JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 18, 2024

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 18, 2024

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Eric Hansen

1:48

Hi Jeff and thanks for the questions. I actually saw a lot in the Purdue game that was encouraging ... even better passing efficiency. And from a statistical standpoint, that's one of the five metrics to watch. That and run defense, total defense, rush offense and turnover margin. In one week, ND went from 129th to 112 in pass efficiency, 100 to 63 ranking nationally in run defense, 72 to 28 in total defense, 69 to 23 in rush offense and 57 to 37 in turnover margin. They need to push those all near or into the top 25 eventually. That's not an the extent of their ceiling but the key areas for improvement. (more)

Jeff from Boston

1:41

Eric - as always, thank you for doing these chats. What a roller coaster ride this season has been so far. I'm sure the answer is that the team is not as good as it looked last week nor as bad as it looked the week prior. My question for you is, from what you have seen thus far, what do you think this team is (e.g., playoff contender, championship contender, pinstripe bowl, coaching carousel)? What is the ceiling for this team? What do you need to see over the next few games to believe that this team could actually reach its ceiling?

Eric Hansen

1:41

Hi Robert. I get why these questions are asked, but given the high stakes of keeping players healthy, I think it would be insane for any program not to lean into sports science and do their very best to prevent and minimize injury risks. And Notre Dame goes to great lengths to do so, and I've written stories about what those look like. But this is a violent sport with huge bodies colliding at high speeds. There are going to be injuries. The good news is recovery and rehab have come a long way, so some of these career-ending injuries are now just season-ending. And now some of the formerly season-ending injuries are shorter term.

Robert, Dunedin, Fl

1:37

Eric- Thanks as always for hosting the weekly chat. It seems we have had a rash of injuries so far. In particular high ankle sprains. Any insight into this? Are precautions taking place to try to prevent these from a training standpoint? Lots of games left to go, or is this just bad luck?

Eric Hansen

1:37

And the offensive line's inexperience, by no fault of Angel's, made him a less-attractive option going into this year.

1:36

Hi Jack and thank you. I think Steve reads defenses well, throws the ball confidently, made the most of his spring in terms of getting chemistry with most of the wideouts, has good footwork in the pocket and sense pressures well, even if he doesn't have the footspeed to run away from it sometimes. The downside is that he is easier to target with a loaded box that would make the Irish offense one-dimensional. In other words, there are fewer answers for an offensive coordinator given his skill set. His skill set offers a more limited challenge to defensive coordinators. But all in all, this is a guy who could win games this year at ND and who will be a strong contender to be ND's quarterback in 2025 with a much more experienced offensive line in front of him. (more)

Jack, Strongsville,Ohio

1:31

Hi Eric. Could you outline as you see it Steve Angeli's strengths and weaknesses. After this year how many years of eligibility does he have left? Thanks for all great work.

Eric Hansen

1:31

Hi Mike. Given the circumstances they were better than solid, and both graded out higher than the injured players they replaced. Both Coogan and Spindler did really well in pass-blocking and OK in run blocking. I believe these are still the preliminary grades rom Pro Football Focus. A more thorough review will likely be posted later today. The highest-graded O-Lineman for ND Saturday was freshman OT Guerby Lambert, who played 23 -- admittedly, low-leverage situation -- snaps. And thanks for tuning in to Football Never Sleeps.

Mike from Rochester NY

1:24

Hi, Eric, excellent episode of FNS this week! How did Coogan and Splindler grade out in the Purdue game and how does that compare to the men they replaced?

Eric Hansen

1:24

Wow a 59-point win, the worst loss in Purdue's history is the floor? What's the ceiling look like ... it would be a team that takes care of its business the rest of the way and beats USC on the road. There's lots of room from improvement everywhere. Benjamin Morrison, the past two weeks for instance, hasn't played his best football. So, even the best player on the roster has room to grow. ... As far as other portal options, I do think we'll be having a different conversation about Leonard in November, but there will be a lot of grumbling up until then. I like the choice, better than McCord by a lot, given his lack of mobility. And better than Will Howard, though his skill set kind of fits. We can revisit this conversation then and see if I was under caffeinated today when I made that assessment.

1:19

Hi Marie, thanks for being on the chat and for keeping the parts to under 17 this week. But for you, I'd answer the 17 if it came to that. ... Biggest problem areas? It sounds funny, but they start with the offense, coming off the second-most points scored in a Notre Dame road game in its history and the most in 59 years. So, it's Riley Leonard's continued evolution as a passer, the wide receiver corps taking steps forward, especially at the field receiver. It's Mitchell Evans now healthy and flexing the tight ends. It's the offensive line becoming an asset. There are certainly special teams tweaks, and figuring out who's going to be the key players at both ends spots. (more)

Marie from Atlanta

1:12

Hi Eric, I hope you are enjoying your week. Much better performance by the Irish this past weekend. A lot of the problem areas were addressed, but there are still areas that require a lot of improvement. What do you see as the biggest problem areas the team needs to continue to work on in order to potentially have a playoff run? If Saturday was the floor for this team and they continue to steadily improved throughout the season, what do you think the ceiling for this team is? Do you think the Irish miss evaluated/made a mistake in taking Riley Leonard as their transfer quarterback? Looking back at some of the other potential QBs that might have been Notre Dame transfer possibilities do you think there might have been a better fit for this season? In particular, I remember a lot of conversation about Will Howard and kyle McCord. As always, thanks for hosting the chat and for all your great insights.

Eric Hansen

1:12

Here's a snippet from special teams coordinator Marty Biagi's press conference Tuesday night, in speaking on Rendell:

"We’re really trying to go back and create as many situations as we can, like Coach Free talked about in practice to make it feel very game-like. Getting him the feel of the game. But Coach Free did a great job of saying we need to be able to simplify, simplify but also make sure we can see — you know, he does a lot of things well, let’s not overdo it, but let’s try to get him the game-like atmosphere so we can really try and get him into a routine, because it’s still so new and fresh to him."

1:11

Kevin. welcome back to the planet. The James Rendell we have seen in games is not the same James Rendell was saw in practice in August. Adjusting to American football -- the punt rush, the crowds, the high stakes -- have taking a little longer for him. All while adjusting to school at ND and a new country. But the ND coaches are confident, and Marcus Freeman mentioned Monday that perhaps they need to streamline what he's doing in practice and the games and just focus on hang time and distance for now. (more)

Kevin from Calgary

1:06

Eric, as always you and your team do great work on the Notre Dame beat and these chats are always informative and entertaining. I was so disgusted with the NIU loss I avoided reading anything last week, so I apologize if you addressed this issue. My question is, what is up with James Rendell? He was supposed to be a stud who could kick the ball a mile and he hasn't seemed to be able to kick one 40 yards so far and his hang time hasn't looked great either.

Eric Hansen

“I think and believe that that's coming along. I do, and we've got to continue. An emphasis again this week is really kind of whatever free minutes we have we're spending on movement keys and progressions and whatever we can do to kind of speed that process up a little bit. We're going to have to be — and nobody understands this better than Riley does — we're going to have to be more consistent with the way we throw the ball, moving forward, to be the type of offensive unit we need to be. And we're committed to doing whatever we can to make sure that becomes a reality. And he's digging in and doing what he can on the practice field to help that process.”

1:05

The biggest challenge for Leonard this week and moving forward is continually learning how to process the game and play the game differently than he ever has before. He does miss reads. He does leak out of the pocket when he should step into it. At times. Those times need to become fewer. Mike Denbrock is confident they will:

1:03

Purdue, as expected, blitzed more than they didn't, about 2/3 of Leonard's dropbacks, according to the Pro Football Focus. So long dropback passes didn't make much sense, especially early. So there were a lot of quick passes and putting Leonard on the move and Leonard runs to slow down or neutralize the pressures. Against Miami on Saturday, the Irish will face a team that's 109th in rush defense and the third-best pass defense they'll see the rest of the season (in this week's statistical snapshot anyway). Two games later, against Stanford, the script flips. So which week does it make more sense to lean into the deep passing game if the goal is to win every game? In between is Louisville, which is doing everything right against admittedly soft competition. (more)

12:58

Hi Bob, thanks for the questions and the multiple choice answers. I think C is most true of those options, but there's some truth to A and even a little bit in the short term with B. Here's what I said on Football Never Sleeps and on WSBT-TV. There are really two tracks in play each game with the offense -- short term and long term. You can't ignore the short-term track, because if you mess than one up, the long-term gain doesn't matter. You've got to arrive at USC 10-1 with a chance to play yourself into the playoff. So each week you're attacking the other teams weaknesses and/or their game plan while making some INCREMENTAL improvement on the long-term goal of evolving the passing game. I believe ND did that against Purdue. (more)

Bob (Oxnard, CA)

12:49

Hi Eric, do you think the following theory of mine is correct: A. The coaches think they can win every game, at least until USC, if we don’t significantly lose the turnover battle; B. The coaches think the team can score enough and avoid turning the ball over by leaning into Riley as a runner and avoiding risky passes; C. By USC, the coaches hope the passing game will have improved enough to win at the Coliseum. Thx

Eric Hansen

12:48

And then he surged and by the end of the year was one of the five best players on ND's roster. Could that happen with Oben. There may be a surge and maybe not. Mitchell has legit speed, but he hasn't handled well yet the consistency that needs to come with the step up in competition from FIU. Heard, a corner at Northwestern, got a late start because he missed spring practice to finish his degree. And he's playing a new position at ND and in a new system. I think he will get better as the season goes along. ND is very diligent in its scouting these players for skills and potential fit, and they take far fewer than some other schools. I think they've struck a good balance with the portal.

12:44

There is not a universal template when taking grad transfers at various positions. They're all in the portal for one reason or another, and often their reasons -- and challenges when they arrive -- are very different. One thing that is sort of universal is that while they're experienced players, they have to learn a whole new offensive or defensive system. And so, oftentimes it's more gradual. Think about how invisible DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste was in the spring of 2023 after coming over from THE Ohio State University and how that carried into summer, fall camp and the first month of the season. (more)

12:42

Hi John and thanks for the compliments. Two things might make you feel better about the transfers. If they're being outperformed, the Irish coaching staff isn't going to be stubborn and play the older player anyway. RJ Oben played only 11 snaps against NIU and only 16 at Purdue with Josh Burnham injured, so freshman Bryce Young played a lot against the Boilermakers and will continue to get opportunities. Sophomore Adon Shuler beat out Rod Heard II at safety, though Heard rotates in a lot. Sophomore KK Smith has moved ahead of transfer Kris Mitchell at receiver. So no one's having their progress halted. If anything, it might accelerate it, having more competition to overcome to rise on the depth chart. So let's get to your evaluation question, which is a good one.

Jonathan in Hideaway, TX

12:34

Great article on the amazing freshman appearances at Purdue Saturday! Very much enjoyed the read and the victory. But at the same time, I can’t help thinking about the other side of that same coin. Too many grad transfers stepping in and disappointing while simultaneously slowing the path of the freshmen to development and playing time. Do you agree? Can you share any insight on what makes the difference between getting it so right on nickel transfers now 2 years in a row vs. the multiple misses at, say, safety and receiver? (Defensive end and punter definitely head scratchers too at the moment.) Apparently talent evaluation is hard. I don’t really understand why. Can you shed light on that?

Eric Hansen

12:34

And missing spring practice slowed the timeline. ... But that's why the coaching staff makes more than sports writers do. They can see around the corner, and that's what they're doing with Leonard. They might not turn out to be right. But, I am in the camp that eventually this season, this gamble of sorts will pay off. I get that's not maybe the popular stance, but you're going to get my honest appraisal, whether I get dinged for it or not.

12:32

I have to admit, heading into LAST season, I couldn't wrap my head around all the buzz around Riley going into 2023. His pass-efficiency numbers were very average. And then I watched him play Clemson, and I saw what the ND coaches see. He's already one of the best running QBs in college football and a guy who can rise up in big moments. And the tools, drive, work ethic and want-to all appear in place for him to add the passing skill set. Steve Angeli has performed well whenever he's been called upon. But I think he's a high-floor guy (which is good) with a limited ceiling. RL's ceiling is much higher, but it's not a guarantee he'll ever get there. (more)

12:28

Hi Rick, and the term "Goat" has two meanings these days, but I'm picking up what you're putting down. It's fascinating the range of opinions Riley Leonard in a Notre Dame uniform elicits and sometimes confusing for me. I think there are some people who are going to prefer Steve Angeli or one of the other QBs no matter what, because they simply don't like the concept of a transfer portal guy being at the top of the depth chart. There's a feeling from some of them that it will wreck Notre Dame's recruiting long term, which then would be true for EVERY team. And how's avoiding the portal working out for Clemson? (more)

Rick in Pasadena, CA.

12:21

In a matter of 3 weeks Leonard has become such a polarizing QB for ND fans, from Hero, to Goat, and back again. My issue is more of the decision to not warm up and sub in Angeli on the last drive vs NIU knowing you needs down field passing to get in range for a long field goal. What do you make of the whole Riley Leonard experience?

Eric Hansen

12:21

Hi Frank. We'll get an update on him Monday ahead of the Louisville game (Sept. 28). The original timeline had him on track to return that week or after the bye for Stanford on Oct. 12.

Frank from Royse City, Texas

12:20

Eric, any word on when Rubio will return?

Eric Hansen

12:19

Thanks for the compliments, by the way. As I mentioned, there are scads of Leonard questions today. I'll mix in as many as I can then are not repetitive and that show different angles to the QB situation at ND.

12:18

Here's why I don't think it will work this season or even be attempted, unless there's a stall in Riley' Leonard's development as a passer. There's a belief in the coaching staff that Leonard will eventually become the better passer and better runner. And that skill set is very tough to defend. ... if it plays out that way. It did with Jayden Daniels at LSU after he left Arizona State, and OC Mike Denbrock sees a lot of the same challenges and potential in the path Leonard is on. And given ND's inexperience at offensive line, the growth curve of the WRs, etc., Leonard makes the most sense to the ND coaches. If you start giving his reps away in high-leverage situations, then is he ever going to become an adept passer?

12:14

Kevin, you lively minx. There are a lot of Riley Leonard questions in the queue today (and some outright rage included with some of them), but I really like this version. So this is the opposite of dumb. Now, hopefully, I can give you a credible answer. There are times when that kind of arrangement made a lot of sense. Coan/Buchner in 2021 comes to mind as does Wimbush/Book at the start of 2018, Rees/Hendrix in a couple of spots in 2011, and the best one, Golson/Rees in 2012. I talked with Urban Meyer years ago about this, because he won a national title with this kind of rotation at QB and his warning was this does not work for every team for a variety of reasons, and more often than not, it doesn't. (more)

Kevin @ Orlando

12:08

My question might be the dumbest question posed in the Chat in 2024. That said, it is,at least at this point, pretty clear that our top two QBs have significantly different skills. If Leonard could pass like Angeli and / or if Angeli could run like Leonard, they might be two of the most likely Heisman candidates. My question is...Is there any way that both of them could be playing at the same time? I am an infrequent questioner but an every chat reader. Like everyone else on here, I really do appreciate your extensive and insightful coverage of ND football and look forward to your coverage of the Women's basketball a couple of months from now . Oh, if there is an award for the dumbest question, I am curious to hear what I might be in the running for.

Eric Hansen

Off we go ...

The "no drinking" rule remains rescinded since you all were so good with it last week. We'll strike the "no bare feet" rule this week too.

12:07

Here are the rules: