JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 27, 2021

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 27, 2021

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Tom Kennesaw, GA

2:49

Hi Eric, thanks for the chats!! I am anxious to get Kevin Baumann back on the field. His skill set would be a great compliment to MM in our two TE sets, especially with the offense going to a more quick throw style. Do you agree? How close is he to returning?

Eric Hansen

2:48

You can only get a hard ticket at the courtesy booths near the stadium. I don't see how the mechanics to scalp hard tickets would exist anymore ... or why you'd want them to with all the online options.

Robert virginia beach

2:47

IS it possible to buy scalper tickets outside the stadium, or did the digital transformation take away all such possibilities?

Eric Hansen

2:47

Barring, injury I'd go under. If ND can replicate the purposefulness and production from the USC game with regard to the tag-teaming, why change it. Buchner can still develop for 2022 in the role he's in.

Jeremy from Goshen, IN

2:46

What's the over-under on starts for Buchner this year and why? We'll see set it at 1.5

Eric Hansen

2:46

To be honest, your punch line hits too close to home for a lot of people who have lived with people with addictions. Not a fan of it if you're kidding. Feel sorry for you if it's true.

Nervous in Van Nuys

2:44

Eric, it's nervous time again. The Irish are in a precarious position this week. They are facing the best quarterback that they will see this season without their top defender. UNC has had a bye week to heal and scheme. Mack Brown now has tape of Jack in the hurry-up offense. The Irish will have a huge emotional let-down after their big win against USC. And...ND is still a work in progress on both sides of the ball. Eric, when I get nervous my go to drink is Jack on the rocks. Tell me why I should stop drinking and start resuming my AA meetings.

Eric Hansen

2:42

My thoughts are you've twisted the narrative, at least from Herbstreit's standpoint. He said USC should pursue Brian Kelly. He did not predict Kelly would end up at USC. As far as I could find, Neuheisel said the same thing.

Guest

2:37

JR, Warren Ohio, any thoughts on Nueheisel and Herbstreit predicting BK to USC???

Eric Hansen

2:36

North Carolina is one of six FBS teams that has struggled with sacks more than ND has, and it turns the ball over too much of offense -- both the results of pressure. Otherwise, they're the No. 15 offense in the country with a future first-round draft pick as their quarterback. So yes, pressure needs to be a big part of the game plan to attack those few but notable weaknesses. ND also needs to account for QB Sam Howell's running ability, which is something the Irish didn't really have to worry about against USC.

Buddy from Oakland

2:32

Eric, with Hamilton on the sidelines how do you think Marcus Freeman will approach this North Carolina game? Will he turn up the pressure on the quarterback with more stunts and blitzes or will he go with a "bend don't break" approach and play it safe? Personally, I think the Irish have thrived when aggressive and regressed when they go passive. On the other hand, last week's approach was pretty effective where they went passive on the long field then got aggressive in the red zone. What say you?

Eric Hansen

2:31

Erik, thank you. And thanks for your gameday suggestions. I'm going to post all of them at the end of the chat. ... I think Lorenzo Styles Jr. is earning more reps, regardless of what anyone else is doing. Deion Colzie too to some extent. Styles got a season-high 15 snaps against USC. Lenzy had a receiver-group-high 52. So it's possible to do both. It's really a rotation of five receivers, and having the freshmen contribute only make it stronger. Lenzy only got two touches Saturday -- a 14-yard run and a reception for minus-2 yards. I know his production hasn't been particularly impressive to this point, but I would not give up on him. He's overcome a lot during his time at ND and there's talent there. Let's see what happens in these next few games, particularly if the offensive line continues to advance.

Erik (Granger, IN)

2:21

Thanks for being here! Since Braden Lenzy’s production has been so low, is it time to give Styles more reps, or are there issues other than Lenzy not getting open? I know he was open early in the season but not getting the ball. Has that still been true the last few weeks? I definitely thought we’d see him averaging 4-5 touches per game for 50-100 yards, but he’s been pretty invisible for the most part.

Eric Hansen

2:14

Dan, thanks for the compliments. I feel like I should be giving you extra Halloween candy for that. ... The NCAA Standardized Test Score Task Force on Oct. 15 recommended that initial-eligibility standards for high school students preparing to play Division I or II sports no longer include a standardized test score requirement. ... So this is a recommendation that will look to advance this further at the committee level in February. It's not yet finalized. The move reflects a shift from schools moving away from standardized testing as part of the admission process for the general student body. The does NOT mean there will be NO academic standards, however.

Dan,Grand Rapids, Mi.

2:08

Hi Eric, Thanks for the opportunity to discuss ND football with one of the GREAT's of the newspaper/media business! I need a little clarification. I saw a runner at the bottom of the screen on ESPN a week ago Saturday that said that the NCAA was not going to have any admission standards for any of its institutions.....can this be right?... or did I mis-read/interpret it? This can't be good news for the ND's, Stanford's, and BC's of the world can it? Please tell me I'm wrong. You're THE BEST!

Eric Hansen

2:07

I don't know that there was a belief they'd have Tremble back. I think there was a hope he and Aaron Banks would return. Neither did.

Brian from Indianapolis

2:03

Is a large portion of the running game struggles related to the staff believing they were going to have Tommy Tremble this year? I would assume his leaving caught them off guard and they had been banking on having his expertise this year as they transitioned to 4 new starters.

Eric Hansen

2:03

Hi Bill, I have it on my list to ask about on Thursday. Originally, the prognosis was eight weeks. Then it seemed to elongate. Then Fisher posted a cryptic message on Twitter the other day that SEEMED to hint a more optimistic timetable. Keep in mind not all meniscus tears are created equal. And I'm not sure how many of your friends who had tears are 335 pounds and playing a physically demanding sport.

Bill Florida Keys

2:00

Just wondering how the recovery for Blake Fisher is going. I have seen many friends (myself included) that had a torn Meniscus and were full speed within a month. Is there a possibility that there might be more damage then was initially thought?

Eric Hansen

2:00

Larry, there was optimism on Monday that Tyree would be available this week. We'll get an update on Thursday and will include that in my regular Thursday afternoon notebook. ... North Carolina has commitments from five-star O-Lineman Zach Rice and five-star D-lineman Travis Shaw. ND was a finalist for Rice, who chose to stay closer to home. The Irish did not offer a scholarship to Shaw.

Larry from Millersville, PA

1:57

Eric - What is the status of Chris Tyree? Will BK give us more details at the press conference tomorrow? Also, while researching North Carolina I noticed they have two 5 star recruits in their 2022 class. Why can't we get these guys?

Eric Hansen

1:54

The only one where Notre Dame is a distinct probability is Schrauth, though that's been a wild one to follow to this point. I think if Howard doesn't like the new LSU coach, then ND becomes a probability. I think there will be one surprise among the others, and my guess is it'd be Nwankpa. None of those are a completely closed door.

Jim, Austin

1:51

What are the real chances of closing on Walker Howard, Xavier Nwankpa, Anthony Lucas, hero kanu, aamil Wagner, and Billy schrauth?

Eric Hansen

1:51

Thanks, Bill, Zero so far.

Bill from St Joe, MI

1:50

Love these chats Eric…so how many dump OL Coach Quinn do you have in the que this week?

Eric Hansen

1:48

Not legally, ethically and directly. The player has to be in the portal for contact to happen.

Guest

ohps! sorry about that. Can a coach for ND or any other team contact a player on another team asking him if he would be interested in going through the transfer portal? For instance the kicker from San Diego State does both punting and field goals/kick offs. Could Coach Poulin contact him to see if he would enter the portal?

1:47

Rick from Lake Forest, CA

Eric Hansen

1:46

But it was their fourth year in that scheme. And Cincinnati still has two of the best cornerbacks on any team, Power 5 or not. ... You have not heard much about Phil Jurkovec, because he was injured early in the season and is out for the rest of the year.

1:45

I think part of what you might perceive as the defense letting up is USC's ability to finally take advantage of ND playing nickel as its base defense in that game and doing so without Kyle Hamilton. USC has two really good running backs, both transfers (Ingram from Texas and Barlow from TCU), and ND sticking with nickel allowed some running lanes in the second half. Had Hamilton been part of that package, it wouldn't have been so easy to execute some of those runs. North Carolina and Virginia in particular (if Hamilton isn't back for the latter) may try to exploit that, so the Irish might not be able to fully commit to nickel/dime packages for that large percentage of plays. ... As far as how this year's Irish D compares statistically to Cincinnati's last season, Cincinnati 2020 was statistically better. (more)

Denny from Beaverton

1:35

Hi Eric; You mentioned last week to my question that a concern of yours for the 2nd half of the season on defense would be more consistency. The defense failed to close the door on USC late in the game and the score was allowed to get too close. It seems we play quite a few players so getting tired should not be a big problem. Any idea how Marcus' defense this year compares to his defense last year at Cincinnati? I have not heard much about Phil Jurkovic at Boston College this year. I never underestimate USC so any victory over the Trojans brings a big smile. Thanks for your great work.

Eric Hansen

1:34

Hi Tim, thanks and welcome. I love San Antonio, by the way. The light show, atmosphere and outcome couldn't have gone over better with the recruits had it been scripted. Big boost. The realistic outcome form the weekend was to make a final impression on the handful of 2022s in attendance and set the table and strengthen the relationships with the 2023s, 2024s and 2025s. And the Irish did. As far as commitments coming, I would expect 2022 offensive lineman Billy Schrauth to make a decision sooner than later. And of the 2023s, five-star in-state linebacker Drayk Bowen has set a Nov. 7 date to announce his decision, with the Irish the favorites to land him.

Tim

1:28

Eric, Tim from San Antonio. Thanks for your great coverage of Notre Dame. Lifelong Irish fan but first time submitting a question. I would love your thoughts on how the win against USC, coupled with the new fan experience (light show, etc.), and stellar play of so many freshmen/sophomores resonated with the recruits? Any pending commitments? I truly appreciate your professionalism.

Eric Hansen

1:28

Yes at least until the contract expires in January 2026 or until it's renegotiated to accommodate a larger playoff field. So Notre Dame would have to make the playoff at the end of the 2023 season AND be assigned to the Rose Bowl semifinal to play in that game.

Jim (Antis Twp., PA

1:16

Hello Eric. Will the rose bowl in non-playoff years always stick with BIG10 vs PAC12, or can ND make another appearance in it, perhaps this season? It was a disappointment to not play in Pasadena last season and I would really like to see the Irish there. Thanks.

Eric Hansen

1:16

Nicholas Singleton is a 6-foot, 210-pound running back from Reading, Pa., who's currently committed to Penn State. He was not a visitor for the USC game. To my understanding, Notre Dame has not given up flipping him and adding him to this class. I'm not sure a strong finish would sway him, but if Penn State coach James Franklin got involved and took one of the high-profile coaching jobs (USC, LSU), that might get him to reconsider. For the record, we run a list of all confirmed recruiting visitors late in the week and update it Saturday morning to reflect any 11th-hour changes.

Denny from Liberty Hill, TX

1:09

Eric, I thought I read that Nicholas Singleton was visiting Notre Dame for the USC game. Was I mistaken, it seems that no mention has been made of this? Do you think a strong finish this season might attract him to flip his commit to the Irish?

Eric Hansen

Having Patterson, Foskey or Jayson Ademilola stay would be a boon for 2022.

1:03

Most of these don't involve the COVID option, but the regular fifth-year option or even given up their senior season ... The three that I'd say are in play that would have to exercise their COVID option with a chance to come back are DT Jayson Ademilola, CB TaRiq Bracy and LB Bo Bauer. ... Among those with fifth-year options are Kevin Austin Jr., Braden Lenzy. Jarrett Patterson and Justin Ademilola. Of those seven, I don't think any are slam dunks, but Patterson and Jayson Ademilola are the guys with the toughest choice at this point. Of the true juniors, I think Kyle Hamilton and Kyren Williams are gone. DE Isaiah Foskey will weigh his evaluation from the NFL's College Advisory Committee after the season. (more)

12:55

Hi Ken and thank you. I love them too! Now when you ask that question, I'm assuming you're only asking about players with a decision to make and not those who are exhausting their eligibility. Because of the COVID exemption of 2020, there's a huge list -- too many to name -- though for those granted/exercising it (and there won't be many), there is not an elastic scholarship limit next year as there is this year. They'll be back down to 85. We talked about some key ones with The Athletic draft analyst Dane Brugler in our latest Pod of Gold podcast. So let's limit it to those. (more)

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