JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Sept. 16, 2026

Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Sept. 16, 2026

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Eric Hansen

1:51

As far as position groups, Michigan State's D-line is going to challenge Notre Dame's run game. It's better than either Wisconsin's or Rice's. The timing is very good for Notre Dame to measure whether they are making progress in that area. Where MSU may be in trouble is protecting its QB from ND's front seven.

1:50

On defense, there were fewer deep reserves used, because of Rice's outlier offense. So those three were DE Rodney Dunham and safeties Joey O'Brien and Ethan Long. Getting back to Bettis, I wondered in the spring if he'd turn out to a guy who was the flavor of the week type with the early burst he had. But he's legitimately raised his ceiling and worked his butt of to get there. (more)

1:47

Hi Marie, having a great week and I hope you are too. I've answered the running game questions, but let me get to the other ones. Your young player question is different from the earlier one that asked which ones I thought would stand out on 2027. Here are three on each side of the ball that caught my eye in this game in particular (and there were a bunch of them on offense). On offense, it was WRs Jerome Bettis Jr. and Elijah Burress, and RB Jonaz Walton ...a and let's go five deep -- both quarterbacks. (more)

Marie from Atlanta

1:41

hi Eric, I hope you’re having a great week after that fantastic home opener. Clearly the running game is not where everybody would like it to be. What do you think the running backs need to do better and what do you think the O line needs to do better to improve it? a lot of young players saw action on Saturday, which one or two were you most impressed with on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball? Looking ahead to this weekend, is there any Michigan state position group that you feel has a distinct advantage over Notre Dame? What would concern you the most about this Michigan State team? As always, thanks for hosting the chat and all the great insight

Eric Hansen

1:41

This is a much different era, and you're dealing with both a budget and unlimited player movement. Roster churn is a normal thing now, and some of it's actually healthy. But you are correct, there are only five players on the ND roster with expiring eligibility -- DT Jason Onye, CB DJ McKinney, TE Ty Washington, LB Jaylen Sneed and C Ashton Craig.

1:39

Hi Jim. Your memories are correct about Lou Holtz being admonished by athletic director Mike Wadsworth and Executive VP Father Bill Beauchamp late in his run at ND. Now, back in that era, transfers counted against a team's graduation rate. They don't under the newer formula. However, Wadsworth and Beauchamp would have found fault in the way Holtz tied his shoes or drove his golf cart. That was a divorce waiting to happen, and it did. (more)

Jim From Springfield, IL

1:32

I will give you a break from running game questions. Mine is about eligibility. My understanding from the Blue and Gold depth chart is that all players not listed as a 5th or 6th year still have at least one year of eligibility. Is that correct?? If so, I only count 5 players who will be out of eligibility after this season. With over 20 recruits committed plus the inevitable incoming transfers, a lot of current players will be moving on to somewhere. I remember when Lou Holtz took a lot of heat from the administration for players leaving the program. My how times have changed. Thanks for doing these chats.

Eric Hansen

1:32

Inexperience is the biggest issue. Backs learning how to be patient and let their blocks set up for instance. But I do think more Jonaz Walton is part of the response. ... And you are welcome to talk football and eat a burger with Jack and me anytime.

1:31

Hi Beth. Thanks for the compliments on the radio show. Jack was a beast in the best possible way. Yeah, I agree, when people ask me how many hours I work a week and I tell them, this helps put it into context. ... Keep in mind this is about where ND stood in both yards per game and per carry in the running game after two games last year against collectively better competition. ... The great news is it's fixable. And the better news is Marcus Freeman is committed to fixing it and not digging his heals in and saying well look at us in the passing game. They want to get home runs out of the run game too. (more)

Beth from Westfield, IN

1:27

Eric: Wanted to let you know that you and Jack were great on the pregame show from the Linebacker. Jack did outstanding on his maiden voyage. What a job! Getting paid to talk football and eat burgers! Anyway, my question concerns our anemic running game. I know that we miss the superior talents of Love and Price, but we still have highly recruited backs. Our offensive line should have dominated Rice. What is the problem?

Eric Hansen

1:26

I think Aneyas Williams starts Saturday night at running back against Michigan State.

R Wild

1:26

Hi Eric, This is R Wild from Humble, TX. Do you think this is the last week Williams starts as RB1?

Eric Hansen

1:25

I think right now Notre Dame wants to have a clear No. 2 going into each game that they know could flip later in the season. I am good with that approach. ... Augustine would be the first of those two to return and he would compete to be the starting right guard. He'd also be the first option at tackle if one of the starters went down. I think Augustine or Jagusah would elevate the line play if healthy, but Absher keeps improving and could make that a very competitive situation. And yes I am your pal, as long as I don't have to mow your lawn. Hmmm. Hmmm.

1:22

I do think James and Walton have earned more opporunities, but I would not give up on Williams. Kedren Young is experiencing some mental hurdles coming back from the ACL that he wasn't in camp. He could work himself back into the mix. Javian Osborne is very talented, but Seider admitted he is behind, having missed spring coming back from a high school injury. (more)

1:20

Scott!!!!!!! It was great meeting you and your family in person. And no, you did not disrupt anything. Really appreciate you coming by the radio show at The Linebacker. And lunch sounds great. Espcially if there's a free bowl of soup involved! To your questions ... I talking with RBs coach Ja'Juan Seider, it's more of a flow of the game thing when it comes to the backs. So you can go in thining an even 1/3 split among those three, but it might not work out that way. (more)

Scott, Greenville SC

1:13

Eric!!!! It was great to finally meet you, and Jack! Sorry if I interrupted the show. Next time, we can try and grab lunch. The atmosphere was amazing on campus and at the game! It was great seeing the players from the 1966 championship. And then the game! Adon, KVA, and Young are beasts! And CJ looks like he just playing catch with the receivers. Now for a couple questions. I really think Williams is a good running back, but what I saw from James and Walton, they bring something more than what AW brings. Walton has a burst that can break big runs. And th

1:06

Sorry Eric. Hit the wrong button. Walton illustrated that he can go outside when the middle is packed and gain first downs. Not sure about how he would protect the QB, but he brings another dimension to the position. I think James showed he should get the ball more as well. So my question, should ND split carries more evenly between them? Maybe 10 touches each and see who emerges as the leader? And a similar question for the QB backups. Should Jarrard get a shot as first off the bench to better evaluate his ability to run the offense? Finally, when Jagusah and Augustine are healthy, where do they line up? Who gets bumped? And how much better will the oline be with them in the lineup? Alright, I'm getting close to the question limit. So I'll close with some words of wisdom, a wise man once told me, "Are you my pal? Mr. Scholarship winner?"

Eric Hansen

1:06

If I had to be on a number — and I did rescind the no gambling rule for this week — 24 is the number I think they land on. Yes. Do I like that number? No. I'd go 14 or 16.

Bob Oxnard

1:05

Eric, do you think the playoff will expand to 24 next year? Thanks.

Eric Hansen

1:05

Hi Patrick. Thank you. ... I hope to have more of an update later this week. What I do believe is that Porter will not only play for the Irish this season, I think he'll be a strong contributore at a boundary receiver position that has great depth already.

Patrick M. - Traverse City, MI

1:04

Thanks for the chats, Eric. I'm hoping to see our running game take the next step against MSU. To my question, have you heard anything on the progress of Quincy Porter? It's been about a month since his procedure, I'm curious if he's on track for a late September, or early October return.

Eric Hansen

1:03

Ryan, you and I see the game very similarly. Bettis and Burress are two guys who were kind of lost in a numbers game after last season and had very strong offseasons and have continued that into the season. And James has an uncanny ability to cut and has great balance and strength. I see the arrow point up for him as well.

Ryan Frankfort Illinois

1:02

Go afternoon Eric what do you think about the play of Jerome Bettis Jr and Elijah Burress i think they both looked good Saturday also what do you think about Nolan James i think he looked good also my score prediction this week is going to be 42-10 IRISH or something like that GO IRISH ☘️☘️🏈🏈

Eric Hansen

1:02

Notre Dame has been or will be favored in its first six games by 20 points or more. There's not a lot of Heisman moments built into games like that. But when you stack that kind of consistency on top of great performances against BYU, Miami and SMU -- if Carr were to do that -- then that become the formula for making a serious run at the reward. That and a 12-0 record for ND.

1:00

Hi "Guest." Please name/hometown next week. ...Weekly On3 Heisman polls are absolutely useless and something I would refuse to participate in. I get why some people think they're fun. But in the context of CJ Carr's viability in having a chance to win in December, I think having a low profille early in the year actually works in a player's favor. People tend to get sick of the candidates who are billed as Heisman candidates by their schools and who are leading these polls early. People start to look for reasons NOT to vote for you when it's time to vote. (more)

Guest

12:56

Preseason CJ Carr was the leading Heisman hopeful. Now it seems through ESPN, On3 and other sources, he is barely mentioned in mockHeisman voting. In looking at some of the lists people receiving more votes than him are less talented. what happened??

Eric Hansen

12:56

Kevin, I am awful with fantasies, especially if they involve me. I thought James played better last week. I think Williams will show improvement this week. So I will let you make the final decision based on that limited info.

Kevin-Sleepy Eye, MN

12:54

Eric!!! Which ND RB should i start this weekend on my fantasy team: Williams or James? Go Irish!!

Eric Hansen

12:54

As for the second part of your question, it is typically MUCH MUCH easier to put together an order for the teams at the top of the poll then the more flawed teams at the bottom of it. It always seems like there is very little difference in teams from 21-40. As for how all of us AP voters cast our ballots this week, here's a graphic that you can enlarge:

12:52

HI Jack. Thanks for the plug on the Behind The Ballot column. There are a lot of elements I include at the end, and my individual ballot is usually one of those things. Car-lag coming back from Green Bay on 3 hours sleep got the best of me. But no excuse, going forward, especially with your reminder. ESPN's Rece Davis actually case the lone first-place vote for Notre Dame at No. 1. I have the Irish at No. 2, and Texas at 1. (more)

Jack,Strongsvville, Ohio

12:47

Hi Eric. One of your most interesting columns each week is Behind the Ballot. I did not see in the most recent column where you ranked Notre Dame. ND received 1 first place vote in the latest AP poll. Was that yours? Secondly, when you are evaluating teams is it easier to place teams that fall in the upper half of the top 25 or the lower half especially early in the season when the body of work is minimal? Thanks as always.

Eric Hansen

12:47

Hi Ced, of the WRs you mentioned, I think that Kaydon Finley is the one who isn't quite ready to take out of the oven yet, but has really high upside. I think the ones who can best help Notre Dame at this point in the season are Elijah Burress, Matt Jeffery and Jerome Bettis Jr. Later in the season Bubba Frazier is going to find some situational mismatches that he can exploit in a niche role.

ced

12:44

ced walker Saginaw Michigan aka sagnasty Saginaw pride I'm forever grateful to God for ND beating Wisconsin , rice we will get to see more of jerome bettis , kaydon kinely Elijah burres matt Jeffrey, Devon fitzgerald , bubba Frazier at wr vs mich st time for chrisitan gray , Dallas Golden and keon Keely to step up more too prediction Notre Dame 34 michigan st 20 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

12:42

The good news is they've got a whole season to see what Noah Grubbs and Teddy Jarrard can do. So they don't have to make that decision until December/January, because they'll be ready to move on the transfer if they decide to go that route. And if they stay in house, they know they've left no stone unturned. I think Champ Monds' injury makes it less likely he will be in the mix as a freshman.

12:40

Hi Jeff. I'm going to write about this in a little more depth in a Friday intel piece, but Notre Dame is open to either option and plans for both: Having one of its current QBs lead the Irish in 2027 or getting a one-year starter from the transfer portal to give the young guys more time to develop. And Notre Dame approaches the transfer portal at every position like that, starting putting together a data base and vetting players whether they end up in the portal of not. (more)

Jeff from Phoenix

12:37

Hey Eric, this is looking ahead a little but want to ask about the QB experience going into next year. With Carr likely going to the NFL after this year, ND will have Hebert (3rd yr) Grubbs and Jarrard as second years, and then Champ Monds as a freshman (coming off injury). Is this one of the most inexperienced groups of QBs in quite a while? Lots of talent, but with limited experience it could be a weak point for 2027. Thanks!

Eric Hansen

12:36

Here's the running game column I did earlier in the week:
As Notre Dame rethinks its run game, Jonaz Walton’s opportunity is growing

12:34

But right now he feels he's pressing too much and trying to please too many people and the weight of that has affected him in the first two games. “I could feel it in that game," Seider said. "He probably felt like, man, I need to make these plays. I need to make these plays. And that’s when you press, when you overrun or you’re too fast on the run and not letting it develop. Let guys do their job and then you can follow behind him, then good things happen for you."
And he said Aneyas needs to stay off social media.

12:33

Hi Roger, Ciao Roger. Guten Tag Roger. There are a lot of questions about the running game this week. I wrote a column about it on Monday, which can give you all a little more depth on the topic, but there are some interesting tangents we can tease out here. And this is one of them. We had a chance to interview RBs coach Ja'Juan Seider on Tuesday night. He loves Williams' leadership and loves the back he can become. (more)

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