JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 1, 2025

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 1, 2025

Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page

Tom F, Kennesaw, GA

1:36

Good Afternoon Eric. Some quick questions: 1) how do you think Carr will do against the aggressive BSU defense? Why? 2) The 3 frosh DBs look very good. Please rank them 1 thru 3 as of today and then 1 thru 3 as you think they will be at the start of 2026. I think once Johnson adds about 10 pounds he is going to be very good. 3) Liked seeing Talich's INT as we finally got a Safety to play over the top. What is your take on the safeties pass defense so far? Getting better?? Thanks for answering our questions and as always, GO IRISH !!!!!

Eric Hansen

1:35

Hey Ryan CJ Carr, with a pass-efficiency rating of 181.1 is on a pace to shatter the school single-season record of 161.4. which was set in 1949 by Bob Williams and matched in 2009 by Jimmy Clausen. I am just as impressed as you are. Thanks for the score prediction.

Ryan Frankfort illinois

1:33

Good Afternoon Eric what do you think about the play of CJ Carr i think he has looked good this Season I’m thinking Irish win 42-21 or something like that this weekend GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈

Eric Hansen

1:33

Hi Tanker. We do not anticipate any additions or deletions. The Irish coaching staff is putting a lot of energy into the 2027s right now.

Tanker, Ducle NM

1:32

Hey Eric! I hope all is well with you! Curious if you anticipate any additions to the current 26 recruiting class or if the hay is essentially in the barn on that front.

Eric Hansen

1:32

Well Jeremy, if you know anything about that age group, there are not a lot of quarterbacks who can consistently upgrade the forward pass beyond looking like a fumble in the air. So knowing that I took my strong safety and moved him around the formation, sometimes even as an extra pass rusher. That wouldn't fly against Mike Denbrock. Against ND, I would really try to mix up my looks and coverages, but I would lean into slowing the run game down. My only chance to slow them down would be to get them in third-and-longs and then mix blitzes with dropping eight to try to confuse CJ. And if all that sounds like it might not work, well it didn't work for Arkansas either.

Jeremy from Goshen

1:28

Hi Eric! W@$$UP? Question, drawing on your skills as a youth football coach and general knowledge of the college football game. If you were a defensive coordinator how would you try and defend the elite Irish offense?

Eric Hansen

1:28

As far as depth, there's some very good talent, but some of the best tackle depth is being used in the interior, with Guerby Lambert a starting guard and Will Black having spent all of training camp there and likely sticking inside for now. True freshman Matty Augustine and redshirt freshman Styles Prescod are the backup tackles right now. As far as Leonard Moore, we'll get an update from Marcus Freeman on him Thursday at around noon ET.

1:24

OK a trifecta of Charles Jagusah questions (and there are more). So let me hit the main thrust of them here and then get to some of the tangents in Roger's question. As I mentioned in this Intel piece yesterday for subscribers
Irish Intel: CJ Carr’s next step, Notre Dame O-line injury setback, bringing the fire
Jagusah suffered a setback in his recovery from the broken left humerus he suffered in July. And he had to have a surgical procedure to have that cleaned up. There's more detail in the story, as well as some other cool insider stuff, but Notre Dame has not ruled him out for the season/postseason. (more)

Roger

1:19

Eric: Thanks for chatting!! What do you hear about Charles Jagusah's apparent setback? With Guerby Lambert playing well and the O-line showing better, albeit against lesser competition in Purdue and Arkansas, I was looking for his return as a starter to create O-line depth with whomever he replaced. With 2024 O-line injuries requiring lots of depth, which existed in 2024, what is your observation concerning current 2025 Irish O-line depth? Also on the injury front, what is the prognosis for Leonard Moore's return? GO IRISH!!

Brian Hockney

1:18

Will Charles Jagusah be available for the playoffs?

Kevin-Sleepy Eye, MN

1:17

Hansen's the MAN!! How is Jagusah coming along? When will he return and how the line evolve when that happens?

Eric Hansen

1:17

3) I think Mike Brown went into the offseason as an assistant coach with something to prove on the recruiting trail and on the sideline. Given his performance in both, he gets an A from me.

1:16

2) Here's where Boise State is good and here's where they are vulnerable. The good: Very balanced offense, 20th nationally in rush offense, 20th in passing offense. Good on third down, don't turn the ball over, have protected their QB and they get after the passer pretty well on defense. They're a good turnover margin team. The bad? Rush defense. Scoring defense, Third-down defense. The Ugly? One of the worst red zone teams on both sides of the ball. (more)

1:12

Hi Marie. Yes, people are happier and use more exclamation points after a big win!!!!! Even me. But you keep brining the heat with your good questions, and that's welcome too. Let's unpack them. 1) I think it's more subtle steps than big steps. CJ Carr had about a 1/4 of the playbook he has now vs, Miami. He's also getting better and better at the line of scrimmage presnap, which is huge, and he's learning from his mistakes instead of repeating them. The O-line is improving. The WRs are improving. I think you'll see the tight ends beyond Raridon get more involved in mid October and beyond. So there will be more gears to this offense, if you will. (more)

Marie from Atlanta

1:03

Hi Eric, I’m hope you’re enjoying your week. I’m sure it’s nicer when the Irish have a big victory. The offense is really looking amazing, what is the next big step for the offense so that it can be considered a consensus elite offense? I know everyone hopes the team keeps rolling against Boise State this weekend, but what are some problems that Boise State could present and what are the key matchups for the game? It’s a little too early in the season for me to be asking for grades but I will ask for the grade of just one coach. What grade would you give Mike Brown so far this year? As always, thanks so much for hosting the chat and all the great insights.

Eric Hansen

1:01

Love went from being a dangerous but inconsistent receiver to being a defensive coordinator's nightmare. And Price went from a below-average blocker to an above-average one. Williams is a really good receiver and pass blocker. I would not be surprised to see him and Nolan James as the 1-2 punch next season.

12:59

Hi Tony, and thanks! Ja'Juan Seider was actually the assistant coach in the media rotation on Tuesday night, and that question king of came up and kind of didn't. I was interviewing Mark Zackery at the time, so I didn't get to participate, but I saw the transcript. So after that very long preamble, let me answer it. 1) Love and Price are too good to take out of the game at this point in the season when the score is close. As you saw, when it gets lopsided, Williams, James and Payne all got it. 2) Some of what Williams does best, Love and Price did not do well last year or at least to the level they are now. Seider charged them with addressing their weaknesses in the offseason, and they have. (more)

2581

I just learned, Eric, that I can't hit the "enter" key while typing my question...

Is Aneyas Williams' elbow injury contributing to his lack of playing time or is it just a matter of Love & Price being too good to take off of the field? As you know, Aneyas was a prime contributor - particularly on 3rd downs - last season. He was an excellent blocker, ran extremely hard, and, as Penn State learned, was a skilled receiver out of the backfield. I miss seeing him on the field this season - he plays with a passion and ferocity that ND certainly could use... Keep up your great work, Eric ! You're the best !

12:52

Tony from Lexington, KY by way of my hometown of Somerset, PA (also the hometown of ND baseball coach Shawn Stiffler)

Eric Hansen

12:52

Hi Kevin. I think the space bar had you back on the ledge. It happens on this side too. What I do when I want to form paragraphs is hold down the shift key when I hit return for a soft return. I can ask the software folks about reprogramming that. ... OK now get back inside and no more ledge surfing. To your questions. I think for every team, you control your destiny if you have 1 or zero losses or win your conference title. Once you hit that second loss, it's a beauty contest. I do think there will be enough cannibalizing that the Irish will make the field at 10-2 provided they're not edging Syracuse 41-35 and Stanford 12-10. And why I am confident is that I believe this team will improve over time. And thanks for being part of the chats!

Kevin from Calgary

12:47

Eric, please talk me down from the ledge (figuratively not literally). There are currently five SEC teams without a loss and none of them are named Alabama, Georgia, LSU, or Tennessee. Obviously these teams will cannibalize each other to some extent, but there’s a good chance there are five SEC teams at 10-2 or better. Throw in the Big 10 likely having at least three playoff qualifiers what are the chances (hopefully not slim or none) the Irish can qualify at 10-2? I’d hate to think our 2 1/2 game wait for Ash to figure out how to coach the D costs us a post season appearance. Thanks for the chats!

12:46

let me try one more time. The problem with your forum is if I hit return to end a paragraph it sends. So from cannibalize (if I can remember what I stsrted

Eric Hansen

12:46

THIS is my type of question. Love it. If you lived closer, I'd send you a fabulous prize. And the answer is, heck, why not?

Shamrock Sushi

12:45

Shamrock Sushi (Tokyo) Hello esteemed gentlemen! If ND gets more opposing coaches fired, do you think the CFP will accept that as a valid data point? Thank you.

Eric Hansen

12:45

Manny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The interesting thing about the offense is that it doesn't face a team ranked in the top 25 in total defense — and only two in the top 50 — or in the top 35 in pass defense the rest of the season. What ND needs to show is improvement, not leaving the No. 1 offense in 'til the final seconds tick off and running up the score. The national media was impressed more by ND's defense showing improvement that the final margin this past Saturday. If ND goes 10-2, I really like it's chance of being in the playoff. And on our Sunday roundtable show on YouTube, I set my expectation of going 10-2 at 71 percent. Yes, 71 percent.

Manny from san pedro

12:37

Eric!!!!!!!!!! My man!!!! Where has this offense been all my life. I truly felt we could have scored 70 if we wanted!!! Does ND need to blow out everyone like this to get in the playoffs because USC isn’t helping our SOS. If we run the tables. Odds of making the playoffs over or under 40%

Eric Hansen

12:37

Hi Ced. If Notre Dame falls short of the Playoff, the most likely destination is one in which the bowl's trophy actually doubles as a functional toaster. Dead serious. It's the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Dec. 27 in Orlando.

ced

12:34

ced walker Saginaw michigan aka sagnasty Saginaw pride great victory Notre Dame beating arkansas if ND don't make what is the most likely bowl game Notre Dame go to if we don't make the playoffs God Bless This Football Team 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

12:31

The Irish are the ONLY two-loss team in the polls. And as more teams get that second loss or even their first one, the Irish will move up. Especially of the defense starts making consistent progress. That's probably where some voters are skeptical. One thing to note is yes, you can jump other teams that win and win big. But if they have fewer losses, it's harder to justify at this point in the season. But conference play is heating up, and there are going to be a lot of ranked teams playing each other. Patience.

12:27

Hi Matt and thanks so much for your email. I keep up with reading them pretty well. As far as answering, I refuse to turn that over to AI and so I am under water. ... To your questions. I just addressed the defense, so let me touch on the other things here. Yes, I think the O-line progress is real, though Arkansas defensive front has not been impressive. Still, when you look at execution, toughness and cohesion, there have been steps in the right direction. As far a poll fatigue, no I don't think that's the case and I don't think it's problematic on the long term as long as Notre Dame keeps winning and keeps improving. (more)

Matt from Austin

12:24

Hello Eric, as always, thank you for all of your help and insights. I hope you're having a great week! It was actually enjoyable watching the Arkansas game! (watched it with my old roommate. Shout out to Sorin Hall '83). A couple of quick questions. Is there any chance in your mind that our improved play from both lines and our defensive backs might be "fools gold". We were favored by 4 1/2 and won by 43. I'm hoping that the improvement was due to scheme change and coaching, but also have a sense that Arkansas wasn't as good as predicted. Any thoughts? What will need to continue improving upon in the next week or two, other than consistent performance? Lastly, is ND becoming a victim of voter fatigue in the polls? Large wins with little or no movement in our ranking. Thanks Eric. Sorry for being long winded. Matt

Eric Hansen

12:23

You can use a corner or a safety as your nickel. ND typically likes safeties with cornerback speed in that role, because they don't want to sacrifice the physicality. That way the nickel is not a soft spot in the defense on running plays.

12:22

Hi Skip. The nickel is a defensive back position. In conventional base offenses, there is no nickel. He's a fifth defensive back. However, more and more nickel is the new base defense, and Notre Dame is no exception. So instead of three linebackers and four DBs, you're going to get 2 linebackers and 5 DBs most of the time. In man defense, the nickel is usually lined up defending the other team's slot receiver. So you're looking for a DB with elite speed and cutting ability. (more)

Skip - Houston

12:20

Would you please discuss the "nickel" position - where does he play, responsibilities, ideal body type, etc.? Thank you.

Eric Hansen

12:19

The caveat is there are a lot of really powerful passing offenses still to come as well as the schematic curveball from Navy. Add to that, football isn't static. You're constantly evolving, adapting, counterpunching .. .and if you're not people will figure you out and form a template for everyone else to follow. So, Saturday's performance should be looked at as a really encouraging start and not the destination. But I feel good about that progress.

12:17

Notre Dame was finally able to generate a pass rush. Huge. Against a team that doesn't give up many sacks. The coverage benefitted from that, and still without Leonard Moore made some big strides in the back end. They got better as the game went on. The position group that I am waiting to see surge are the linebackers. But Arkansas presented a very balanced offense, with the best QB that ND will face this season — past or upcoming — except for USC's Jayden Maiava, per ESPN. Maiava is No. 1 among Power Conference QBs, with CJ Carr 7th. Arkansas still is ranked in the top 10 in total offense and top 10 in third-down conversions. (more)

12:12

Paul, given my Italian heritage on my mom's side, that's a great opener. Ciao to you as well. And it's a really good place to start. Two things of note to set the stage. Arkansas came into that game having scored 28 points or more in THE FIRST HALF of all four of its previous games. They got 13 for the entire game vs. ND. And they had never been below 500 total yards in a game. ND held them to 365. I also think Bobby Petrino, for all his other faults, is one of the better offensive coordinators in college football. And now he's the interim head coach. So let me give you my reasons that the defensive effort should be sustainable and then one caveat. (more)

Paul from Knoxville

12:06

Ciao Eric! Thank you for the opportunity to submit questions before the chat, as I am seldom able to join it live, but I always enjoy reading the transcripts. My question regards the defense and in particular whether, or how much, the Arkansas game really revealed substantial improvement. I am not sure. Our D was likely helped by the score getting out of hand so quickly and, I suspect, AR having to adjust its game plan. Plus, the first 2 AR drives were stopped on third downs by dropped passes, so I wonder whether two early TDs might have changed the complexion of the game and not just the final score. Am I being overly skeptical? I would welcome your thoughts on the level of improvement you observed. Thanks!

Eric Hansen

12:05

OK, let's roll.

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