JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Oct. 14, 2026

Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Oct. 14, 2026

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Eric Hansen

1:31

Hi Dave. My main concern is whether Jack Soble can get the coffee he's going to need for a long night of writing. But as far as where BYU can really challenge what Notre Dame has been up to this point? I think the matchup of matchups is the Irish new-and-improved rush game against a Top 10 run defense that's been paired with a pretty good pass defense. It's a team that doesn't beat itself. On defense, this is a linebackers game for the Irish ... and with KVA back, I think they'll rise to the occasion.

Dave from Mitchell, GA

1:23

Eric, hope your week is going well. With the season half over I'm excited we are 6-0 and looking forward to the meat of the schedule hitting us. Because Stanford is so bad it's difficult to get a reading on any lingering deficiencies with the team but I wanted to ask what is your main concern going into the BYU game? I understand each week going forward will present it's own challenges. I think the original concern would have been the running game but it looks like Bachmeier can sling it too. GO IRISH!

Eric Hansen

1:23

Hi Charlie. Yes, yes and more yes. I wrote about this on Monday: Notre Dame at midseason: How Jonaz Walton is changing the Irish championship equation
Tons of depth on that very topic on that story and much more. It puts opposing defensive coordinators in a position of having to gameplan for him, thus opening up things in the passing game. Or ignore that, and take your chances with him. Not a fun dilemma for them.

Charlie from Indian Wells

1:19

Eric, Price and Love were real homers threats; Williams and James are not. But Walton clearly is. Do you think defenses will compensate in alignments and strategy when he's in the game, and if so is that something our offense can take advantage of?

Eric Hansen

1:19

Hi Jeff. There's not such thing as late in chat land. As long as you don't fight, spit or gamble. The surprise who could come out is Anthonie Knapp at guard. He's having a really good year, but it would surprise me for him not to want to have a senior season at ND. Who looks like automatic to go, but might not be? Maybe Brauntae Johnson with all the time he's missed. Maybe Luke Talich hinging on what Johnson does.

Jeff from Phoenix

1:13

Hey Eric, you know I cant resist the chat, I'm just running late today. So, after 6 games we have more data on players that might be NFL ready. Maybe you could name 1 player that, with a strong finish to the year, could surprise us by declaring for the draft. And also, another player that you think might stay at ND for another year after weighing the options. Good health and thanks as always-

Eric Hansen

1:12

Hi Tony, I was still writing when the Kentucky game was finishing up. but I cheated and took in the overtime on TV. Wow. ... Thanks for the hype, love it. With concussions, you're either cleared or you're not. There's not playing at 82%. My sense is Leonard Moore will play, and we could get an update on that tomorrow. KVA has been full cleared, so he will play and probably with some kind of cast on the thumb. We'll see if that limits him in anyway. I still think Nolan James Jr. will start vs. BYU. But the flow of the game carries for all the backs will be more important than in any game this season, so we could see more of an imbalance in carries in Jonaz Walton's direction, and we saw that in the last game.

2581

1:01

2581/Tony from Lexington, Kentucky, the current home of the very popular Kenny Minchey, who has made the game-winning (2-point) play in OT the past two weeks for the Kentucky Wildcats ! -- Eric the Great !!!!!! Do you think Leonard Moore is gonna play against BYU on Saturday? How about KVA? And who do you predict will open the 2nd half at tailback for the Irish? Hope to see you in The Bend in November ! Go Irish !

Eric Hansen

1:01

Well, him not having RB LJ Martin to deal with helps. I think you'll see a similar approach to how the Irish defended Wisconsin's Colton Joseph, even though they have different styles and strengths as running QBs. Remember that in the Wisconsin game, the Irish didn't have LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and they will for the BYU game. And I think he's such a huge part of the game plan on Saturday night. I could see the Irish playing more three linebacker looks and less nickel in this game. So, setting the edge is huge and the thing ND has not been good at with some QBs this year is the scramble, need to be aware of and close those escape lanes.

Jack,Strongsville, Ohio

12:53

Hi Eric. If you are Chris Ash what is your gameplan to stop BYU qb Bear Bachmeier? Thanks for your great work.

Eric Hansen

12:53

Hi Jay, we had an update on Monday re Jagusah and Johnson, and I've touched on both here, particuarly Johnson. I suspect if we see Jagusah it would be in a playoff game, not a regular-season game. Chris Burgess feels like the would be close, but I need to check around during the bye week. No reason to rush him. The only two players who have been ruled out for the season are WR Quincy Porter and CB Chaz Smith.

Jay ND ROCKS

12:51

Columbus OH, Brauntae Johnson injury, "left foot" pretty vague. What's the update if any, is he returning this year. How about Burgess & Jagusah. The season starts Saturday night - GO ND!!!!

Eric Hansen

12:50

But under the 5-for-5 scenario, that would be it. Under the old rules, he could petition for an additional year or years. My sense is 2028 would be an easy appeal, but beyond that, it's uphill. The thing is, if he's healthy enough to play in 2027 and put a good season on tape, he'd probably want to head to the NFL after that year, given his injury history. As to your Brauntae Johnson question, I think he would be coming back right around that time. But it will have been a long layoff, so you're probably looking at a pitch count, especially with the high level Luke Talich is playing at.

12:48

Mark!!!!*^#$@!~~~ Love the dollar signs in your greeting. I hope that is a sign of things to come for me. So there are two tracks players can be on in this new era of the 5-for-5 rule. Players enrolling in 2027 will only be able to apply the 5-for-5 rule. Current players can use the old or new rule, whichever is of greater benefit. Im Charles' Jagusah's case, he would have eligibility in 2027 using either set of rules. (more)

MarkGolden Valley, MN

12:44

Eric!!&$$!!&$$. I have not figured out what the exclamation point, ampersand, with dollar sign is yet. But it could be if you subscribe to Blue & Gold you could become an AI billionaire. My real question is whether Charles Jaguash would be eligible to come back next year. I am also curious from Coach Freeman’s recent press conference, when he mentioned “Novemberish” for Bruntae Johnson’s return, could he mean the Miami game? Or is that not going to happen? As always, we appreciate your great columns and content. Go Irish!!!! ☘️

Eric Hansen

12:44

Hi Bob. The TCU QB is actually second in the country in the deep passing category. CJ Carr is 6th. But all the teams BYU has played, except Iowa State, lean pass a lot more than they do run. And some are pretty good at it. Notre Dame offers more balance in offensive approach that BYU has experienced.

Bob Oxnard

12:39

Hi Eric. Has byu faced teams that throw the ball downfield much. The Iowa state QB seemed to have an average depth of target of about 3 yards (my guess). Arizona was a mostly running qb who threw short mostly. Thanks.

Eric Hansen

12:34

Hi Jim, I think it comes down to best available, when you look at the QBs Notre Dame has both landed and pursued. Ideally, you'd love someone who sees and processes the game at an elite level, like Carr, but can run like Leonard. If you could have only one, you'd take the player with arm talent who can minimize mistakes and read coverages and slide protections over an athletic QB who is short on those other qualities. In Champ Monds, ND maybe be getting the best of both worlds. We'll see.

Jim From Springfield, IL

12:31

Thanks again for doing these. Now that Marcus Freeman has been there for five years and had a chance to see what works at ND, do you see him recruiting a specific type of QB to fit his offense (CJ, the two freshman) or will he go for the best available and fit the offense to them (Riley Leonard)?

Eric Hansen

12:31

A rare exception was the 2004 game at BYU, a a, 20-17 Irish loss in which the thin air might have affected coach Tyrone Williams; reasoning capacity when he elected not to play freshman RB Darius Walker, who when on to one of the best freshman seasons by an Irish running back in school history.

12:29

Hi Beth and thanks for the feedback on the Walton story. I have a feeling we'll be writing a lot of those in the second half of the season. Marcus Freeman talked about this some on Monday's press conference, and Jack Soble addressed it well in an article. But hydration is also an important element. So will maybe deeper rotations in some position groups. Notre Dame is built for it. Notre Dame doesn't have a ton of "altitude" games historically, but the Irish have done very well in the ones they have played in. (more)

Beth from Westfield, IN

12:22

Eric: Great article on Jonaz Walton! Seems to be a really mature and humble young man. My question is about how Notre Dame will prepare to play at altitude. I know that our Director of Football Performance is Loren Landon and he is familiar with high elevation due to his time with the Broncos. Do you have any insight into the plan other than having extra oxygen on the sidelines? Thank for taking the time to answer our questions!

Eric Hansen

12:22

I just think Jarrard, who has completed both passes he's attempted, is the better athlete and every bit as good as a passer as Grubbs. I think Champ Monds is a phenom, but him missing so much time due to injury and reclassifying doesn't portend well for him being able to compete to be QB1 in 2027. But I wouldn't write him off either. It will be a very interesting and competitive spring.

12:20

OK, here's my take. I still think Teddy Jarrard has the higher ceiling. And I think Noah Grubbs' head start helped him differentiate between QB2 and QB3 for now. But give Grubbs credit for continuing to leverage that head start and make the most out of his opportunities to play in games. Grubbs has played 57 snaps spread over 3 games. He's 14-of-22 passing for 164 yards, 1 TD and no picks. That translates to a respectable 141.3 pass-efficiency rating. There's a lot to like about Grubbs, including how he responds to competition. (more)

"That's what they've got to continue to focus on is how do I continue to get better. We're ready if I get an opportunity here in a game today, but also know that this is about improving for the future. Because CJ, you think about his freshman year, he was redshirted. He was on scout team doing what Teddy's doing and he improved enough that he was able to win the competition his second year. Teddy understands that, Noah understands that and they're both doing a great job improving.”

12:14

On where the freshman QBs have improved and what gives him confidence they could win games if they’re called upon…

“You know, again, practice evaluation and how they grow in practice is the most critical element to it. If you get opportunities to put them in the game, like we did on Saturday, you do that. We wanted to get Teddy in that last series, but the game kind of just dictated that we can kneel the ball out and get out of there. But we have to have a plan for the game in terms of if somebody gets hurt. If CJ goes down and Noah's getting a lot of the reps in practice then he'll be the guy ready to go. But it doesn't really dictate beyond right now or in the future. We've got two really good young quarterbacks that are improving and that will be in a competition as we get ready to go for next year. (more)

12:12

Hi Mike, and you make be a first-time question-asker, but you're an elite-level complimenter ... thank you. I actually asked Marcus Freeman about this at the Monday press conference, in sort of a different way, but his answer aligned more with your question. Let me share that, then I'll add my 2 cents on the other side:

Mike from San Francisco

12:09

Hi Eric, hope you’re doing well. First time poster but you’ve been my go to source for ND football news for more than a decade. There is no one better. First, I just wanted to start with some gratitude. With all the discussion this past week about Stanford’s program being in such poor shape because of their reticence to adapt to NIL and the transfer portal, I just want to say how grateful I am that ND is where it is today. Had a few things gone differently over the past 5+ years, ND could be scrambling to catch up to the new normal instead of 6-0, #2, and realistically talking about a title. On to my question… Can you share your latest thinking on the backup QB situation? Back in August you noted that the backup QB might change mid season. Clearly Grubbs has been the first man in. I’m curious if you still think there’s a chance Jarrard may overtake him this year. And to what extent is it still a matter of familiarity with the offense vs ability between the two at this point? Thanks!

Eric Hansen

Off we go ...

12:06

The "no drinking" and "no bare feet" rules are out of play this week, so kick off your shoes if you'd like and have the beverage of your choice.

Here are the rules:

12:05

PLEASE include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question(s). "Guest" doe not qualify as a name or a hometown, not even with a bribe.

12:04

As far as this week's chat ...

► Finally at WSBT Sports Radio 960, I’m part of the Notre Dame Football pregame show with Tim Grauel, Jim Irizarry and Blue & Gold teammate Jack Soble. The GameDay show kicks off with 3 1/2 hours of news, analysis and special guests live on Saturday ahead of the ND-BYU game. We’ll start our coverage at 3 p.m. ET. You can listen locally at WSBT-AM 960, Sunny 101.5 FM, and 106.1 FM in Southwest Michigan. And it will be live streaming on wsbtradio.com and on the WSBT Radio app. For the away games, we also have a YouTube feed.

► The Third & Gold Podcast is available at all the places where you find podcasts, as well as our YouTube Channel. The next episode drops late Thursday afternoon. On our most recent episode, NFL Draft analyst Dalton Wasserman joined us as our special guest to talk about the Irish NFL Draft prospects.

12:03

► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, what are you doing with your life? Seriously, the show keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation, so you can catch up now or later on our new home on the Blue & Gold YouTube channel. The last three shows have been our most-watched episodes ever. We’ll be back next Monday at 7 ET for another presentation of Football Never Sleeps. Check out some other great shows and content on the Blue & Gold YouTube channel as well, including the live Notre Dame Football Show, on Tuesday nights at 8 ET.

► One significant change that has been made to the chat recently — the live chat portion and the ability to submit questions will be limited to subscribers of blueandgold.com. Those higher on the food chain than me at On3 — which is just about everybody — came up with this concept to reward subscribers, since my brain and fingers are too slow to get to all the questions in three hours. I am supportive of this.
What I am more excited about is that On3 has rolled out a new introductory offer for first-time subscribers. It’s 60% off your first year, which amounts to $48 for the year or $4 a month if that math hits your brain better. With that, you get all of our premium content, plus all the value you get from a national team of writers and content creators, as well as access to every team site in the On3 network and a full year of The Athletic. Check it out HERE.

First, some quick programming notes:

12:02

And before you ponder, Hey will there be a chat next week during the bye week. The answer is YES!

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