JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 8, 2023

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 8, 2023

Eric Hansen

3:13

OK, out of time. Thanks for all the great questions (answered and unanswered). Sean, you impressed me with your followup. ... We'll be back do to this all again next week at noon ET.

3:12

Hi Matt. 1) Disappointing and the competition for 2024 should be open based on performance and talent in the roster. 2) With early impact (I like Bryce Young a lot down the road), I will say LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and S Brauntae Johnson. 3) Sometimes it's just getting beat. 4) The transfer policy is a bigger hurdle than either of those. 5) Thorough evaluation of coaching staff. Thorough eval of gameday operations, especially on the road.

Matt (KC)

3:07

Quickfire Five: Hi Eric, I am sure this chat will be filled with frustration and piling on the OC, but my questions are focused on the future: 1. What is your assessment of our interior line play from the start of the season to now, do you think we have our guys or there will be a wide open competition at guard next year? 2. You have me excited for Cam Williams coming in next year, who is a defensive recruit we should be real excited about playing early and with impact? 3. When we have a recruiting deficit with another program, is it more academic requirements or NIL right now? 4. As a follow up to #3, whichever answer you give, even if "both", in reality what does that deficit look like right now, how big is the gap? 5. What are two or three things, program or player wise you think the coaches or administration will or should really focus on during the off-season to try and improve the team? Go Irish, win or lose, love thee Notre Dame!

Eric Hansen

3:06

Hey Ryan. Thanks for sharing your story. The Clemson situation is a big different because the fans come onto the field, I believe, after every home game. But yes, we're starting to see enough of these fan-to-player incidents where there needs to be better controls in place protecting visiting players.

Ryan (S.F. area)

3:05

Eric, a large group of friends and I went to the Clemson game, wearing green shamrock shirts that said "Tyler from Spartanburg". Clemson fans got a good laugh out of that (even before the game) and dozens of folks took our pictures. I thought the fan base was incredibly friendly. However, when everyone rushed the field after the win, I saw more than a few people swarm ND players and get in their face (kind of like one of ours did to Caleb in the USC game). I even saw one fan push/hit the face mask of an ND player and his head pop back. On some field, somewhere we're heading toward an ugly incident. Do you know if NCAAF admin are aware of such incidents and are considering ways to police field rushing?

Eric Hansen

3:04

You are right. There was an injury question earlier, and my brain was in bye mode ... and I apologize for missing that. I believe Zeke Correll was in concussion protocol and Andrew Kristofic left with a leg injury. I will get updates on them Monday. However, Ashton Craig did a pretty darn good job filling in the final 24 snaps. In fact, he was the No. 3 highest-graded player on offense per Pro Football Focus and highest-graded offensive lineman in the game for either team. On an icky day, that's quite a silver lining.

Bill from St Joe, MI

2:59

Eric, as always thanks for your superior coverage of ND football. I must have missed what might have been said about the injury/injuries to ND’s center(s) last week as my attention was divided between what arguably is the biggest day in horse racing, and the Clemson game. Do you have any details about what was likely an injury or injuries to our center?

Eric Hansen

2:59

The ReliaQuest Bowl would have first choice and then it goes to the ACC's pool of Tier 1 bowls, of which the Pop-Tarts bowl is a part. I believe the structure changes a little each year, and your recollection is correct in there being some wiggle room last year. I'm not sure that exists in Tier I this year. But if there is, ND would have a voice. I just don't think that's the case this time.

Jeff from Schererville, IN

2:57

Eric, thanks for having these chats. My question is about ND's bowl prospects. With a NY6 game out of the picture now, I've seen the Reliaquest and Pop Tarts Bowls as possible landing spots, which means another trip back to Florida. Is the Holiday Bowl in the mix at all or is it too far down the pecking order? If I remember correctly, last year came down to a last minute tug of war between the Gator and Holiday and the Gator won out. That tells me the Holiday would love to have ND if it can get them (who wouldn't?) and there are plenty of comparable Pac-12 teams besides USC to create a juicy matchup. How much say does ND have in terms of where it wants to go and who they want to play (so that ND makes $ and gets a boost playing in a fertile recruiting area) or is it mostly the ACC/bowls telling them where they're going? Thanks!

Eric Hansen

2:55

Hi John. I'm going to assume you mean MF and not FM. I have given your last question a lot of thought ... actually since the Ohio State game and even more so after Louisville. The answer probably lands itself to a column more than a chat answer, but let me see if I can pull it off. Where I think Marcus has an edge over the three coaches you mentioned is the following: Better recruiter on both sides of the ball, better developer of talent, better leader, better vision, more self-awareness of what is in his blind spots. Where he has not proven one way or another that he's better than those three is can he fix big-picture problems? Can he consistently make great hires? Can he clean up the gameday operations and form an identity on the road in which this team in consistently competitive and doesn't underperform? That's what I will be watching closely in the coming weeks and months.

Guest

2:49

johngipp Lititz, PA Hey Eric, Everyone is putting blame on the OC with a lot of justification. It seems that most people are not talking about the elephant in the room. I've been following ND for 70 plus years and have seen one sure trend. First time coaches do not succeed at ND. The good ones stated one way or another their need of past experience to be successful. You said post Clemson Parker should have cut his teeth at a directional school. Since we are still (execute better), See how we can improve (10 games in), and question everything (paralysis by analysis), what in your mind do you see in FM over turn the corner Faust, It is what it is Davie, or schematic Weis?

Eric Hansen

2:48

I think the Brian Kelly regime, especially the last five years of it, showed there was a higher ceiling to this program that what many had thought. Now is there still a higher ceiling and is Marcus Freeman the man who can coax Notre Dame in that direction? I believe the answer to No. 1 is yes. I believe the answer to No. 2 is we will find out this offseason and in year 3. But if I had to hazard a guess, and I'm sure that's what you want, I feel more optimistic than not about that possibility. Ask me that again in March.

DomerReef70

inadvertantly sent- we can expect to be pretty good but not elite. Maybe, there might be a lightening in the bottle some time. And I have become ok with that. This Saturday is the 30th anniversary of one of the greatest games I ever witnessed in person and the first College Game Day. Go Irish!!

2:46

Eric, good morning from the land of Charlie Brown still trying to kick the football. Other commentators are going to go down all the obvious roads (as did you and Tyler after the game) so I'll go in a different direction. I think some bad karma infected the ND program after the 1993 season. I had always heard that there were rumblings in the Admin that Lou used prop 48 too much, that grad rates had somewhat declined, player behavior issues, and that somewhow he didn't get props but rather criticisms from Wadsworth in a meeting after the 1995 season and that he resigned because of this rather than "its the right thing to do" he intoned over and over. Lou's tenure was the last time I felt that ND should/would every game it played. Since then, bleh. Given 30 years of evidence I think we are in a place where we can expect to be

Eric Hansen

2:45

Hi Jack. And thanks for watching and reading. ... I think in terms of commitment and effort and willingness to step into a huge unknown, Sam Hartman has lived up to expectations. In terms of improving his NFL equity and nudging Notre Dame into the playoff picture, he has fallen short largely (in my opinion) to factors outside of his control. Bottom line, Notre Dame is better off for having Sam Hartman pass through this program than not.

Jack, Strongsville Ohio

2:42

Hi Eric. Thank you for the work you do on this chat and Football Never Sleeps. Based on elements around him including coaching, offensive line. and receivers, do you think Sam Hartman has met the expectations that were scene for him after the transfer and why.

Eric Hansen

2:42

Kevin. I don't. Otherwise, CJ Carr would be looking around and Deuce Knight would be doing the same. It's part of the reality of college football.

Kevin, Calgary

2:41

Eric, do you think even the talk of the Irish considering looking at the portal again for a QB next season could cause irreparable damage to recruiting at that position? Or is portal recruiting simply the future we all have to live with? It seems the way things are going, CJ Carr and Deuce Knight are doomed to be starring somewhere else rather than waiting for an opportunity at ND.

Eric Hansen

2:41

Hi Shane. usually during the season Notre Dame's No. 1 offense will go against the scout team, but Marcus Freeman likes to mix in 1s vs. 1s probably with more regularity than most coaches. And so they get both experiences. .. .with the lack of separation. Sometimes it's scheme. Sometimes it's play-calling. Sometimes it's imprecise route-running. Sometimes it's speed. The Irish have been challenged with shortcoming in all of these areas at one point or another.

Shane from White Deer,Texas

2:37

Hey Eric. With a lot of talk about the wide receivers about no separation, route running, etc, I was wondering how often the receivers practice against the first team secondary. It seems like practicing against a great secondary all year would make them better? Or, if you are continually “locked down” in practice does that hinder one’s development? Does it also make it harder for the QB to be able to get in a rhythm with his receivers when playing against the number ones? Thanks for your answers.

Eric Hansen

2:37

Hi Skip. A loss of confidence with all the issues around him and no one to decisively fix all the issues around him. Look, Hartman had a bad day at Clemson. Missed targets, didn't read the defense well at times. But this is a guy who didn't bolt when Rees left (and could have at the end of spring), and has put everything he has into this program. It's not because of lack of effort or focus.

skip - Houston

2:35

Why do you think Hartman's performance has regressed?

Eric Hansen

2:35

Hi Ced. I took your question for a couple of reasons. One, it is something ND could consider in 2024. I would not recommend that in those two final regular-season games. I think the negatives outweigh the positives. ... The second reason I took this question is there was a report about Parker already being demoted that some of your have asked about. Here is what I would suggest. Be careful with sites that aggregate others' reporting and don't actually cover the team and interact with players and coaches themselves. I'd even be more careful with aggregators who are reporting what another aggregator is saying. You might as well ask your neighbor's sister's ex-boyfriend's mechanic's chiropractor.

ced

2:31

ced walker saginaw michigan will notre dame head football coach marcus freeman let qb coach gino guidugli call plays the final 3 games tobias merriwather need to really step up we win out looking like reliaquest or pop tarts bowl here come the irish trust the process the golden standard rally we are nd god country go irish love thee notre dame our mother pray for us

Eric Hansen

2:30

Hey Arnie. I used to be a regular visitor to Hinsdale back in my college days ... I would think Sam Hartmancould offer some input, but Wake hasn't score more than 21 points in any of its last six games, so I think there's plenty of tape for Al Golden to study as well.

Arnie from Hinsdale ,IL

2:28

Is there a better person in the world to prepare the defense for the slow mesh than Sam Hartman?

Eric Hansen

2:28

Hi Tom, and thank you. As far as relative to evaluating for 2024, they have seen enough in training camp and practices and little bits of games to know what they have and none of that will keep ND from looking hard at a transfer portal QB with one year left. So I would play them when you can and let them run the offense, but not at the expense of winning games. It is a good question and he's been asked variations of this. I probably have not done a good enough job of relaying the info to you.

Tom from Toronto

2:25

Hi Eric, I hope that you are well. Would it be a good thing to give both Steve Angeli and Kenny Minchey some extensive playing time in the next three games. I would not shut out Sam Hartman but it may help the big picture to get good looks at both of them. Do you think that Coach Freeman will consider the possibility and would this be a good question to ask him? As usual, your chats are illuminating and entertaining. Thank you.

Eric Hansen

2:25

Tom, I appreciate you restraint. And you are free to manifesto all you want on our message board or even email me if you just want to vent. ... I tried to answer the road question with Marie ,,, so let me focus on Audric Estimé. ... woefully underused in the second half of the Clemson game. In the first half, 14 carries for 82 yards ... and three second-half carries. And two play-action pass calls with all that success running the ball. ... I get that winning the next two games won't help change your mood or most other fans' moods. That's absolutely fair. BUT ND must win the next two games and make progress toward what 2024 will look like.

Tom Kennesaw, GA

2:17

Hi Eric, it is taking all of my patience not to write a manifesto!!! Thanks for your great article earlier in the week calling it like it is with GP. 1) Why are we sooo crummy on the road?? It is not even close to how we should play?? 2) What is GP saving Audric for?? He is gone after this year. There were only a few games left the back half of the season he is only carrying the ball 10-15 times a game. What a waste of talent. Other teams run their All-Americans 20+ a game. By limiting his carries and thus his yards GP has cost AE possible post season honors. Have not been this disappointed with the results of our play in a long time. The next games won't change anything.

Eric Hansen

2:16

Hi Mike. You kind of started to answer your own question. Keep in mind in 12 years of Brian Kelly only three receivers had double-digit catches as freshmen. In 2023, two have already reached that threshold and Jordan Faison will likely become a third. So a lot is being asked of the freshmen, who of whom is (Greathouse) is being played out of position due to injuries. The pressures coming at Hartman, yes, influenced his inaccuracy. Play-calling plays a role. The bottom line is I'll go to bat for Stuckey. A lot of the problems with the receivers are not of his doing, and his recruiting is part of the solution.

Mike from BR, LA

2:10

Curious about your thoughts on Chansi right now. Can’t fault his recruiting, but developing? I’m not savvy enough to separate poor play-calling from poor receiver play, but times in second half, Sam seemed to have some time but no one to throw to

Eric Hansen

2:10

Sean, I appreciate this. I think once ND got to two losses, a third loss, to whatever team it came to, was going to rattle the foundation. Had ND won, at least from a national perspective, it would have been a big shoulder shrug. NC State and Miami had just done it. But given Clemson was 62-3 at home in the past 10 season coming in and given ND's road issues, inside the ND bubble -- yes, I may have incorrectly understate its value. I really appreciate the follow, Sean.

Sean, Schaumburg IL

2:06

Eric, yes, I forgot Oklahoma. I didn't mean to imply you were downplaying the game. I believed, like many others, that this was a huge game for MF and the trajectory of the program long-term. I was surprised you didn't agree with that thinking. I don't believe I was whining. I was pointing out that ND has lost the big games far more often than they've won. Cheez-it, Sun Bowl, Jimmy Kimmel bowl. That's not good enough was my point on the bowl game. I appreciate your work. I don't believe I was denigrating you or your work. I was questioning your belief about the importance of the Clemson game. I, like myriad others, believed it was a huge game for ND/MF and the long-term view of the program. Some things lost in translation. I apologize for the misunderstanding. Be well.

Eric Hansen

2:06

You would think the offensive line will improve in year 2, but why were they not consistently improving in the second half of year one? Sometimes it's a misfit with the offensive coordinator. Sometimes it can be personnel-related. Those are the questions Marcus Freeman has to get to the bottom of. It's NOT a question of lack of talent.

2:03

Wow what a trivia nugget you have in your pocket, Ed. I will comply with your hypothetical and keep possible coaching changes out of it. Let's start with wide receiver. ND loses one to expired eligibility (Matt Salerno, who is injured). Everyone else is eligible to come back and most who do will be better. Cam Williams is the best of the three newcomers, but I like all three of them. He's the one who has the best chance to make an immediate impact. The No. 1 question to answer is at field receiver. Do you believe either Rico Flores or Tobias Merriweather can become a dominating force in 2024 at that position? Because having a player like that at that position potentially opens up a lot of other areas of your offense. If you see as Flores and/or Merriweather as still developing and not ready for that kind of role, then you have to look for one in the portal. (more)

Ed from Sayville NY

1:59

Hello Eric. I’ve been behind the Irish for many years (believe it or not George O’Leary was my 9th grade gym teacher). Every year brings its share of surprises, some good some not. Assuming the offensive staff stays in tact, what do you see as the most likely area to make significant incremental gains? Could it be the current true freshman receivers benefiting from the experience of playing immediately or perhaps the O Line getting assimilated to Coach Rudolph’s coaching in year two? Perhaps you have another thought. In any event I’m keeping my vibe positive as Coach Freeman builds for the future.

Eric Hansen

1:58

Joe. I think at this point, it's more productive to focus on how things can be fixed than who to blame. If I'm Marcus Freeman or in the administration, that's where I'm putting all my energy.

Guest

1:57

Joe H from Williams Bay Wi Hey Eric Thanks for keeping us engaged during the bye week I know a lot of people are questioning Marcus Freeman and the entire offense coaching staff and considering many questionable decisions and game plans i think that’s fair but I’m wondering how much blame do you assign to Marcus and how much to the administration/Swarbrick concerning the fiasco in hiring a new OC last offseason I’m told the University paid a huge price to bring the new basketball coach aboard but “cheaped “out when it came to finding a replacement for Tommy Rees

Eric Hansen

1:57

If I'm Gerad Parker, I wouldn't make wholesale changes ... do what ND does best but also take advantage of what Wake and Stanford don't do well. Neither plays the pass well. You can open up some things for your running game with the pass. I'd try to tune out all the noise and just focus on the next game.

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