JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 24, 2025

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Sept. 24, 2025

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Eric Hansen

3:26

OK, now I do have to run. Thanks for all the great questions. Sorry for the ones I couldn't get to or that were too similar to some we did address. We'll be back to do it all over again next Wednesday at noon ET. The transcript will be posted at blueandgold.com later this afternoon.

3:24

Hey Mike. Given it was two major injuries and months of missed time and coming back 6 weeks ahead of schedule, Botelho, I believe, has some very good football ahead of him. And he's been really good in his tackling and against the run. The pass-rush burst will come. Jason Onye hasn't yet played at that level, and they Irish need him to. Again he missed most of last season, but he was healthy in the spring and in August.

Mike from Rochester NY

3:21

Eric, I’ve been a little surprised that Botelho hasn’t been more of a force. Is he still not 100% or is it lack of reps in new defense? How is your crush Jason Onye grading out so far? I’m pulling hard for him, he’s endured so much to get this far!!!!!!!!!

Eric Hansen

3:20

I agree with you on the standouts, and I'd add CJ Carr to that list. I think I picked ND 41-34, so we're very close.

Ryan Frankfort illinois

3:20

Good afternoon Eric what do you think about the play of Melachi fields Jermiyah Love and Jadarian price i think they all have looked good i think the Irish win 42-28 or something like this week GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈

Eric Hansen

3:19

Thanks, David!!

David

3:19

You had me at gluten free!

Eric Hansen

3:19

You may get your wish. I know this, Notre Dame would love to play in that stadium again this season, because Hard Rock Stadium is the site of the national championship game in January.

Len from the Jersey Shore

3:18

Hello Eric! I saw this on PFF when I sorted for top defensive player PFF score in NCAA this season. First is Rueben Bain Jr., Edge Miami, with a score of 95.6. Tied for 7th is Akheem Mesidor, Edge Miami, with a 90.5 score. Tough first game for any O-line to handle. Better to meet these two after line had a chance to gel together. Would love to see ND mee the Hurricanes again.

Eric Hansen

3:18

Hi Tom, that was the fifth weather delay on Notre Dame history and the third at home, but there have been delays the last three seasons (2023 at NC State, last season at home vs. Stanford, Saturday vs, Purdue). A dome near the dome? I don't see it happening. I do think ND has a base defense, and part of being a good defense is being unpredictable, but you only want to be unpredictable to OPPOSING offenses, not your own players.

Tom in Evanston

3:15

Try again. I have been attending games since the late 1960s. I hardly ever go any more. But I have been exposed to ND football for decades. In all that time, never had a game interrupted for weather. I have been rained on and snowed on, but no interruptions. Now it seems like it happens at least annually. Can they cover ND Stadium? On the defense, does ND currently have a "base" defense that the team knows? They certainly don't look like they do. Are they trying to do too much in an effort to be clever?

Eric Hansen

3:15

He called the defense for Texas in 2020. Had been in the NFL the past four years as a position coach and a scout.

Bill from Sarasota

3:14

When was the last time ASH called a college defense during a game? I wonder if he called OSU's in 2011.

Eric Hansen

3:14

The great thing is those guys are both dynamic, both bring something valuable and both don't care if the other is on the game. Both very unselfish, and that's going to benefit this team. Ja'Juan Seider made it work last year at Penn State with two elite backs and it's working for ND this season. Not dismissing your observations. But I think Love is the better back, but Price is really, really good.

Patrick from Boulder

3:12

ERIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! a follow up question. As great as Love has been this year, it seems that Price has been even more effective at times. What do you think it would take for the coaches to more evenly distribute the carries, and do you think that would be a mistake? Against Miami, for example, it seemed that Price was far more effective. I understand pulling him for a while for the fumble, but his North/South running style appears more effective at times - do the coaches see something the fans don't?

Eric Hansen

3:12

Ha. Thanks. I'm just glad I didn't break the camera.

Jeff from Phoenix

3:11

Eric, great picture with Marie. You seem to be a magnet for smart, successful and attractive women. The rest of us are just renters in this world...

Eric Hansen

3:11

Hey Tom, thanks. NC State is wedged in there too on Oct. 11 between Boise and USC ... and really good QB paired with a struggling NC State defense. I am confident in ND against Boise and NC State. If they find some answers against Arkansas -- not just beat them but evolve defensively, then I think they can beat USC applying those lessons. We will get an update on Smith and Moore Thursday and we'll post that. I am feeling better about Moore this week than I was last week. We'll see. Not a doctor. Didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express anytime where it could help.

Tom F, Kennesaw, GA

3:08

Eric, these next three games are the crux of the season. At Arkansas, then home games with Boise and USC. All good teams. All winnable and losable games. I am not confident of us going 3-0. What is your outlook and why?? Any word yet on if Smith or Moore have practiced this week?? Thanks. Go Irish!!!

Eric Hansen

3:08

It's not always doable, and may get tougher in the future with both realignment and all the power conferences committed to 9 league games a year. Next year the rollout is Wisconsin, Rice, Michigan State, Purdue ... so more manageable theoretically. And Purdue opens 2027, but there's years where Texas and Alabama lead off.

Robb, Colorado

3:04

Eric, any thoughts on the schedule and maybe looking to ease into the season a little bit more in the future?

Eric Hansen

3:04

Bill!!! Thanks for the compliment, and that was a big fail on my part about your misunderstanding that comment. That whole opening exchange was done with smiles and laughter. Usually is with Denbrock when we great him. Very fun and easy to talk to.

Bill from St Joe, MI

3:02

Hi Eric!!! Loved your interview with Mike Denbrock! Made me even more confident about the offenses trajectory. However what’s your take on his statement “I’m just glad somebody’s finally listening around here.”

Eric Hansen

3:02

Ok, we've reached the bewitching our when I usually have to say adios until next week. However, let me do a few more lightning-round style since I haven't even go through a third of the question portal yet. (slow brain-to-fingers connection).

3:00

Scott$$$$$$$$$$ You're money on the exclamation points. Thanks for the compliments. I think you're question got cut off and jumbled at the end, but I think I can decode it enough to give you an answer. I don't think Marcus Freeman would have Mickens call the defense over Ash. What would be valuable is for Mickens to be part of the solution as to what worked last year in terms of marrying the right coverages with the right pressures, which is something that could be done kind of clandestinely from the public during the week.

Scott, Greenville, SC

2:57

ERIC!!!! You deserve everyone of those exclamation marks! Great to be part of the chat session again. Been a while but I've been watching FNS episodes and enjoying the excellent commentary from you, Tyler and usually stoic fan base! I know you’ve be inundated by Ash questions and I don't want to pile on but I've got a couple thoughts for you. Regarding Mike Mickens, is this an opportunity for MF to insert him into the playoffs calling without indemining

Eric Hansen

2:57

Hey Fred. Here are the national pass-efficiency defensive rankings for the balance of ND's schedule: 51-92-98-57-72-76-87-64 and 114. Now, the USC-BC-Navy-Pitt stretch feature defenses that have played decent against the run and are in the 30-50 range in total defense. So, that's where the resistance is most likely to come from. Not sure about the officiating crew. Might be ACC. Usually it's the conference of the visiting team. (or conference-adjacent in this case).

Fred from Richmond

2:52

Eric, as usual thanks for all your excellent insight into everything about ND football. The offense looks scary good so far with possibilities of becoming a true juggernaut in upcoming games. Which upcoming games to you see where the opposing teams defense can cause the Irish some difficulties. The upcoming game against Arkansas will be using SEC refs, which I dread. They missed one of the most blatant holding call I can remember. Has Coach Freeman addressed that with the powers to be who control the refs in the SEC?

Eric Hansen

2:51

And I need to correct something from an earlier question. The best defense Arkansas has faced is Memphis' at No. 43. Ole Miss is way down the defensive stats. They're 14th on offense. My mistake.

2:50

Chuck, thanks for being so good for my PR. To your questions: 1) No I don't, but I expect improvement in the defense. Not sure anyone is going to hold them under 20 unless the wheels fall off for coach Sam Pittman, which is possible. LSU, Texas and Missouri will be tough to move the ball against late in the season for Arkansas, but love that QB. He's good. 2) If Knapp were not improving, they would make a change. They believe he is. Styles Prescod is the backup and Will Black worked a lot at guard in August, so if Jagusah weren't coming back, maybe we'd see Black eventually. But again Knapp is making strides. 3) Hard to answer this with a blanket statement, but I blame confusion, lack of pass rush eroding confidence as the biggest factor in the back end. Confusion brought on by scheme tweaks and not teaching them well.

Chuck from "The Land"

2:42

Hi Eric, your expanded duties are suiting you well --- more insight, more common sense and more optimism. Here are my questions: 1) Do you think that the "fight or flight" mentality for the D will limit ARK to under 20 points? 2) WHY is Knapp still starting -- seems soft & confused for 2 years now ---backups inferior? 3) Proud of the strides made by the O & Spec Teams but the D - are the DB's confused by the multiple coverages that have them looking for WR's or are DBS like Gray, Hobbs and Stroman just over their heads? Pig pickin' this week....42-35 IRISH. Thanks " great one"!

Eric Hansen

2:41

If it makes you feel any better, the press box isn't immune to that. At the 2014 Pinstripe Bowl, an open-air press box in December at Yankee Stadium. Someone volunteered to bring me a hot chocolate. And they did. And the back of my dress shirt just loved it. Honest mistake. I guess it felt better on my back that a cold, sticky beer.

2:39

Mike! and/or Mo!!!! I don't think you are reading TOO deeply. I think you got tripped up in the context. Marcus Freeman was talking about the need for everyone to buy into the solutions. He wasn't suggesting there had been a lack of buy-in (although it's possible there might have been). He was suggesting if not everyone was buying into the next step, there would be problems. And he didn't not anticipate that being an issue. As far as getting a beer spilled on you, sorry to hear that and I heard that from a few folks. (more)

Mike AKA Mo from Maumee OH

2:35

Hi Eric! "...We got to all buy in and execute this the right way.” I hope I'm not reading too deeply into Marcus Freeman's words when I say that maybe some of the defensive players WEREN'T buying into Ash's philosophy/strategy/coaching? What is your take on this- thanks! BTW- the $12 beer spilled on me from behind during the A & M game has pretty much dried by now....

Eric Hansen

2:35

I love that the live chat had endured over time through all these changes, so thank you all for making that possible.

2:34

Newspapers are dying, and I believe On3 CEO Shannon Terry not only has a business model that works way better than the newspaper folks' stabs at this, he knows what sports JOURNALMISM should look like. The things I really like about this wave are the multimedia aspects, the way to be creative and the outstanding people still in this business. What I could do without, being slaves to algorithms and rewarding people who don't do their own work, but take ours and run it threw an AI program. Not a big fan of people who don't take accountability for what they write or say.

2:30

Hi Matt. 1) What makes Arkansas dangerous is their offense. The Razorbacks have a 6-6, 235-pound dual threat QB in Taylen Green who leads the nation in total offense. They're 8th in total offense against a variety of defenses ranging from Ole Miss (14th in total defense) to Arkansas State (No. 131 of 134). 2. I am going to have to pass on this one and do it another time or it would take me the rest of the chat to work out. Sorry. 3. Oh wow, how cool was the end of this. I wish I had a fabulous prize to send you. To answer your question of the changes in sports journalism, I can't do it justice in this forum. Just not enough time. But let me give it a stab at being overly concise and incomplete ... (more)

Matt from Muscatine

2:21

Hi Eric! Thank you for continuing to do these. I have three questions. 1) What makes Arkansas dangerous and how strong has their competition been so far? 2) ND is #1 in the Rivals recruiting rankings (Woohoo!!!) but #3 in the combined rankings. Which ND commits does Rivals value a lot higher than the other recruiting services, leading to this discrepancy, and what do you personally think about those players? 3) One of the great gifts you bring to the ND football fan community is your experience in sports journalism, and, in the last few years, particularly, you have commented on how much college football has changed. Out of curiosity, how would you describe the changes in sports journalism from when you started to today? And, since punctuation is valued in these chats, I’m giving you a series of happy faces for the excellent job you do. :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

Eric Hansen

2:20

I don't see that parallel with Ash. If it was, he would be gone too, I believe. But I think he can be valuable with whatever his role looks like going forward. There are a lot of really good offenses, especially passing offenses, on the remaining schedule, so there will be plenty of true gauges to measure whether this is getting better. And Z, you don't even need a note from your mom when you skip. The hype was well worth the wait (my hype, not Ash's).

2:18

Z that was very strategic to not only put a very nice compliment in the second screen of the question AFTER the long rant, but to put a Brian VanGorder reference in it that made me laugh so hard coffee came out of my nostrils. To your ultimate question, why not fire Ash now? In 2016 with BVG four games in it did make sense, but he had 26 previous games to prove himself and there was a cultural rot settling in, because he dug in his heels and refused to evolve and change. It had to be one. (more)

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