JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 9, 2024 | 10/9/2024

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 9, 2024

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Eric Hansen

OK, that's going to do it for today. I have a hard out at 3. Thanks for all the great questions. We'll be back to do it all over again next Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET.

2:55

Jason, I'm at the end, so let's do that one next week. I can get the stats to compare.

Jason from Grand Rapids MI

2:54

Hey Eric, maybe not a question for this week, but I've been curious about transfers that got snaps while here. Would we be better with NaNa vs RJ? Or Clarence Lewis vs Jordan Clark, etc. Or are these not either or situations and these guys were looking to leave anyway. Thanks for everything and really enjoyed the article on the commits ND lost to other teams.

Eric Hansen

2:54

Hi Patrick. Thank you. ... I'm going to put you up in the booth and have you talk to Mike Denbrock on the headset down on the sideline with all your good ideas. Actually, Stanford has been pretty vulnerable to all kinds of passes and all kinds of depths. They've allowed a 68% completion rate, and about half of the 1,342 yards they've given up were after the catch. ... I think I'm repeating myself on the second part of your question, but ... run defense, passing game and no special teams gaffes.

laughing

1

Patrick from Boulder

2:49

Eric!!!!!!!!! Greetings from sunny Boulder. Two questions for you this week. With Stanford's stout run defense, do you expect ND to do anything creative to create opportunities for our run-first offense (like leaning into the screen game or lots of passes to TEs/RB wheel routes? What are the top 3 things you're looking for out of ND after its first bye week? Thanks for all you do and go Irish!

cool

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Eric Hansen

2:48

At this point yes, just not sure how much ... and again, I can't predict injury setbacks. Above my pay grade. Heck this chat is probably above my pay grade, but I love it.

laughing

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Dave from DC

2:48

Are signs pointing to Josh Burnham playing on Saturday?

Eric Hansen

2:48

I had higher expectations for Kris Mitchell on offense and Rylie Mills/RJ Oben on defense. And there's still time for redemption. Who's played well above my expectations? I think I had a similar question earlier, though it was more about who improved from the start of the season the most. ... so I'll still go with Pat Coogan on offense. On defense, I'm going to go with Jordan Clark. I thought he'd be good. He's been much better than good.

John from Scottsdale

2:43

Eric. What offensive and defensive players performance has been the most disappointing to you this year? Who on both sides of the ball has performed furthest from your expectations entering the year (either good or bad)?

Eric Hansen

2:42

Hi Matt, if he got the compliments you threw at me, I guarantee he would not have been able to leave. Thank you. ... Tyler James is deeper in the weeds on this than I am. But here's my impression: Multiple factors, including ... a clear path to early playing time, geography, the allure of the SEC, and people in his ear who he trusts that pushed him toward Auburn. And there could be a good ending for both sides without each other. We'll see.

Matt from Austin

2:40

Eric, hello!!!! Give us your opinion on the Knight overall conclusion. You have insights that we can never match. You are the best. NIL, jealousy, fear of QB room, flattery? I just don't know, but I feel we are better off knowing that he was never truly committed. Thank you. Matt

Eric Hansen

2:39

Hi Tim, and thank you. Let me start with Joe Theismann. I really enjoyed that one, if you couldn't tell. I thought Joe's comments about college sports in 2024 reflect those largely of people who have been college sports fans a long time and are worried about changing the fabric of what makes college sports great. He may be right about that, but there's no going back, and so I look for ways for it to work and to embrace it, and I think he's trying to do that too. And I think ND is lucky to have a head football coach and AD who are up to that challenge, it appears. ... Matt Balis has been pretty quiet since leaving the program. And yes, he was a very popular and effective leader for ND.

Tim - STL

2:35

Hey Eric - Thanks for keeping us informed. The hardest working reporter in the business. Has anyone heard from Matt Balis? How is he? What is he up to ? In my opinion he was a huge loss for ND in terms of instilling toughness, preparation and motivation. Also enjoyed Joe "Heisman" Podcast. What did you think of his comments about student athletes in 2024?

Eric Hansen

2:35

Hi Ed. I had a full plate away from that news heading into the chat and now I'm in it, so I haven't had time to fully tease this out. But it's a GREAT question, and one that deserves an answer, even if it's not fully baked. ... So the elimination of the National Letter of Intent, with national signing (Dec. 4-6) less than two months away leaves a lot of gray area. The hope/intention is replacing one form of binding agreement with another. The new one would be a combination of financial aid agreement and revenue-sharing contract. Could there be some imperfections arise in this first go-around? I would say count on it, but again, the intent is that the new agreement would do some of the same things as the old National Letter, just with different details attached to it for the players.

Ed Sayville NY

2:31

Hello Eric. I just heard that the National Letter of Intent is going away. Do you know if this was an expected next step in college sports and what might it mean? What else maybe coming as there have been more changes than a David Bowie album.

Eric Hansen

2:29

Yes, and he really recalibrated during the bye week, lots of film study. Lots of changing his mindset and believing he is healthy enough to do everything asked of him now. More Mitchell Evans and better Mitchell Evans moving forward.

The Beave. Grand Rapids

2:28

Hi Eric. It seems that Mitchell Evans got most of his recent looks on the perimeter in tight end screens or flares. Guessing and offense was looking to attack the edges of the Louisville defense. is there opportunity to for ND to use Evans to attack the middle of the Stanford defense?

Eric Hansen

2:28

HI DomerReef. I get the curiosity here. But one of the reasons Rivals offers traditional high school rankings and combined high school/portal rankings is that it better reflects the quality of incoming talent. Think about Jordan Clark, for instance. What high school kid would be playing at that level at nickel this season? And so we'll have to wait until the portal season is through to FULLY evaluate fairly. Having said that, I do think ND is recruiting at a high level at a lot of position groups, but needs to step it up in others, such as WR in this cycle, and finish strong by reeling in the two stud linebacker prospects. And yes, sign a quality 2025 QB.

DomerReef70

2:24

Eric, hope you are rested after holding Bye Week U scoreless, no yards gained and 0:00 time of possession. Question pertains to 2025 recruiting. For almost 12 months ND had the #1 ranked class but in the last several months has plummeted out of the top 10 far far behind (in Rivals points) the top 5-and this pretty much happend prior to the decommitment of the faux D Knight "commitment" (glad he's gone). In your opinion what does this portend for ND, are we filling the position needs in that class with quality players with which HCMF can continue to sustain an elite program? Hope to see you in Atlanta next week-Go Irish!!!!!!!!!!

Eric Hansen

2:23

Hi Larry. and thanks for your restraint! 1) I could pause the chat and go to all 133/134 FBS websites, but I would get a lot of people upset with me. And it's not just four scholarship QBs, is the quality of the four scholarship QBs ND has. Kenny Minchey as a No. 3 and CJ Carr as No. 4? Wow. 2) I'd say a 9. 3) It didn't sound serious. If he were out for the year, he would be listed on ND's weekly availability chart. And given the new injury policy, which helps in some aspects and hurts in our reporting in others, getting a deep dive of info for a player not in the two-deeps is tough. At least on the record.

Guest

2:19

Larry from Topton, PA. A few (but less than 17) quarterback-related questions please. 1) My sense is that in today’s NIL/transfer-happy football world, having 4 scholarship QB’s on the roster is pretty rare. Do you know, is my sense correct? How common is it for a program to have 4 scholarship quarterbacks nowadays? 2) On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely is it that ND will sign a 2025 QB prospect? 3) During warmups for the Louisville game, I made a point to be on the lookout for CJ Carr, and I noticed that he was throwing the ball softly with his left hand. I have since heard that after returning to the locker room, he did not fully dress for the game due to an elbow injury. Are your sources providing any specifics about Carr’s injury? How much practice time has he missed? Any long term implications of this injury? Thanks for keeping us informed and entertained during the bye week Eric!

Eric Hansen

2:19

Hi Jonathan! I'm very certain Marcus Freeman will NEVER confirm what they talked about publicly. And as Marcus mentioned, it's not uncommon for coaches to talk ... now this situation was a bit different because they did not have a longstanding relationship.

Jonathan in Hideaway, TX

2:17

Greetings, Eric! After the NIU loss, Coach Thomas Hammock offered to clue Coach Freeman in on what they’d picked up in scouting the Irish. Or something like that. You or Tyler reported on it, if memory serves. Can you drop any hints about the subject of that conversation? Was it schematic? Did the Irish have tells giving away what kind of play the offense had called?

Eric Hansen

2:17

Hi Matt, wow you jammed a lot of tangents into very few words. I'm impressed and stalling for time for a good answer ... Here are my thoughts as they labor to work their way from my brain to my fingers ... 1) NEVER overreact to a singular weekend. 2) Even in a weekend like the last one, take the whole season into account. 3) The teams that lost last weekend have a chance to redeem themselves. 4) As long as ND keeps winning, the better Texas A&M turns out to be, the better it is for the Irish. 5) Any teams losing to an unranked team gives them less margin for error with many big games still ahead for most of them.

Matt, Salem, OR

2:12

How do you think the Bama loss compares to NDs loss? Does it validate that playoff teams have off weeks? As Marcus Freeman is viewed and the team. Does it seem ND is now under rated given the a&m win? Does it seem the "it" teams and the SEC are overrated? Thanks for your expertise

Eric Hansen

2:10

Hi Jeff. I'm not sure this situation will ever happen again, at least not in our lifetimes. The last time Army and Navy were both unbeaten this deep into the season was 1945, and I'm not even old enough to have been alive then. I don't have a strong opinion on this, but off the top of my head, since they are both now in a conference and the same conference, it would seem fairly easy to schedule that game before the AAC title game and before Selection Sunday.

Jeff from Phoenix

2:06

Hey Eric. Was wondering how you see this odd situation, since you are a poll voter. The playoff selection committee will be meeting the week before the Army-Navy game. Both of those teams are currently undefeated and ND opponents, so there is the (small) possibility that they could be in the playoff discussion as an at-large team or conference champ, without a full season considered. Is this just a inconsequential bar discussion for this year or a legit problem? Would you be in favor of ever eliminating that great traditional game or moving the date to earlier in the season, or ? Thanks !

Eric Hansen

2:06

Hi Patrick. The Ashton Craig ACL tear happened on a grass field at Purdue. And so did Jordan Botelho's patella (non-ACL) knee injury. Notre Dame did those studies before they flipped to turf during the Brian Kelly Era. And they will continue to do studies. That's the best I can give you.

Guest

2:03

I would like to know whether or not the administration is going to consider a grass field given the numerous ACL injuries.Patrick from Rochester,NY

Eric Hansen

2:03

Hi Patrick. It's a fair question, but Notre Dame has continued to recruit and develop at a very high level at linebacker. And when analysts say that, I think it speaks to perceptual wins as well. But Ziegler is working his way back to college football away from ND after a very scary health episode. I think Burnham has a chance to be a standout defensive end. And Junior has played a lot, though not at an elite level. So yes, overrated isn't inaccurate, and yet it was the start of ND upgrading the position, which continues with really good recruiting at that position group.

Patrick, Fort Wayne, IN

1:59

Good Afternoon Eric, Looking at the defense depth chart, I can't help but think about a quote Tom Lemming made about the 2022 LB recruit class that featured Sneed, Burnham, Tuihalamaka and Ziegler. Lemming said it was the best ND LB class in 30 years. Here we are in 2024 and only Sneed is playing LB and he is not starting. What is your take on this evolution. Was the class overrated?

Eric Hansen

1:59

Sean!!! Ok, here I go. 1) Because Tyler James wasn't yet covering Notre Dame. 2) He is available and has been practicing. If all goes well, I would expect him to start. Ashton Daniels is a much better option for Stanford. 3) Yes and hell yes.

Sean, Portland OR

1:56

ERIC!!! Rapid fire off topic questions 1) Why wasn't the media enamored with covering Taylor Swift attending ND games in 2010? 2) What's the latest on Stanfords starting QB? Is he going to play, or not? 3) Am I right to be worried about Army/Navy? It feels like ND is guaranteed to have a few "dud" series on offense per game. You may only have 7 or 8 possessions against Army/Navy. Also depends how quickly Al Goldens young defense picks up the triple option. Plus, Army/Navy just flat out look pretty good. High risk games, IMO.

Eric Hansen

1:54

Hi Ryan, nice to hear from you. Other than the penalty, Jordan Clark had an amazing game, especially when he had to move out to outside cornerback when Ben Morrison left the game for a series or two. He's been really good all year, a very impactful transfer. Donovan has played much better the past two weeks after a rough patch vs. N. Illinois and Purdue. Thanks for the score prediction. I need to figure one out for me.

Ryan Frankfort illinois

1:52

Good afternoon Eric what do you think About The play or Jordan Clark and Donavan Hinish Jordan has looked Good and Hinish made that good tackle with watts against Louisville my prediction is 42-10 Irish GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈

Eric Hansen

1:51

Hi Rick. If Steve Angeli were the quarterback. I'd probably be more open to this. With Riley Leonard as the QB, I'm not sure what you gain by putting Price back there, but I like the thought of looking for not-so-obvious ways to improve the offense.

Rick, Santa Fe, NM

1:50

Thoughts on ND employing wildcat formation? I'd love to see JD Price receive direct snap since he seems to be a more assertive runner than J. Love and gets to line of scrimmage and through holes quicker.

Eric Hansen

1:49

Hi Tom, and thank you. Javontae Jean-Baptiste started to come to life at the end of September last season at the field end position, the same position RJ Oben plays, and really was at his best from November onward. What encourages the coaches is Oben has worked hard and is embracing being an all-around defensive end, but the window of opportunity is starting to close and would have likely closed faster had Josh Burnham been healthy this whole time. ... And your point about the vyper position is well-taken. ... I think some good signs out of the bye week this Saturday would be, an improved passing game, improved rush defense and cleaning up the gaffes on special teams.

Tom F, Kennesaw, GA

1:44

Hi Eric, hope you are doing well and things are going well in preparation for the rest of the season after the Bye week. Many people feel that R J Oben has not played up to expectations so far. If I remember correctly, the DE from THE OSU did not start off strong last year either. What do you see that might indicate the RJ can have the type of second half that the OSU kid had last year?? We need him to step up and contribute so that we can concentrate on finding the best players for the depleted Vyper position. What type of game this week would make you say that ND got a lot out of the Bye week? Thanks for everything you do on so many of the programs you are on to keep us informed!! Go Irish!!!!

Eric Hansen

1:44

PFF is just one evaluative tool, and not necessarily the defining one, but it's helpful in questions such as these. Mills has played better the past two games, his best two games of the season, which is a good sign. And Cross has gotten a better grade with each game. He even won a national defensive player of the week award for his play in the Louisville game. And his 55 snaps are a season high. He had a preseason hamstring injury and I think he's getting closer to being 100% and that factors in. So good news on two of three fronts.

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