JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 17, 2025

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 17, 2025

Eric Hansen

3:29

OK, my next assignment is screaming at me and I have a largely still full queue. I apologize for not getting to everybody. GREAT questions and thanks for not storming my house or throwing tomatoes at it. We'll be back to do it all over again next Wednesday at noon EDT unless I am promoted to defensive coordinator between now and then (which would make things worse BTW). See you next week.

3:27

I almost fell out of my chair. Greg from Oakland. Blast from the past. ... One correction, though, Marcus and Ash were not buddies. But this week is really going to be interesting when it comes to how good of a "fixer" MF is as a head coach. It is in his wheelhouse. Cheers bac, Mike.

Mike, Phoenix

3:24

Eric, Happy Wednesday. where is Greg from Oakland when you need him? As angry as I was on Saturday night about the loss, I woke up more depressed on Sunday thinking that Ash will continue as DC. It is a terrible hire. Along the lines of Gary Darnell, Parker, BVG and Jim Coletto!!! Marcus needs to stop hiring his buddies and he is in denial. 1 sack and 4 tackles for loss!! Press coverage is needed asap. Should the DB’s be on the jug machine all week considering the amount of drops? Cheers and hoping for another 60 point win this week.

Eric Hansen

3:21

Ryan, you picked two standouts from the game. Great eye. I agree ... impressed with both. I picked 47-6 before the A&M game. I think I'm going to have to do some adjusting.

Ryan Frankfort illinois

3:19

Good afternoon Eric what do you think about the play of Brauntae Johnson and Eli Rairdon i think both looked Good on Saturday I’m thinking the Irish win 42-21 or something like that Saturday GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈🏈

Eric Hansen

3:19

90 percent to scheme AND how it's coached. If not higher.

Tom in Evanston

3:16

Hi Eric. If you had to give a percentage to the defense's problems between scheme and players, how would you see it? Is it 50% scheme and 50% players or weighted differently? Also, side note to Joe in Wiliams Bay. I have a house there on Oakwood.

Eric Hansen

3:14

Hi Tom. I love music, so it's very welcome. It's how I balance myself when I get overloaded in statistics and Chris Ash questions. And my favorite TV show is The Voice. ... To your questions, I think ND's offense can evolve to the point where they can win most games in a shootout. But that's with the defense being at least good, not struggling. Thanks for your kind words.

Tom from Toronto

3:11

Hi Eric, “Mama said there’d be days like this, there’d be days like this, Mama said”. I hope that a little bit of early rock and roll will help lighten your day. When I saw you and Tyler James on your video after the A & M loss, you both looked like you were not doing well. And who could blame you. ND snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Like you, I thought that ND was going to stop A & M from scoring and win the game. That may have been delusional. We’ll never know. Anyway, as you mentioned in FNS, the team is probably going to have to rely on the offence to win games until the defence gets its stuff together (if it ever does). My questions are, do you think that the offence can carry this team for the rest of the year if it has to, and does the defence need to be simplified for the defence to have some positive semblance to last year’s D and carry its weight? As ever, thank you for your wisdom.

Eric Hansen

3:10

Burnham did not show up on Monday's injury report, or else I would have asked about him. May sneak a question in Thursday on that. To your questions, Burnham played 3 snaps out of a possible 71. Sneed played 22, the fewest of the four LBs in that LB rotation.

chris in Memphis

3:06

Eric, where was Josh Burnham Saturday night? Did he get any snaps and how many snaps did Jaylen Sneed get?

Eric Hansen

3:06

Hi Smitty and thanks. I'm not sure how many guys there are running around in college ball running Golden's NFL scheme, but even then can they push the right buttons in that scheme? Brian Kelly hired Brian VanGorder to run Rex Ryan's scheme and got Ryan's scheme but with a guy who couldn't teach it to college kids or adapt it in game or between games. But I love the question. He also was looking for someone with head coaching experience, some time in the NFL and some other elements that he did get.

Smitty, Tempe

3:04

Eric - you're the best. Following up on an earlier question... What would Freeman consider as reasons to hire Ash over someone who knows/runs Golden's defense? Given how successful Golden's defense was, it would seem they would want to keep the same system, as opposed to taking a few steps back by having to learn a new system. Thx!

Eric Hansen

3:03

Beave. In the press box, I leaned over before the play and told Tyler James, I would boo if I were a fan sitting outside. And yet it worked. Three brightest surprises. 1. CJ Carr's progress. 2. Jordan Botelho's ability to start a game in September and increase his snaps in game 2 from 9 to 31. 3. Tae Johnson, my spring football crush, is impacting the game and getting more opportunities sooner than I expected.

Beave (The OG Beave) Grand Rapids

2:58

So the 4th down Wildcat call would have gone down as one of the worst offensive play calls of the MF era ever had ND been stopped short. But it succeeded and allowed us to lose another way. What are your 3 brightest surprises through an otherwise disappointing 0-2 start?

Eric Hansen

2:58

Hey Charley. Billy Schrauth had a pretty good game on Saturday night. He's Notre Dame's third-highest-rated player overall and top-rated lineman over the first two games (per PFF). Knapp is dead last. So maybe Schrauth can positively influence him? I think when Charles Jagusah comes back. Lambert may stay in the lineup and Knapp leaves it, but the kid really improved over the season last year, so let's give it some time.

Charley from the Sip

2:54

Hey Eric - Are Anthonie Knapp's struggles this year adversely affecting Billy Shrauth's performance?

Eric Hansen

2:46

Collaborate with my defensive staff and players and prioritize an approach that's going to be produce incremental improvement this week that can be sustainable in the weeks ahead.

Terry - Miami

2:45

As always thank you Eric for your insight. If you were the ND coach what would you do to get back on track?

Eric Hansen

2:43

Christian Gray has struggled and needs to have a bounceback week in a big way. Colleague Mike Singer has suggested on the Lou Somogyi message board there may be some changes in store in the defensive backfield.

2:41

Hi Andy. I think you're seeing that happen right in front of your eyes. Had a chance to chat with QBs coach Gino Guidugli last night and got some great insights into that and included some in this story: Notre Dame QBs coach Gino Guidugli on tipping plays and the next step for CJ Carr ... And I'll have more on that conversation in the coming days. For now let me say this: Gino thinks he's on the right path and ahead of schedule. So the next step is taking better care of the football and maximizing the short-yardage opportunities with better decisions that come with game experience. (more)

Andy from Wilmette via South Bend

2:33

Great job on covering the Irish!! You are appreciated beyond my words. I was shell-shocked at the end and disappointed at the outcome, but after re-watching the game I felt a little better because there was a lot to be thankful for. Like the textbook hit from Bowen on the catch. (A/M paid the price for that first down.) And I thought CJ Carr looked good. He is a couple steps from being a weapon. Question about CJ: What steps do you think CJ needs to take to become a proficient game changer? On the slightly disappointing side, I was hard on Christian Gray last year because of his poor play and it seems like he has not improved much this year. He gets beat so much it is hard to give him the benefit of the doubt any longer. Who is behind him and could they get a chance? Hopefully this week, ND will be able to play some “rookies” we heard about. Thanks for all you do. I hope your day is a smooth as that one-handed grab of J. Love #5.

Eric Hansen

2:33

Hi Tom. Difficult start to the season for fans for sure. So far, no one's put on "For Sale" sign on my lawn, but maybe a third loss would coax that. ... 1) Devonta Smith, Marcus Freeman said, injured his ankle in pregame warmups. My sense is it was an aggravation and not a new injury. He is listed as questionable this week. 2) Listening to Mike Elko after the game, it sounded like they were confident they could isolate the tight end on a linebacker. If I'm not mistaken, and I haven't rewatched the game, ND only had one linebacker on the field, so I am good with that. As far as where the safeties should have been on that play, I would love to have asked the defensive coordinator that question last night.

Guest

2:27

Tom from Golden Beach, FL: Eric – I'm still trying to get over that game on Saturday, but at least I'm off suicide watch.

I had two questions for you: (1) Any insights on the status of DeVonta Smith? We can use all the help we can get back there. (2) Before the 4th and goal play from the eleven at the end of the game, Freeman called a timeout. There was plenty of time to get the defensive personnel we wanted onto the field. Despite that, Bowen ended up in one-on-one coverage in the end zone. That seems like a worst-case scenario for us. Should Bowen have even been on the field at that point? In an obvious passing situation, it seems like you replace him with a DB. Even if you don’t, it seems like you should have safety help in that situation. Right??

Eric Hansen

2:27

Roger, thanks for the compliments and the good analogies. I think press coverage on KC Concepcion and Mario Craver has been tough for anyone to do, and if you don't jam them, they WILL run by you. They are two of the faster receivers ND will see this season. USC has a similar setup. So I think the thinking was don't let them beat you deep. Give them some cushion and force Marcel Reed to work his way down the field. And he completed less the 50 percent of his passes, which was great... except ... tepid pass rush even on third and long and that was the problem. And fourth and long for that matter. And yeah I'd like to see some sets with two backs, Price and Love for sure. I think there's ways to make that turn into mismatches for an opposing defense.

Roger from Peoria

2:22

Eric: I was among those in Notre Dame Stadium experiencing the disappointment of the A&M loss. You as a former newspaperman and me in the senior age group category, and unlike some younger folks, know "Stop the Presses", signals a breaking news story to print. From my vantage point and without the benefit of viewing a replay, "Stop the Presses" appeared applicable to the Irish secondary as I do not recall seeing press coverage against the pretty darn fast A&M receiving corps. Was I not sufficiently observant and, if not, would that not have perhaps limited their ability to run free in the secondary? Second ? for you. Does it make any sense for the Irish, on occasion, to line up with both Love and Price on the field at the same time? 0-2 will not stop me from following the Irish and you, and GO IRISH!!!!!

Eric Hansen

2:18

Thanks Pete. I am glad you got to see my amended response once I was able to do some digging after the chat was no longer live! Understandable about the gloominess. I am less disappointed with the O-line, because i think they made, at least, incremental improvement from game 1 to game 2 and I think they will continue to do so. The d-line is the biggest disappointment hands down, but for me it's how they're coached, not the effort they've put into it.

Pete from Erie, PA

2:14

Hello Eric, pardon my gloominess. The games have been entertaining but losing is never fun. There's plenty of blame to go around. This defense is stunningly bad at every level, they do nothing well and have nothing to lean on but I'm most disappointed in the OLine. They have the most continuity but have not picked up where they left off, not even close. Which position group has surprised you the most? Thank you for your extra effort digging up former coaches! Out of all only Skip Holtz was able to return to Notre Dame Stadium as HC of the enemy and leave with a win. Now add Mike Elko to the list. Thanks Eric! Go Irish!

Eric Hansen

2:13

It's always better to have things on the record, because fans then know where it's coming from. There are sources people make up, and even savvy readers sometimes don't know how well sourced something is or it it's a complete fabrication. It just pops up in "their feed." But we will continue to do our best to fill in the gaps when availability isn't ideal.

2:11

Sean, email me re the subscription. I am at my same/old email still. ... Thanks for the compliments and measure commentary. Now to your question. I hope when I explain what's happening from a media standpoint, it's informative and not for whining purposes. My job is to overcome the obstacles. Having the coordinators the last few years on a weekly basis was a tremendous asset in bringing the readers the best possible account of what was happening in the program. When the interview rotation of coaches doesn't sync up with what the readers need to know, you have to rely on sources. (more)

Sean Schaumburg, IL

Can you send a discount code, please?

Hand the ball off!! Please. Go Irish. I'm interested in re-upping, Eric. But, I need the 50% deal. Money is tight. Times are tough. Be well.

2:04

Hello, Mr. Hansen. Great FNS. Outside of Miami/TAMU playing for/winning ACC/SEC, I don't think 10-2 gets CFP. I don't see them winning their first game in the CFP if they did. Deflating. You and Tyler have talked about the sequence of interviewing coaches throughout the season and how it is not the best interview setup. How do you formulate articles when you don't have asst coaches being interviewed, due to the pre-determined sequence of availability 4 the season, to provide objective observations in your articles? Insights/quotes are crucial for any article. You and Tyler have been professional in providing objective analysis peppered with subjective analysis based on decades of observation. Well done. My angst at the beginning of the season was misplaced. Carr looks legit. Ash as DC is the angst. I'm willing to give grace(I was in Columbus for the 3rd and 15 blitz-Golden responded with 30+ games of top defense). Purdue is a big game for Ash. DB injs.

Eric Hansen

2:03

Joe thank you for the compliments and for brining the heat in a way I can wrap my head around it. Marcus Freeman is ultimately responsible for making the hire of Chris Ash and approving the changes. Bottom Line. Second question, did they lose their intelligence? No. Two things. They may not believe in the system. But more tangibly, Al Golden talked to use later in his time at ND that there was a cap to what he could teach in year 1, because it was very different from Marcus Freeman's scheme. And in year 2, he was able to take it to another level. So these players are starting from square 1 all over again. And maybe Chris will prove to be a good teacher and maybe he won't. We'll find out soon enough. I do not think this is BVG part 2, but I can't say with conviction yet that this is going to end well. Two games is too small of a sample size.

Joe-Valparaiso, IN

1:57

Hello Eric and thank you for attempting bring some semblance of order to what is the chaos of Notre Dame fandom. I would appreciate your view on the following: Marcus Freeman has said the defense needs to play fast. In order to play fast, I would think a deep understanding of the scheme, the play call and all the associated nuances which could be involved in a given play would be a necessity. Without that knowledge and confidence, hesitation and confusion would in all likelihood become the norm. If that is indeed the case with the current version of the ND defense, who is to blame? Al Golden frequently noted the intelligence of his players and how teachable they were. Did they lose their intelligence and ability to learn between this past January and now? How could the problem NOT be coaching? Too complex, not being taught properly? And it's not just the young guys. Veterans are making loads of mistakes. I'm not questioning effort. Please tell me why this isn't BVG part two?

Eric Hansen

1:54

2) to the Mickens question, pass rush has something to do with it. Not playing well in the zone too. Colleague Tyler James has a story up at blueandgold.com Notre Dame is allowed a 79.2 COMPLETION RATE in traditional zone coverages this season. ... On Knapp, coaches outside the program are wondering the same thing. ... Amir did great things in his role as director of player development, but it's not a role that affects a team in season. I ran into him before the A&M game and we talked about it a little bit, and he is confident ND will land someone really good and it's needed.

1:50

Marie the question portal is so full today, I had to go fishing for your questions. And there you are. ... thank you for bringing your A game. To your questions, top five things I'm challenging this week. 1) Pass Rush, 2) Defensive back personnel. 3) Defensive back fundamental, 4) Not getting enough out of safeties and linebackers. 5) Third-down defense strategy and calls. See a theme there? (more)

Marie from Atlanta

1:47

Hi Eric, thanks for hosting the chat. I hope you’re having a fantastic week. MF’s mantra has always been challenge everything . If you’re the head coach, what are the top five things you’re challenging this week? Mickens has been an excellent coach of the secondary why specifically do you think the secondary is struggling so much this year? It feels like Knapp is playing much worse this year, do you see things that he is doing differently that may be causing him to regress? How big of a loss is Amir Carlisle to the Notre Dame program? As always, thanks for hosting the chat and for your great insights.

Eric Hansen

1:47

Wait? Rested LOL? Ready, yes and grateful for what I get to do for a living, believe me. Oh, I do agree with your proposed improvements. Those top the list for me. I think ND has to get better use in packages out of its linebackers and safeties. There's some elite talent at those positions that could be deployed creatively. O-line needs to continue to get better as well. To your question re the officials. I think the only time that happens is in a playoff/title game setting. And then it's a pool reporter situation. Thanks again for your questions.

Matt from Austin

1:42

Hi Eric. Thank you for your kind words last week. I hope you are rested and ready! First of all, I don't think that the sky is falling. Yes, the losses stink. Clearly, we need to clean up defensive line pressures and defensive back coverage. What else do you see as necessary improvements, especially if you don't agree with my two areas of improvement. Secondly, do you have access to the referee crew after the game? Not sure if they produce a report like the NFL. The targeting against Shuler and the hold on Hinish were brutal. I know we lost due to other factors, but aghhh, brutal. Let's go 10-0 and make the CFP. Thank you Eric. Matt

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