JotCast | Notre Dame Live Chat March 24, 2021

Notre Dame Live Chat March 24, 2021

Prev Page View Full Chat

Eric Hansen

1:43

Michael, there are five "Week 0" games on Aug. 28, so it would be possible, but I'd leave Toledo right where it is. And remember as we settle into post-pandemic life, there's going to be a reluctance of moving games more than a day or two (Saturday to Friday or Thursday). 2020 was unique in the game-shuffling business, because you didn't really have to take into account fans coming to the games. If you think a road opener at FSU is daunting, you may not want to peek at the 2022 schedule. The Irish open up at Ohio State that season.

Michael from Chicago

1:35

Is there any chance that ND could move a home opponent to the week before FSU? Even with FSU being "down" last season it would seem more ideal to get a home game in (say Toledo) before going on the road with a new QB, new/reconfigured OL, etc. Or is that opening game fixed by the ACC or some other reason?

Eric Hansen

1:33

Erik, I think you're selling short the coordinators and the players in the AAC, especially UCF (No. 2 nationally in total offense) SMU (No. 12) and Memphis (No. 22). UCF scored 33, SMU 13 and Memphis 10. Georgia, a much-improved offense once JT Daniels was elevated to the starting QB, scored 24. If you can, I would recommend you finding the Georgia game on YouTube and watching that.

Erik (Granger, IN)

1:24

Thanks for being here! How do you think Freeman’s defensive scheme will translate at the power five level. It was obviously very effective against the teams in Cincinnati’s conference, but offensive coordinators are more advanced at P5. Do you see him thriving at this level? He should have better athletes to work with, but going against better athletes as well.

Eric Hansen

1:20

Hello Mr. Weiss. Thanks for being part of the chat. There are a lot of layers to the answers, including the structure of the visit -- how organized ND is at being able to show off football and the 4-for-40 academic/life concept. But in asking former players this same question over the years, two things resonate beyond the sheer beauty of the campus and what I just mentioned. ... It's the people and it's the aura, a spiritual feeling that this is home. It tends to surprise prospects who had never been on campus before because it's so unexpected. So that's the short version of my answer.

Gabriel Weiss from North Liberty

1:15

Hello Mr. Hansen. Thanks again for brightening our football lives with these chats once again. When Notre Dame can get a kid on campus to visit, they have a much better chance than most schools when it comes to his commitment even if he visits other schools. What makes Notre Dame's official visits so special compared to other schools?

Eric Hansen

1:13

Don't know that yet, but he was on the sidelines at Cincinnati, so my sense at this point is that would be what he'd like to do at ND as well.

Denny from Liberty Hill

1:13

Hi Eric. Do you know if Marcus Freeman will be on the sidelines coaching during games or in the booth?

Eric Hansen

1:12

I do find your point of view regarding Kelly way out of whack. Yes, ND's next step is being consistently better in big games, but they did beat the No. 1 team in the nation four MONTHS ago. I also find it interesting that in The Athletic's ratings of all the FBS head coaches, both Bruce Feldman and Stewart Mandel rated Brian Kelly No. 3, behind ONLY Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney.

1:09

Why can't it happen with Kelly AND Freeman?

Joey G Philadelphia, Pa

1:08

Hi Eric, Hope all is well! I’m a life long ND fan going back to the Era of Ara. I judge the program in a different light. Yes the recent success is far better than the Weiss, Willingham and Davie era’s. But the Kelly era comes down to the record in the big games. Which we all know is abysmal and embarrassing. I think like back in “64” it’s time to give the keys to a young energetic and aggressive coach with a dynamic recruiting strategy. In my view Marcus Freeman is the obvious choice, And I would hate to see ND make the mistake it did with Urban Meyer. If ND really wants to win a National Championship do you think it’s gonna happen with Kelly or Freeman?

Eric Hansen

1:08

Notre Dame must recruit nationwide to be successful. You stop playing regularly in California and see how many kids you can get from California.

As you can see, there's a pretty large contingent from outside of the ACC footprint. Among the 11 commitments in the 2022 class, only two are from ACC country.

1:06

California 11
Georgia 10
New Jersey 8
Florida 6
Indiana 5
Illinois 5
Ohio 4
Pennsylvania 4
Maryland 3
D.C. 3
Hawaii 3
Missouri 3
Virginia 3

1:05

Bob, thank you. I didn't elaborate last week, because I was out of time. I've also written about this a lot, but certainly it's reasonable to revisit, given that ND played as a conference member last season. To keep this to a chat answer and not a never-ending story, I'll focus on the most pragmatic reason -- recruiting. Here is a list of where ND's recruits have come from in the 2018-21 cycles:

Bob from Toronto

12:59

Eric, thank you for your ability to keep the Subway Alumni interested in football no matter the season and your willingness to answer all our questions. I love the fact that the Irish are independent in football, but it makes the play-off mountain harder to climb. At the end of the last Live Chat, you stated, "I do not favor a full-time move to the ACC for a number of reasons." Could you please elaborate on that thought? Thanks a lot.

Eric Hansen

12:59

Alan, without getting too nuanced, I think you'll see Notre Dame attack more and blitz its linebackers more. If they can handle it, the cornerbacks will be asked to play more man and play press coverage more. Spring should be a good time to find out if the Irish can execute that part of Freeman's philosophy. Clark played more zone and didn't feel the corners could be exposed to a lot of press and man coverages last season. I don't think these guys are worlds apart. And they both have been statistically successful, not to mention the teams' bottom lines.

Alan from Whiteland, Indiana

12:55

Eric, in your opinion, what will be the one or two biggest differences between a Marcus Freeman led Notre Dame defense and the defense we have seen under Clark Lea? Thank you for answering my question.

Eric Hansen

12:55

Tyler, we got a little bit of a glimpse of Marcus Freeman's vision for his defense at ND in a Zoom back in February. And as we follow recruiting, it appears ND continues to recruit for a base four-down front. That doesn't mean you can't show three-down looks at times. But he's going to play to his CURRENT personnel and there's a wealth of talent and depth at the two interior defensive line positions. Will ND eventually recruit for a three-down look. It's certainly possible, but that's not the way the current team is constructed, and it's not how recruiting is progressing. I haven't had a chance to ask him yet, but playing three-down at Cincinnati may have been the result of it being easier for a school like that to recruit really good outside linebackers than really good defensive ends in volume.

Tyler - Cleveland OH

12:49

Eric, how do you see Freeman and the ND defense transitioning to a 3-3-5? IMO the strength of the ND defense is it’s Dline in both depth and talent. We’d have to take one of our better Dlineman off the field for the 3 man front and I’m not sure that’s conducive to ND winning this year. Would Foskey/Botellho move to the Will LB so we can keep them on the field? Should we Expect 4-2-5 this year and more 3-3-5 next year? Also any concerns that we recruit for a 3-3-5 and then freeman is gone in two years? Or just hope another stud DC is out there that can adapt his current and future schemes same as freeman is doing now. Thanks for the time!

Eric Hansen

12:49

Fritz, thanks so much for the kind words. I do remember Bill and the situation. If I remember correctly, former ND player Ethan Johnson was involved.

fritz from plainwell, MI

12:48

Hi Eric, not only are you a great sportswriter but a wonderful humanitarian. Several years ago you assisted me in contacting a health expert for my friend, Bill Martin, who had Stage IV Colon Cancer. I, for one, will never forget your kindness. Never miss these chats as they are in the category of "Never Miss", in my book. Keep up the great work and GO IRISH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Eric Hansen

12:48

One postscript, this IS a young team. Because of the COVID exemption and redshirting, there are 61 players with technically freshman eligibility in 2021 and 13 others with sophomore eligibility.

12:45

Travis, congrats on your starstruck-ness. I don't think you ever sell out seniors that have given their all for you to play for the future. Ever. Now if there's a high-ceiling younger player that has earned playing time, then it shouldn't take a lost season to get him on the field. He should be playing as soon as that's earned. How Brian Kelly plays for the present AND the future is through practice. His 2s get a lot more reps than in a lot of other programs and WAY more than they did under Charlie Weis. That's why when Charlies roster turned over in 2007, he went 3-9. There was a lot of young talent on the roster, but they spent the first season or two taking mental reps in practice rather than getting used to the flow and speed of the game. And certainly when there's lopsided games that are decided before the fourth quarter, by all means get the younger players some game experience.

Travis from Newport Kentucky

12:39

Hey Eric! Hope all is well! I'm feeling extra Irish today as an ex Irish star is doing business with my company and I got to be on a video meeting with him and I was starstruck! I'll leave it at that to respect his privacy. Anyways, my question: In the event, God forbid, ND finds themselves a few games in and they aren't competitive, how soon do start "playing for the future?" For example, assuming Coan wins the starting job and plays well but ND ends up below 500 for other factors, at what point do you start playing younger players in order to gain experience for the next year. I doubt that happens and don't see it happening but just something I've considered thinking about the huge experience gap at a lot of our skilled positions.

Eric Hansen

12:39

Bruce, I think the good news for Clark is that he knows what he's getting into. He played at Vanderbilt and his hometown is Nashville, so he knows the challenges and the potential of that job. He's also the right fit to embrace and sell the high academics, rather than ruing them. James Franklin went 6-7, then 9-4 and then 9-4 again in his three years there. The Commodores are a combined 3-18 over the past two seasons. I think for Clark to parlay his time at Vandy into a more attractive head coaching job, he needs to show consistent improvement. So going 2-10 or 3-9 this season wouldn't be the end of the world. It actually would be a step in the right direction. Eventually he'd have to get Vanderbilt to a bowl game, I believe.

Bruce, Centralia, IL

12:32

Eric, I wish Clark Lea every success at Vanderbilt, but he has taken on a daunting task. James Franklin won there, but other than that, it has been long run of futility for Vandy. I think you could be a good football coach and still go 4-8 every year there, because the competition is so tough and the academic piece is such a challenge. So my questions are: (1) what do you think Lea’s chances are of winning?; and (2) how much winning does he need to do to remain a viable candidate to return as HC at Notre Dame? Thanks as always.

Eric Hansen

12:32

Hi Peter. The last kickoff return for a touchdown by ND was in 2016. C.J. Sanders had two that season. If you exclude block/returns, Sanders is also the last ND player with a punt return for a TD, in 2015. I don't think Notre Dame's philosophy is either of the choices you gave me. They want to maximize field position, both in terms of coverage and returns. I would say ball security on punt returns, though, trumps everything, which can be maddening for fans taking that in. I do think Notre Dame has the talent at both return positions this year to have more of a chance for big plays if they scheme up for that.

Peter Burke Coto de Caza, CA

12:24

I can't remember the last kickoff return for a TD we had, or for that matter a punt return. Do you believe ND's current special teams philosophy is "don't screw up" vs "let's score"?

Eric Hansen

12:23

Athletic director Jack Swarbrick told me last month that they'll wait until they have enough data about what capacity should be before they start to sell tickets. Again, by May, that data would seem to be much more concrete than it is at this moment.

12:21

I wish this was as easy as Yes or No. Indiana's governor, Eric Holcomb on Tuesday announced the state would expand vaccine eligibility to anyone age 16 and over starting next Wednesday. A lot of mitigation strategies are or will be relaxed. If the latter doesn't negatively affect the momentum of the vaccines, then I would say yes there will be fans in the stands in 2021. And I expect that to be the outcome. Governor Holcomb said he's going to leave all decisions about venue capacity to local officials. But given the fact that everyone on campus will be able to be fully vaccinated by the end of the semester, if they so choose, there seems to be momentum for fuller stadiums this fall. This should be much more easy to answer in a couple of months. (more)

Tommy Wilson - New Castle, DE

12:10

Do you think fans will be allowed in for the 21 Season, if so are there plans to announce when tickets will go on sale.

Eric Hansen

12:10

Spring practice will either confirm or dispel the needs at this position. But going in, I would be keeping an eye on cornerbacks, safeties and defensive ends ... with defensive end more of a numbers/maturity thing than a lack of quality on the roster.

Frank from Rockwall TX

12:07

What positions do you feel ND should look for in the transfer portal?

Eric Hansen

Here we go.

Please remember to include your NAME and HOMETOWN with your question.

12:06

Here are the chat rules.