JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Sept. 2, 2026

Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Sept. 2, 2026

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Eric Hansen

12:33

Not cooler here, not today Dave LOL. Heat index is over 100. But it should be nice by Sunday night, including in Green Bay. (more)

Dave from Mitchell, GA

12:32

Hope you are as excited to get this season going as I am! We can all agree that QB is probably the most important position on the team. That being said, how confident are you that our current QB2 OR QB3 has enough around them to get us to the playoffs should the unspeakable happen? I have to admit I'm a little nervous that so many of the naysayers from years past have picked ND to win it all. But that is the superstitious ND fan in me. Hope it's cooler there! Have a great rest of the week.

Eric Hansen

12:32

Me too, Gabe!!!

Gabe from Walkerton

12:32

ERIC!!! No question...JUST EXCITED

Eric Hansen

12:32

But I think one reason you haven't read a lot about former five-star prospects Will Black and Guerby Lambert in August has been their consistency, and having been tested by elite defensive ends in Boubacar Traore, Bryce Young and Keon Keeley. I have talked to people who have seen much more practice reps than the media got to see, and they are VERY bullish on what this O-line can become this season, even with some injuries that have occurred. I am in that camp as well.

12:30

Hi Will and Roger, I grouped your questions together, because they're getting at the same thing -- the offensive tackles. When you talk to people that are really O-Line connoisseurs -- former O-linemen or O-line coaches, there is a lot of growth and testing ones that games start that even the best-structured practices aren't necessarily going to trigger. So, yes there may be some short-term rough spots. (more)

Roger, Dallas

12:27

Hi, Eric, and thanks for getting us through a long offseason. There's an awful lot of faith in the offensive line heading into the season. But I see two new tackles and a very unsettled RG spot to go along with several injuries to important pieces. Are we underestimating the impact of these issues? Could this be an unexpected weakness for the team?

Will

12:27

Forgot to include my hometown in my original comment so im commenting twice, sorry. From Westfield, IN. I feel like we haven't heard much about the offensive tackles since fall camp started. Is this a "no news is good news" situation or have they just not impressed?

Eric Hansen

12:27

Hi Fran. I don't get the impression from either of them it would be their intention to go one-and-done at ND, especially if they have a great experience. All these NIL and rev-share contracts are pretty much one year. And unless the Protect College Sports Act passes this year and is enacted, unlimited transfer possibilities remain. So, I can't guarantee that they or anyone else on the roster will be on the 2027 team. But given the talent at QB and the trajectory of the program long term, it would be hard to walk away.

Fran from Windermere Florida

12:24

Are Porter and Graham really committed to ND or are they just riding the CJ train and will be back in the portal next year?

Eric Hansen

12:24

We probably should do another story on it, as we did when James Rendell arrived, but it's the placement element that translates so well from their experience playing Australian Rules Football. And it's not just the placement, but the little hops and bounces they can make the ball do with pretty strong consistency. There is an academy in Australia that specifically teached players from the AFL how to translate those skills into punting to come over to the U.S, and be successful at it.

12:22

Hi Beth. I let Mike Singer know and he should pay attention to the answer, because it's pretty interesting actually, to me anyway. First, how is Jasper doing? I saw him punt in one practice, so my sample size is small, but it was impressive. And special teams coach Marty Biagi and Jasper's teammates have been singing his praises. But in the practice I saw he gives you exceptional hang time, distance and PLACEMENT. And that third element is one of the reasons you are seeing so many Aussie imports at punter. (more)

Beth from Westfield, IN

12:18

Eric: ND kickoff on Sunday!! It has been such a long wait for the Irish faithful. My question is about the punter, Jasper Scaife (Be sure to tell Mike Singer you got a kicker question!). How are his punts looking? Does he have good ball placement? I know he is our second Australian in a row. Why do Notre Dame coaches prefer Aussie kickers?

Eric Hansen

12:18

The defensive tackle situation is incredibly healthy. Armel Mukam is an incredibe success story. It takes nothing away from Francis Brewu, who brings a little different skill set to one of the DT positions. The other rotational DT is Tionne Gray, who is massive and will tag team well with Jason Onye. And ND even will go three deep at both of those positions. So fresh bodies to challenge Wisconsin's O-line. To me, that's a recipe for success.

12:15

So let's look at specifics. If everyone is healthy, Notre Dame's top four receivers will play a similar number of reps and some of them will bounce between WR positions. Transfer Mylan Graham is one of those four. Someone had to be listed as second team, but he is absolutely treated as a starter. The other WR transfer is Quincy Porter, who would be starting if he wasn't still recovering from a second knee procedure. Now to defensive end. Keon Keeley is a key rotational player with Bryce Young. Can you imagine being an OT and having to face a fresh DE and that's the rotation?

12:12

At some position groups, there is a big differentiation between starter and backup or rotational player. Quarterback and offensive line are two of those. Then there are others where the person listed at No. 2 may actually play more or similarly comporable to the starter. And wide receiver, defensive tackle and defensive end or three such position groups. And there are others like linebacker. For instance Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is rated by Pro Football Focus as the nation's top returning linebacker, and he started 2 games in 2025. He will not start this one on Sunday night (more).

12:10

Hi Jonathan!!!! Thanks for batting leadoff with such a strong question. I think the answer will get you to stop scratching your head, unless you need Head & Shoulders shampoo or something stronger ... So let's look at Notre Dame's roster philosophy in general and then get speific to the, actually, five names in those two position groups to which you're referring. (more)

Jonathan in Addison, TX

12:07

GAME WEEK, ERIC!!! It’s here! Grateful to have you back in the chat! My untimely question is about the off-season I guess. Defensive line and wide receiver appeared to be the biggest needs and top priorities. And it appeared there were 4 big names nabbed from the portal at those 2 positions. And yet here we are week 1 and none of them are listed as starters. Is that a successful use of the portal? I love the positive coverage the guys who emerged this summer are getting. But would you also scratch your head with me a minute and wonder about what happened with those 4 and, in particular, whether the off-season efforts on those 2 priorities look good, bad, or ugly at this moment in time?

Eric Hansen

OK, off we go.

12:06

Only the "no spitting" rule will be strictly enforced. The "no drinking" rule only applies to me as long as you behave.

Here are the rules ...

12:05

PLEASE remember to include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question(s).

As far as this week's chat ...

► Finally at WSBT Sports Radio 960, I’m part of the Notre Dame Football pregame shows with Tim Grauel, Jim Irizarry and Blue & Gold teammate Jack Sobel. The GameDay show kicks off with 3 hours of news, analysis and special guests live on Sunday ahead of the ND-Wisconsin game. We’ll start our coverage at 3 p.m. ET. You can listen locally at WSBT-AM 960, Sunny 101.5 FM, and 106.1 FM in Southwest Michigan. And it will be live streaming on wsbtradio.com.

12:04

► The Third & Gold Podcast is available at all the places where you find podcasts, as well as our YouTube Channel. We’ve been on hiatus for most of the summer, but we made a return last Thursday with special guest Jim Flanigan, former Notre Dame All-American and current father of Irish tight end James Flanigan and ND O-line commit Richie Flanigan. The next episode is set to drop Thursday afternoon.

► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, what are you doing with your life? Seriously, the show keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation, so you can catch up now or later on our new home on the Blue & Gold YouTube channel. It was our most-watched episode ever. We’ll be back next Monday at 7 ET for another presentation of Football Never Sleeps. Check out some other great shows and content on the Blue & Gold YouTube channel as well, including the live Notre Dame Football Show, on Tuesday nights at 8 ET.

12:03

► For those of you who have signed up as first-time subscribers for 75% off for your first year of blueandgold.com and the network and national content throughout the On3 Network, thank you. The response has been so overwhelming, the folks way higher on the food chain than me extended the offer through this Labor Day weekend. That will be the last extension. That’s $29.99 (I did the math for you). With that, you get all of our premium content, plus all the value you get from a national team of writers and content creators, as well as access to every team site in the On3 network and a full year of The Athletic. Check it out at: https://www.on3.com/teams/notre-dame-fighting-irish/join/?utm_source=p...

First, some quick programming notes:

12:02

Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, WISCONSIN GAME WEEK Edition!

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