. I hope tp get you a better answer at some point next month.

Eamonn from Portland, OR

1:13

Eric, thanks for continuing the chats! I look forward to them every week! With all the offensive line talk and our depth about to be tested, I'm wondering, can you give us insight into the development of Tosh Baker, Mike Carmody, and Hunter Spears? I think our 2 deep is very solid so I'm curious how our 3 deep guys are coming along. Thanks!

Eric Hansen

Early last season, Bauer started working with Amber Selking, a mental performance consultant for Notre Dame’s football program. He began focusing on mental preparation like visualizing a tackle or rehearsing plays in his mind.
“Bo’s evolution has been much more about his ability to control and handle his emotional space, said Irish head coach Brian Kelly. “In other words, getting into his emotional zone where he can play the game and play it at the level necessary for him to be the best football player.
“That’s not just from a physical standpoint; that’s from a technical and tactical standpoint. He was a bit out of control in a sense he may miss a fit here or not be lined up in the right position. And he’s really done an incredible job of finding that emotional zone that allows him to be locked in and be assignment-correct.”

1:12

Hey Lawrence, Carter Karels did a story earlier this season on Bo. Here's a snippet that speaks to your question:

Lawrence from San Diego

1:11

How did Bo go from his weakness in coverage keeping him off the field to being a star on 3rd down as our lone true linebacker? Maybe a future article... :)

Eric Hansen

Lenzy lurking
Left off the official Notre Dame depth chart inadvertently, junior wide receiver Braden Lenzy continues to progress from a chronic hamstring injury that’s limited him to six catches for 63 yards and a TD this season and none in the past five games.

ND’s fastest wide receiver hasn’t played in the last three games and didn’t play in the Sept. 12 season opener with Duke, either.

“He’s going to move from what we considered modified work … to 11-on-11 work this week, which is 1-on-1 against our defense,” Kelly said. “That is really the next step toward 100% being cleared to go.

“We’ll see how he works through that. He’ll do that today. If he gets the green light, I’ll pencil him in, and I’ll get you guys a new two-deep (chart).”

1:08

Hi Pete. You must have been doing your Black Friday shopping early. I covered that early in the week ...

Pete in Erie, PA

1:08

So Lenzy is practicing but I don't see him on the 2-deep. Think he'll play? He could help relieve some of the burden on the now injury decimated O-line.

Eric Hansen

1:05

Pat, thanks, he's terrific at extending plays, but not much of a rushing threat. He's very good with the deep throws and all throws really. He's ninth nationally in pass efficiency, which is one spot ahead of Trevor Lawrence.

Pat, Springfield, IL

1:04

Compared to other QBs ND has faced this season, how elusive is Sam Howell? Can the defense rack up sufficient sacks to disrupt the passing game? Keep up the good work.

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