JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 29, 2023

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 29, 2023

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Eric Hansen

2:00

Frank, some depends on who they lose. But right away you could see a QB, a DE or maybe two. An interior D-lineman if they lose Cross and/or Mills, a safety, a kicker and a wide receiver.

Frank from Royse City, Texas

1:59

How many Transfers do you think ND will bring in next season?

Eric Hansen

1:58

Thanks for the kind words. I love covering Notre Dame. Not sure any other fan base would put up with me at this point. ... I don't think Tyree's transfer is a sign of no confidence, but looking for the best opportunity to boost his chance to playing in the NFL.

1:57

Now my picks disregarding availability and fit: 1. Grubb at Washington, 2 Denbrock, 3. tie between Ludwick and Longo. DCs ... going to leave Minter out of it, because of what's going on at Michigan and don't want to get into it. I really like Jesse and have a connection with his dad. ... so we'll put that aside. 1. Parker, 2. Knowles, 3. Joe Rossi (Minnesota). I like Tony Gibson a lot at NC State. ... Who would I pick if ND's coordinators got abducted by aliens? Parker on defense and Grubb on offense.

1:51

Tom, thanks for resubmitting the question. it's a fascinating one to me and I'm ready for it this week. So, first I'll mention the five Broyles finalists -- four OCs and one DC. The OCs are Mike Denbrock (formerly of ND) at LSU, Mike Bobo at Georgia, Sherrone Moore at Michigan and Will Stein at Oregon. The DC was Phil Parker at Iowa. Now to your questions. Keep in mind, a really good coordinator can have an off year because of personnel circumstances. Phil Longo, formerly or North Carolina and now at North Carolina, would fit that bill. So too would Andy Ludwig at Utah. For fun, the top three per Pro Football Focus on each side of the ball going into the season were: OCs 1. Garrett Riley (Clemson), 2. Ryan Grubb (Washington), 3. Ludwig. Denbrock was 5th and Tommy Rees 10th. DCs: 1. Parker, 2. Jesse Minter (Michigan), 3. Jim Knowles (Ohio State). (more)

Tom from Sister Lakes, MI

1:44

Hi Eric, Last week you asked me to resubmit my question in order to give you time to think about it. Even though Freeman now seems intent on keeping Parker, here are my questions. ND may soon be looking for new offensive and defensive coordinators. In your opinion, who are the top 3 college OCs and DCs regardless of availability and fit for ND. You cannot pick a HC who calls his own plays. Regardless of your answers to the first question, who in your opinion would be the one best OC and DC taking into account fit at ND and disregarding financial considerations. P.S. Eric, I don't know if Rivals has a transfer portal, but please don't enter to cover some other team. Your chatheads are singing "We will love you forever". Bonus question: It seems like Tyree's portal move was a sign of no-confidence in some combination of Freeman, Parker, Stuckey, or a qb to be named later. What do you think?

Eric Hansen

1:44

Hi Jeff and cheers back at you, unless you were just referencing the old TV show. Then, Norm! Notre Dame in this regime has been pretty good at getting us access. We will likely find out the schedule shortly after we find out about which bowl. And we'll share that info as soon as we know ... Connecting with Pete, my goal is this month, but we'll see if that's realistic.

Jeff from Phoenix

1:41

Hey Eric, with bowl practices starting tomorrow, do you know how much access you will have? Any idea of the player and coach availability for interviews? Any timeline for talking with Pete Bavaqua? Cheers!

Eric Hansen

1:40

Hi Kevin, we've kind of hit on this, but your exclamation points!!!! got my attention. I don't think the development issue with Stuckey was perceived to be universal, but significant enough for Freeman to make a change. You ask if he was pushed out .., firing does imply that, yes.

Kevin-Sleepy Eye,MN

1:38

Eric!!!!!! Clear the air on this: Marcus wanted to keep staff intact on Monday then the news about Chansi. Was Chansi pushed out? Is this change the reason Tyree is in the portal?

Eric Hansen

1:37

If you've already fought, spit, drank, gambled or kicked off your shoes and socks, you are forgiven.

Ok back to the questions. ...

1:36

https://bit.ly/jandr

AND

The rules.

1:35

OK, boy did I get a brain cramp ... I forgot to important things....

1:28

Manny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great to see you and thanks for the compliments and your question. Not worried at all, because those positions aren't guaranteed AND those guys so far have their degrees and some want more playing time or guaranteed playing time. Understandable. It's also part of the math equation. Let's do the math. Notre Dame finished the year with 84 on scholarship. There were guaranteed to lose seven ... so down to 77. Now let's add the 23 recruits ... so we're up to 100 and let's add say five transfers (and it could be more). So now we're at 105. They have to be at 85 by the time fall semester 2024 starts in August. So you subtract NFL early entries, maybe a player like Braden Lenzy last year who's ready for life after football, maybe a medical hardship and then the rest are going to be transfers.

Manny in San Pedro

1:23

Eric!!!! Another great job this year covering the team!!! You are the best!!!!!!! Is it worrisome that starters are transferring or does it show more that they may not be starters next year?

Eric Hansen

1:23

I will add that the way Marcus Freeman handled that Monday/Tuesday with Chansi Stuckey really threw me. He's been a reliable read to this point, in what he says publicly he has backed up with this actions. It puts him in a position for people to be less trusting in what he says, moving forward, fairly or unfairly.

1:22

I think Marcus Freeman is already vetting wide receiver coach candidates. With Notre Dame's current WR commits all on board and steadfast and none so far committed in the 2025 cycle, the timing can be flexible. I wouldn't rule out further staff changes, but not predicting that at this point.

1:19

Ed from Sayville, NY

1:17

Hello Eric. The departure of Coach Stuckey qualifies as a surprise given Coach Freeman’s words regarding staff the day before, as well as in relation to the timing of the move. Do you think the plan will be to hire a new receiver coach, or might this be the first move in a staff reshuffle leading to even bigger surprises? Sorry if this requires you to put on your Carnac the Magnificent hat, but what do you think?

Eric Hansen

1:17

I think it really comes down to the conversations he will have with the coaching staff, who the incoming transfer is and how open he thinks the competition would be in the spring. I know he LOVED having Sam Hartman on the team this past year. But his situation is evolving, so we'll see. As far as playing time for the backups, the question back at you is to what end? If you think your No. 2 can help you win games in the current season, as was the case in 2018 and 2021, play them at critical junctures. If you know that'll be your QB1 the next season, get him in for as many snaps as you can without taking away from the current starter's chance to develop. Remember, Hartman was in a new system, with new footwork and a new way of thinking. If ND ran Wake's offense, keeping him in games longer would have been less consequential.

1:13

Yes, Notre Dame will still pursue a transfer quarterback and Marcus Freeman detailed why during his Monday Zoom. That said an adept walk-on QB is extremely valuable. Anthony Rezac did have an offer from Air Force, so his value in Navy prep one would imagine would be an added bonus. For those who don't follow recruiting closely, twin brother Teddy is a scholarship linebacker in Notre Dame's 2024 class. The QB who would have some demand in the market to be a potential starter elsewhere is Steve Angeli. (more)

J Buck San Diego

1:05

Great work as always, I noticed the Rezac twins are coming to ND. One of them is a QB who completed 70% of his passes. Does MF still go out and get another QB? Also, do you think one of our current QB's them will enter the transfer portal if he does. In addition, do you think the backup QB's should get more playing time. I know people react differently in a real game vs practice. Some play better some worse, but will never know if they don't get the opportunities? Thoughts ..

Eric Hansen

1:05

Sean, I think the reason Zeke did hit the transfer portal is because of the reasons you just stated ... there was no guarantee he would have won the job. GREAT leader, really good technician, resilient kid, but there were physical limitations and for someone who was so experience, there were consistency issues.

Sean, Portland OR

1:03

I know the level of competition has dropped the last 2 games (WF, Stanford)... but it's the best the O-Line has looked all year in my opinion. Ashton Craig is a pleasant surprise. Is this another Joe Alt situation? Alt was the 3rd option after Fisher got injured... Craig was the 3rd option after Zeke Correll. Would Zeke have started on the line next year if he had stayed? Clearly his NFL grade didn't come back too high otherwise he would've just declared for the draft... he sometimes seemed a bit undersized and overmatched against big time opponents

Eric Hansen

1:03

Let's assume Joe Alt heads to the NFL and no one else leaves for any reason (which is not necessarily the case). I would say Blake Fisher and Aamil Wagner would be the tackles (and if that's the case, it would be hard to sell Tosh Baker on staying). Inside Schrauth and Spindler at guards and either Ashton Craig or Pat Coogan at center.

1:01

Hi Mike. REALLY SUNNY HERE and 70, I mean 17. Seriously 17. So If I understand the second part of your question, you just want to know players with expiring eligibility. There are seven who CAN'T come back. They are QB Sam Hartman, WR Matt Salerno, S DJ Brown, Nickel Thomas Harper, K Spencer Shrader, LS Michael Vinson and DE Javontae Jean-Baptise. So you can see why with 23 recruits being signed and a handful of incoming transfers why ND's outgoing total of transfers/NFL early entries/medically retirees is going to be a big number. Now on to the 2024 offensive line. ... (more)

Mike, Phoenix

12:56

Eric, Can you give us a prediction of the starting OL and DL for 2024? And which players are 100% gone for 2024, not expecting any predictions on portal players. Sunny 70 today, stay warm. Thanks.

Eric Hansen

12:56

Hi Ryan, there were the guys voted players of the game and I have zero disagreements with those choices.

Ryan mars PA

12:55

Good afternoon Eric what do you think About The Play of Audric And Baptiste Vs Stanford both looked Good Go Irish ☘️☘️🏈🏈

Eric Hansen

12:55

Zoltan, if that is your real name, how cool are your parents? Love that name. ... I think the biggest impetus for Chris Tyree to hit the transfer portal was the opportunity to be a featured offensive player, whether WR, RB or both. This season, he was No. 2 among WRs in catches (26) and No. 1 in receiving yards (484) among all players and played only 35% of the offensive snaps. With the rise of Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison and the addition of Logan Saldate as the slot receiver position, there was almost a better chance those snaps would go down in 2024. There's definitely a market for him, either was a WR or RB. There always is when you have elite speed and a great work ethic/attitude to pair with it.

Zoltan, Columbus, OH

12:47

Hi Eric, The timing of the departures of Chris Tyree and Chansi Stuckey hints at a causal relationship of some sort. Do you believe one event prompted the other? Thanks.

Eric Hansen

12:47

We do market research for our advertisers and the diversity in geography is fascinating. Texas is huge in terms of who's reading our articles, though I think that's more Dallas and San Antonio than White Deer. <g>

12:46

Hi Shane. I don't think there's been a state I haven't gotten a question from over the course of time. There used to be a yoga teacher in Alaska, for example, we was a regular. There was a guy from Idaho who scared the crap out of me once one I was walking to my car after player interviews. He was a regular, but he popped out of nowhere and I thought he was going to rob me of my life savings ... all $5 of it. The he introduced me to his wife, he popped out from behind a van. Then we had a beer later on. Many countries too. I think it's trickier these days, other than Canada, to access the chats. Love the Canadians. (more)

Shane from White Deer, Texas

12:38

Hey Eric. Hard to believe the season is over. I was fortunate enough to be in Ireland for the first game and ended the season watching the PAC 12 network. Kind of seemed appropriate for the way the season turned out. This is kind of a “chat” question rather than a football one per se. With Notre Dame being a National brand, I was wondering during the course of the season, how many different states you may hear from? While reading the transcripts, it seems like you get questions from sea to shining sea. Thanks for the season. Way too short. Take care.

Eric Hansen

12:37

for better or for worse. OK, now that my word salad/prefacing has concluded, the high points Marcus has shown as a leader, the recruiting level in an NIL/transfer-portal-influenced world leave me encouraged that Notre Dame will start to ascend toward the top 10 again. THIS offseason and next season are critical. I'm not ignoring Freeman's area of needed growth. But I don't see unfixable red flags in that particular area.

12:34

Hi Mark. Thanks for lurking during the season and jumping into the question portal today. The one thing that helps me answer questions like this is I've seen a lot of successful and unsuccessful coaching regimes since I started covering college sports as a journalist in 1983 and moved into the South Bend market five years later. You can't always extrapolate past regimes because football evolves, but there are some interesting checkpoints that make it helpful. Marcus Freeman checks a lot of boxes that other coaches have struggled with and struggles with what I perceive to be more of the fixable issues. But one really bad or one really good coordinator hire here or there can take you down or make you. The Brian VanGorder hire/retention nearly broke Brian Kelly. The Matt Balis hire was a huge turning point. So was Mike Elko, which led to Clark Lea, which set the stage for Marcus Freeman. I can't emphasize how much the Gerad Parker decision now and going forward may affect Freeman's own trajectory (more)

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