JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 8,2025

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 8,2025

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Eric Hansen

3:19

Ok, I have to move on to my next commitment. Thanks for all the great questions. REMEMBER, earlier time next Wednesday. We'll start at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. See you all next week!

3:18

Mike, your enthusiastic punctuation got you in the door for the last question!! 1) Biggest challenge is CJ Bailey, and ND is going to have to be great with their blitzing, and the Irish were last week. 2) Next steps, no more intentional grounding lob throw that could be picked off, keep improving in his scrambling for positive yards, even more of a master at the line of scrimmage pre-snap. 3) I will be ambitious and say 40.

Mike Burke

3:15

Mike from Milwaukee, WI. Hello Eric!!!!!!! Really enjoy your work. I have 3 questions for you. Looking to this weekend against NC State, where do you think ND's biggest challenge will be and how do you think ND will try to counter it? What are the next steps in progression/improvement for CJ Carr you hope to see this Saturday? At the end of the regular season, where do you think ND will be ranked in total defense? Thanks again and GO IRISH!!!!!!!!

Eric Hansen

3:15

I'm going to run of time ... one more ...

3:14

Happy Birthday Tom. It's my fourth-oldest grandson's birthday today and mine, as you mentioned, is coming up. Thank you. To your questions: 1) Need to get a rush on CJ Bailey. He's a handful in being able to buy time. Va Tech did a great job of that. They might be the only ones. And second, play with the lead and minimize how much NC State will be able to lean into its running game and Hollywood Smothers, another Va Tech accomplishment. In their upset win, they outrushed the Wolfpack 222-59. I like your area of improvement, but I think the Jagusah recovery is ambitious.

Tom F, Kennesaw, GA

3:10

Hey Eric, from one October birthday guy (15) to another amazing October guy, I hope you have a great week and an even better weekend!! What are a couple of things you think ND needs to pay close attention to so they are NOT on upset!! I refuse to discuss anything about the Playoffs until after the Bye week. What areas do you hope show the most improvement the Monday after the Bye week??? Mine are OL continuity and kicking game. A healthy Greathouse and Jagusah would be nice too. Go Irish!!!!!

Eric Hansen

3:09

Jeff, you are in town! Will be wonderful to meet in person. And we'll either make Tyler James pay for everything, or we'll put it on the Underhills' tab!

Jeff from Phoenix

3:08

It’s a Beautiful day in South Bend!!!

Eric Hansen

3:08

Thanks, Andy!

Andy from Wilmette via South Bend

3:08

Thank you for the clarification as to the number of plays Gray played. He is a good kid, so I hope he is indeed improving his game. CJ Carr should be named Jet.

Eric Hansen

3:08

Hi Shane. As relentlessly busy as it is, I really try to savor each week. I really mean that. 2020 really shook my perspective and I don't take any of these seasons or weeks for granted. To your real question, I think it goes both ways, and an elite offensive coordinator raises the level of both of those position groups. I get the curiosity about Cam Williams and the concern. His window opens wide when Fields leaves after this season. He is very talented, but not everyone is on the same growth timetable and not everyone has the same windows of opportunity. Don't give up on him just yet. Excessive commas are as welcome as excessive exclamation points!!! No worries,,,,,,,

Shane from White Deer, Tx

3:03

Hey Eric, I can’t believe how fast this season is going. As busy as you are, I bet it even goes faster for you. Something I have been wondering, does an elite qb make a teams receiver room look better, or, can elite receivers make the qb position look better? I know we got two good receivers from the portal, but it seems like our other receivers are now getting separation, where you heard a lot about not happening in years past. Is it a combination of both upgrades, or have the secondary’s faced not as good as some in the past? Also, where is Cam Williams? Is he still on the team? If so, is this feeling like a bust? I always thought he would be a game changer for ND. Thanks for the chat and sorry for the excessive commas I seemed to have used today. Go Irish!!!

Eric Hansen

3:02

Jordan!!!! I'm glad I didn't ban the word "poop" from the chat. And Lord knows with eight grandkids, I hear that word more than the average person in my age group. To your questions. 1) If Jordan Botelho can get to where he was in September of 2024 when he suffered the patella tendon injury, that changes the dynamic of the Irish pass rush big time. As it is, he's done a remarkable job playing the run coming back from two major injuries and earlier than expected with both. 2) I asked Marcus that question kind of in a backward way and then John Brice did again on Monday and he isn't being real direct with his answer, and I get it. It depends. But let me put it this way, if there's a player ND wants to bring back, it certainly makes it tempting for that player to do so. 3) The candidates to do so would be guys like Wagner, Craig and Schrauth on the O-line. Sneed, who's a redshirt junior and Bowen who's s true junior. Those would be the main ones off the top of my head.

Jordan, from Seattle

oh poop - i hit return, sorry. My second question is …. 2) is NIL/Settlement money enough to keep players around for another season when in years past they would've jumped to the NFL? If you can make the same or more money by staying college for another year, are there some players that may do just that? If so, what are some candidates for 2026 that could come back that otherwise may have left in years past?

2:55

Eric!!!!!… thank you for your always funny, insightful, and objective ND coverage. 2 questions: 1) How does a healthy #12 DL affect our pass rush success the last two weeks?; he himself is getting after the QB, but does his presence/play/success help the DL overall? Your assessment please?

Eric Hansen

2:55

Ced, how many more times? I think you're hoping the answer is zero. And I am not going to fight you on that.

ced

2:54

ced walker Saginaw Michigan aka sagnasty saginaw pride finally im glad someone ask Marcus Freeman about the wildcat formation I believe j.love scored a touchdown when we run it vs a&m the play vs Boise st all love had to do was hit the outside how many more times do u think he run this play this year 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

2:53

Hi Fred. I'm a little late in the chat do use a phone-a-friend and this might be better to tease out into an actual story around signing date time. Here's what I can tell you off the top of my own head. Players no longer sign national letters-of-intent. Instead they are athletic grants-in-aid. As far as contracts, most are one year when it comes to rev share, with less common two-year deals.

Fred Phoenix AZ

2:48

Do players now sign an actual contract instead of a letter of intent? If they sign contracts, are they for a four year period or a two year period.Thank you

Eric Hansen

2:47

Hi Berk. I mentioned this in last week's chat and in an intel piece I did a couple of weeks ago, but you're not the only one who asked about it and I like your style. So let's review. Charles Jagusah has a setback in his recovery that will elongate the recovery timeline. He has not been rules out for the season and yet I would not be surprised is he did not try to return until 2026. So when he resumes practicing, I'd be happy to assess where he'd plug back in.

Berk

2:44

Hitting you up from the dirty South, Memphis, TN!!!!!! My quick question is, How and where will Charles J fit into the offense line when he returns. The OL is starting to turn the corner and stacking up quality performances but at the same time how can you leave possibly your best lineman on the sidelines? LETS GO IRISH!

Eric Hansen

2:43

Not sure what you're looking for here Palm Beach. An explanation? A mass apology? I think I've been fair in pointing out the problems, that it's happened with other coordinators — even have a story on the site about that today — and what the possible solutions were. Very confused by this question,

Palm Beach Irish

2:40

The media covering ND buried Ash after 3 games...no one is immune...Did the media overlook the process of breaking in a new coach?...Have you changed your stance now that defense seems to be off the back foot....thanks for your response....

Eric Hansen

2:39

Bill, thank you, and there's no question there, but I laughed very hard at the last line, enough to want to include it. Thanks. And you're right about the Keurig machine. If it's possible to be in love with a kitchen appliance, it's moved past mere infatuation.

Bill from St Joe, MI

2:37

Hi Eric!!! Enjoyed your first question to HC Freeman this past Monday. It might be my favorite moment at a Monday presser, overtaking the surprised look of Brian Kelly when you were maybe the first reporter to raise their hand when BK asked if anyone had heard of Zomba exercise classes that his wife was taking. I also have to commend you for bringing up the recent history of first year defensive coordinators difficulties in games 1 & 2 which were similarly a bit shaky or underwhelming. Many Irish fans have now settled down especially after the performance of the defense the last 10 quarters.
You have certainly not been a Somnambulist thanks to your beloved Keurig machine!

Eric Hansen

2:37

Hey Ryan Tae Johnson is crushing it, and so are you with your score predictions, at least the margin part. I think Johnson has a chance to be a future All-American. Not this year, but eventually. He's THAT good.

Ryan Frankfort illinois

2:35

Good afternoon Eric what do you think about the play of Tae Johnson i think he has looked good i think the Irish win 42-21 or something like that this weekend GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈

Eric Hansen

2:35

Andy I appreciate the 40 time. I bet it's faster when it's time for another beer? And as far as what you're wearing? That's probably a different kind of chat. But I love your question, so let's get to it. ... Now, Andy, were you multitasking when you were watching the game? ND played 78 defensive snaps and Christian Gray played 77 of them. For the season he's played 342 -- most of any defensive player, and it's not even close. What you might be seeing is him playing better, so you don't notice mistakes being made? The good news is freshman Mark Zackery is getting to a point where the coaching staff trusts to put him in a little bit of a rotation when needed. And it will be needed against USC next weekend. Thank you for the question and the other info!

Andy from Wilmette via South Bend

2:28

Blue khakis and I ran the 40 in 8.8 (40 years ago). Hello Eric. A little flashback info. Watching back the tape on the BS game, I see that #6 on defense seemed to play less. Is that a trend that we will see in the future? Is Gray going to play less and less as the youngsters get better and better? Thanks for all you do.

Eric Hansen

2:27

Ciao Paul. Come va? Ah the Wildcat. I'm not sure explaining it in English will make it any more palatable than doing so in Italiano. I think it can work when it's a surprise or if you see a weakness in the opposing team's scheme that lends itself to being exploited. What made Arkansas' so good roughly 20 years ago with Heisman finalist Darren McFadden running it is that McFadden was a high school QB who could also pass. And you had to defend it, because he attempted 22 career passes and completed 14 of them. Seven of those 14 resulted in touchdowns. So wouldn't ND be better off with a Kenny Minchey package of ever a Jordan Faison one? I think maybe so. .. and just for you:
Quindi non sarebbe meglio per ND avere un pacchetto Kenny Minchey o addirittura uno Jordan Faison? Credo di sì.

Paul from Knoxville

2:17

Ciao Eric: You were right about the D -- not surprising! -- and I'm more convinced of the progress after this weekend. My question is about the wildcat formation. Could you please help me understand its advantages and why it is used in certain short yardage situations and not others? To me it appears to telegraph, at least in part, what the O is going to do, and even more so if a QB lines up wide and cannot check out of a call if the opposing D is in a formation that may stop it. Although my question is not specific to the 4th and goal play that ND ran on its initial drive against BSU, that play is the context. Thanks, and buona giornata!!!

Eric Hansen

2:16

Ed, are you are a smarty pants. EXACTLY how Mike Denbrock wanted to build this offense, with balance, with gears, with the ability to play different styles and tempos to maximize exploiting defensive mismatches. And you betcha, there is more coming in the second half of the season. The Flanagan return and what that will bring is just one of those additions.

Ed Sayville NY

2:14

Hello Eric. What do you hear/ what do you say? The run/pass balance seems to make the offense more dynamic and challenging to defend. Do you get the sense that Coach Denbrock will show some new looks and wrinkles at opposing defenses as the season progresses?

Eric Hansen

2:14

I will have to get the Ouija board out for that one, because he doesn't even know. I would NOT count on it, Bob. Just the nature of that hip injury and not being able to pin down what's causing it. I know Marcus Freeman and Monday sounded determined to figure out who was the better option moving forward, Schmidt or Diomede. And I endorse that.

Bob (Oxnard CA)

2:12

Hi Eric, dl you think our field goal kicker will be back for USC? Thx.

Eric Hansen

2:12

Only if you also believe there's a monster under your bed.

Pat from Bordentown, NJ

2:11

Should we be worried that Greathouse’s “injury” popped up right before game 5 and he is actually redshirting and transferring?

Eric Hansen

2:11

Len!!! You^^^ Lively%%% Minx$$$$ And good question. During the bye week, I'm planning on touching base with a draft analyst to get an update. In the preseason, Aamil Wagner was getting some buzz. He may have played his way out of that, for now. Billy Schrauth remains someone firmly on the radar. Charles Jagusah would be if he were playing. I think Ashton Craig has had five strong games. I'll be curious to see how that has raised his profile, Lambert and Knapp are not draft-eligible. I would think Schrauth would go in the first three rounds.

Len from the Jersey Shore

2:08

Hello Eric$$$ Now that the O line is 5 games into the season who looks like an NFL draft pick in any round the season they opt for the draft? Any good enough to be First three rounds?

Eric Hansen

2:08

Hi Larry, I never recommend worrying, but for your checklist of concerns, I would include 1) Quarterback CJ Bailey, a 6-6, 213-pound sophomore who is great at extending plays and who ranks in the top 20 nationally in both pass efficiency and total offense. 2) Hollywood Smothers, sophomore running back. Yep, he's as good as that name makes him sound. Sixth in the nation in rushing. 3) Big play tight end in Joly and in wide receiver Anderson. Three reasons to toast to ... ND is going to light up the NC State defense. 2) The defensive improvement is real. 3) Notre Dame is better than Campbell, which was NC State's "get wall" game last week to break a two-game losing streak. And thanks for listening to the podcasts. Just got done texting with Tom Zbikowski. He'll be our guest this week!

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