JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Sept. 30, 2026

Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Sept. 30, 2026

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Eric Hansen

1:34

Great, Tom. Now I'm hungry for a brat and I've already had lunch! Xavier Lewis actually plays defensive tackle for Carolina, which toggles between 3-4 and 4-3 looks but is a base 3-4. I'm curious how they'll try to use the former walk-in against ND's offensive line. UNC is probably the best D-line the Irish have faced in terms of pass rush, but I think Wisconsin's will prove to be better all around over time and likely already is among ND's first five opppoents. Also, UNC has played O-lines so far that are struggling against everybody to protect their passers. (more)

Tom F, Kennesaw, GA

1:14

Hey Eric, Happy October (almost)!!!!!!!!!! Best time of the year with Octoberfests to celebrate. Beer, brats and football, now that's a great trifecta!! How disruptive is UNC DE Xavier Lewis and will he be the first real test for our OTs?? When Augustine returns, is he that much better than Absher to possibly disrupt the OL chemistry?? Do you still feel that Ian Premer will progress enough to contribute to the Offense by early November?? Why has Graham not lived up to our hopes following Spring practice?? Hope you are going to NC so that you can enjoy some of their delicious bar-b-que. Go Irish!!!!!!

Eric Hansen

1:13

Hi Stephen, I think one of the many reasons Notre Dame and AD Pete Bevacqua support the Protect College Sports Act is that it doesn't challenge the Irish to give up their independent status in football.

Stephen from New Orleans

1:12

What is Notre Dame’s stance on the conference realignment provisions of the Protect College Sports Act? If it passes, does ND feel the need to make a move?

Eric Hansen

1:11

One thing I didn't include in that piece was Joe Rudolph noting that the competition between Absher and Prescod lit a fire under Absher and helped him push harder to improve to a level he hadn't previously shown. I still think Prescod, if he was regularly practicing at guard, is the player between those two, who would better express run blocking in any scheme. And I believe when he comes back, Matty Augustine will eventually be the best option ... but again Absher could rise to meet the moment.

1:09

Hi The Beave. Good eye on the running game adjustments. I have several friends who are former college offensive linemen, who make me look smarter than I am, and one of them texted me all the significant and naunced adjustments ND made in running schemes for the Purdue game. As I mentioned earlier, I did a pretty extensive analysis on the offensive line, which I linked to. One of the things that is keeping that right guard race becoming more of a competition again is the need to have Styles Prescod at the ready to play tackle. Over the season, that could change. (more)

The Beave. Grand Rapids

1:06

Eric: It looks like ND changed the running game from zone read blocking to more quick hitters between the tackles against Purdue and had significant success. If that’s correct, does the “new” blocking scheme favor Ashber over Prescod in the short term? And Matty Augustine in the long term? It’s only Wednesday and I have “Carolina on My Mind”. Thanks for your time and insight.

Eric Hansen

1:05

I think the fairest way to do strength of schedule is using multiple metrics. Sagarin alone is not going to cut it. And yes, it's probably going to be controversial.

1:03

New this year is all four Power Conference champs are guaranteed to be in the field. Last year, Duke didn't make it in as an unranked champion. That also means you won't have a second Group of 6 team unless it makes it as an at-large team ranked in the top 10 most likely. Notre Dame has the assurance of being in the field if it's ranked at least 12, which is a fair tradeoff, because under these rules Duke would have bumped both ND and Miami out of last year's field. (more)

1:01

Jeff. I'm laughing my butt off on the "Terms apply" reference from our Football Never Sleeps Show. Well-played, but to be honest, terms really do apply. I shared that with Tyler James, and he loved it. Now to your actual question. So let me start with the Group of Six element of this. They are guaranteed one spot, so they'll be a part of the 12 this year and when things expand. But the SOS element could affect their seeding, not their inclusion. (more)

Jeff from Phoenix

12:55

Eric! How are you? I have a question on the proposed addition of strength of schedule to the equation for the Playoff Committee to use in selecting teams. I think most fans would agree that this is a logical factor in getting the best teams. But, the weighting and implementation could be controversial. Do you think they go back to something like the Sagarin computer schedule ranking or something else? And, does the Group of Five still get an automatic playoff bid given that their conference schedules are almost always weaker? Should teams be expected to alter schedules as soon as 2027? Any other complications you see? As I'm sure you would add...."Terms apply"!!!

Eric Hansen

12:55

As far as the running back rotation, that's fluid, but I have a hard time seeing this coaching staff giving up on Aneyas Williams. I think Jonaz Walton is kind of the freshman version of Jeremiyah Love. I think he can be impactful without ever being the starter this year. He just brings a different skill set that complements the other two backs, and he continues to round out his game in other areas, which should help him get more opportunities.

12:53

I still believe this offensive line has the bones and the drive to be a Joe Moore Award finalist caliber line. I'm not sure that equates to pushing Miami and BYU around -- nobody's doing that. Now, SMU probably. But where their improvement will come is simply being more efficient and able to handle surprises in game better and fewer missed assignment and leaks. The fewest sacks allowed number will stay high (currently 4th) and the rushing numbers will improve. (more)

12:49

Scott!!!! Thanks for all the compliments. I feel like I owe you money or a turkey leg or a way to make $14 the hard way. Anyways, to your questions. I just dropped a comprehensive offensive line analysis this morning that will give you more depth into why I'm going to give you the answer I am going to provide here. First, here the link to the article:

Inside why Joe Rudolph believes Notre Dame’s offensive line is coming of age

Scott, Greenville SC

12:46

Eric!!!!! Writer extraordinaire! Love reading your articles. Great stuff!! You've said many times through the years, that ND execution in Sept is very different than what we can expect in Nov and in the CFP. For the oline, we all know its not a finished product, but what is the ceiling with this current line? Will they push BYU, Miami and SMU around? Second, and it conjoins with oline, the RB room. Is AW the way forward getting the bulk of the carries, or do you see RB by committee? I think as the season progresses, we'll see a lot more JW. He just has that "it" potential. And because of that, I'll leave you with this regarding JW. "What an incredible Cinderella story. This unknown, comes out of high school, to lead the running back room. The crowd is on its feet here. Tears in his eyes, as he lines up in the backfield. The crowd has gone deadly silent. Cinderella story, former high school player, about to make ND the NC. He takes the handoff, it looks like a miraculous run, its a TD! Its a TD!"

Eric Hansen

12:45

There's also math involved here. Notre Dame has attempted 105 passes (that includes Noah Grubbs and Teddy Jarrard, too), and 17 different players have been targeted. That averages to six per player. Greathouse is at 9, behind Jordan Faison (23), Micah Gilbert (18) and Nolan James Jr. (10). I understand your curiosity here, and I just think as healthy as he is and as hard as he worked this offseason to be the best version of him, that's going to show up sooner than later.

12:41

Hi Mike. Thanks for the compliment and thanks for getting your butt off the couch. None of the rules apply to you today, and I forgot to post them anyway, but feel free to spit, fight, gamble, drink and go barefoot. ... As far as Jaden Greathouse, I do think he'll become a more frequent target as the season plays out ... not consistently, because ND isn't trying to make this a T-ball mentality, where everyone gets an at-bat and a snack. It's about finding mismatches in the defense. And sometimes DCs are going to try to take Greathouse away. (more)

Guest

12:36

Mike from Santa Barbara. Greetings, Eric, great to be chatting with you again, I’ve come back off the couch after a year of just reading your Chats, which are great! My question is why Greathouse has not been targeted more, and whether you believe he will become a more frequent target as the season unfolds. Thanks so much for your patient and strategic viewpoints on ND Football!

Eric Hansen

12:32

If Brauntae Johnson comes back in October, and that's a realistic timeline, I think he'll have a tough business decision to make at the end of the year. He's that good. Not as tough in the era of NIL, but tough, nevertheless.

12:31

As far as the running game, there were big big names who were knocking on the door who wanted in. But these days you're always weighing both finances and how those additions will play with the players you're trying to retain. I think by the end of the year, we're going to feel staying away from the portal for a running back and not sacrificing a portal D-lineman or wide receiver was the right move. ... third down definitely needs to get better. One of the few warts this team has, and tied into some of the running game growing pains, which results in more third-and-long situations. (more)

12:28

HI Marie. Having a great week, thanks. ... to your questions ... there are elements of being better and worse ... but the collective picture is still the same for me. That's the reason Notre Dame is No. 2 on my AP ballot this week and has been for a few weeks. If they had played their way out of that spot, I would have dropped them. The absolute trump card the Irish have is their defense is good enough to carry them as they work through their growth hurdles on offense. And they are working through those (more).

Marie from Atlanta

12:20

hi Eric, I hope you’re having a fantastic week. We are now 1/3 of the way through the season, is this team about what you thought they would be, better, or worse than what you anticipated. Have your long-term expectations for the team changed? The running game seems like it is starting to get going, however, do you think it was a miscalculation not to look in the transfer portal for a running back in the off-season? Third and short seems a little better this year, I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but it still seems like the overall third down conversion rate is not that great this year is this something you are concerned about moving forward? if Brauntae Johnson’s timeline is getting pushed back to much later in the season, do you think that will result in him staying an extra year at Notre Dame? as always, thanks for hosting the chat and all the fantastic insights.

Eric Hansen

12:20

Hi Bob, both safety and cornerback could have significant roster churn after the season. Adon Shuler, Brauntae Johnson and Luke Talich could all head to the NFL, though none of them have expiring eligibility. At corner, DJ McKinney will be gone and so very likely will Leonard Moore and Christian Gray. But I think Brandon Logan is a better fit at safety and I think ND is in better shape with its corners than maybe they're show so far. I think once Ayden Pouncey and Khary Adams get acclimated, those are going to be two very special players. The coaching staff is high on Chaz Smith when he's healthy. Both positions have some good 2027 freshmen coming in. Especially if Logan continues to choose to play baseball -- and I think he will -- safety is the better fit.

Bob Oxnard

12:14

Do you think Brandon Logan will get a look at corner? He has intriguing speed and athleticism. (Yeah, I'm wondering about next year because certain of our back-up corners seem to get beat consistently despite always being close but not quite close enough to break up passes.).

Eric Hansen

12:13

Hi Patrick. Mylan Graham was my spring football, purely platonic crush, and his modest production, to put it kindly, is not what I expected. The good news is that twitchy athleticism is still there. What he is being pushed and pushing himself to be is a tenacious player catching balls in traffic. I think we'll start to see that in October ... incrementally, not all at once. Beyond the four you mentioned and with Quincy Porter out for the season, I think the receivers who have the best chance to positively impact the passing game are Matt Jeffery, Jerome Bettis Jr. and Elijah Burress and at some point Bubba Frazier. But that top four you mentioned off the top are going to be the four most prominent consistently, in my opinion.

Patrick from Los Angeles

12:09

Thank you for hosting. Very impressed with Micah Gilbert. Disappointed in Graham thus far. Do you see any wide receiver outside of Gilbert, Faison and Greathouse securing a prominent role as the season progresses? Also, do you think Jonaz Walton will see more carries as the season moves forward?

Eric Hansen

Let's get started.

12:05

PLEASE include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question(s). I'm not going to grovel. But if you don't do it, you may find yourself at the back of the queue.

As far as this week's chat ...

► Finally at WSBT Sports Radio 960, I’m part of the Notre Dame Football pregame show with Tim Grauel, Jim Irizarry and Blue & Gold teammate Jack Soble. The GameDay show kicks off with three hours of news, analysis and special guests live on Saturday ahead of the ND-North Carolina game. We’ll start our coverage at 8 a.m. ET. Not a typo, bring caffeine. 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. For the away games, we also have a YouTube feed.

12:04

► The Third & Gold Podcast is available at all the places where you find podcasts, as well as our YouTube Channel. The next episode drops late Thursday afternoon. On our most recent episode, Blue & Gold recruiting guru Mike Singer joined us as our special guest.

► 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. The last three shows have been our most-watched episodes 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.

https://www.on3.com/teams/notre-dame-fighting-irish/join/?utm_source=p...

12:03

► One significant change coming to the chat moving forward and starting this week — the live chat portion and the ability to submit questions will be limited to subscribers of blueandgold.com. Those higher on the food chain than me at On3 — which is just about everybody — came up with this concept to reward subscribers, since my brain and fingers are too slow to get to all the questions in three hours. I am supportive of this.
What I am more excited about is that starting today, On3 is rolling out a new introductory offer for first-time subscribers. It’s 60% off your first year, which amounts to $48 for the year or $4 a month if that math hits your brain better. 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:

OK, maybe not so quick, but worth a scan when you have time ...

12:02

First, some quick programming notes:

12:01

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