JotCast | Notre Dame Live Chat May 25, 2022

Notre Dame Live Chat May 25, 2022

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Eric Hansen

1:06

Hi Dan. Bring on the O-line questions. I have not brought up the Patterson speculation in story form or on our board yet, because I am not convinced YET that it's a likely option. At least one other site has, and it is viable. ... So here's a couple of pathways where that could happen. Harry Hiestand wants his best five linemen on the field, and he'll retri-fit them to positions. Alt and Fisher are easy chocies to place at tackle and are also in the best five. So what about the guards and center? Zeke Correll surged at center under HH and with Patterson out. Andrew Kristofic at left guard did not have as strong a spring as Correll had. Now, he could bounce back this summer, so ... (more)

Dan (Plymouth, MI)

1:00

Hi guys! I'm back this week with another O-Line question? I am intrigued by the potential move by Jarett Patterson to Guard from Center. Do you think that will really happen? And if so, what Guard spot does Patterson fill? And are you hearing if Rocco Spindler might factor in the mix this fall? Thanks!

Eric Hansen

1:00

Paul, I don't think there's a silent commitment. And if there were, it's inconsistent that ND would put up with Dante taking official (paid) visits to other schools (they tolerate unofficial ones). Their read is that Moore will end up at ND. They could be wrong. I still would be this at 70 percent likely he's Irish -- eventually.

Paul

12:57

Wichita KS ND two: Has Dante silently committed? It seems entirely too calm throughout ND land when he is taking this much time. What do you think is happening? What are the chanced he commits to ND? Thanks.

Eric Hansen

12:55

Hi Jeff. Thanks for the feedback. We appreciate you. And you are WAY under the 17-part limit (though anything over seven makes my head hurt -- still good). So yes, this is in effect for the 2023 and 2024 recruiting cycles. It was done to address the massive attrition of some schools with outgoing portal transfers. The overall 85-scholarship limit remains in place. I think ND will largely take advantage using high school prospects and dabble in the portal for incoming transfers when there's a hole in the roster. You're right, that's not always easy. ND is an attractive destination, but matches beyond grad transfers can be challenging. The change really has nothing to do with Emmert, so there won't be a 2024 cycle reversal. In 2025 and beyond, I highly doubt it. I think it's here to stay.

Jeff from Phoenix

12:49

Hey Eric, really enjoying all the coverage from your group. My questions are regarding the recent news that the NCAA Division I Council announced that it is waiving the initial counter scholarship limits (25 per year) for two years within Division I football. First, do I have this correct and does this mean ND can go over 25 scholarships in 2023 and 2024? With NCAA President Emmert leaving by June 2023, could this policy change with a new President and create planning problems for that 2024 class? Will this make it easier for ND to work in the transfer portal or is the portal largely restricted at ND by academic transfer requirements? Whoa, getting close to the question limit….thanks!

Eric Hansen

12:44

Jonathan, thank you. Yes, there's a chance Notre Dame does NOT add at the wide receiver position, even though they've been trying. In part 1 of my series with Jack Swarbrick, I highlighted that's it's almost impossible to get a junior or senior with no degree to align with the admissions department. So then you're looking mostly at grad transfers and to a lesser extent freshmen and sophomores. There haven't been any great matches with mutual interest to this point and there's nothing overly promising on the horizon. The positional and formational flexibility of Chris Tyree, Jadarian Price, Michael Mayer and Eli Raridon do give the Irish more options that it would first appear. So yes, you're right on point with that thought.

Jonathan Thie Sioux Falls, S.D.

12:40

Eric thank you so much for your chats and expertise I really enjoy them, do you think there is a realistic chance that Norte Dame does not get a ninth scholarship player at wide receiver and use Mayer and Tyree in the Slot along with Rairdon and Stars???

Eric Hansen

12:40

There really aren't many three-stars in play with visits scheduled in June. And you could argue that the ones who are -- OL Elijah Paige, RB Jeremiyah Love and CB Micah Bell -- could all end up as four-stars before the cycle ends. As for five-stars, Rivals has only designated 16 five-stars so far. That number should be 32 at the end of the cycle. They're pursuing current five-stars Dante Moore (No. 6 overall) and Samual M'Pemba (No. 7). Commit Brennan Vernon is player No. 17, so he'd be in line to be a five-star if his rating holds. Caleb Downs (No. 24) and Richard Young (No. 28) are visiting this month. That doesn't mean they'll get them, but they're at least in play. LB commit Drayk Bowen (34) is close enough to the top 32 to make the jump. So are targets LB Jaiden Ausberry (39) and DT Jason Moore (44). So I would anticipate the five-stars winning out.

Nick - Granger

12:27

Five stars vs. three stars for 2023? We have one five and zero three stars to date. Do we end up with more five, three or the same for both? Would be awesome to stay the course on all four and fives.

Eric Hansen

12:27

OK, let's get into the Dante Moore topic. Whether people feel it's a good idea or not, the Irish are essentially all in on Moore. If that doesn't work out, I'm sure they have QBs committed to other schools that they like and who they feel they have a shot at. There won't be an elite uncommitted QB left by the time Moore makes a commitment somwhere. I maintain ND feels good about eventually landing him no matter how long it takes. At this point. I think why I can buy into this strategy is 1) ND believes Moore is a QB that can help them win a national title. 2) They are wll positioned with more than one elite QB in the 2024 class. With Tyler Buchner only being a sophomore this season, adding a five-star QB in 2024 and not in 2023 is not the end of the world as we know it.

12:22

Yes, I would think there's going to be oversigning and abuses in that regard. It's hard to guarantee a four-year scholarship with the portal. Does the contract only go one way. Again, this is something the conferences are going to have to take control of.

12:20

I'm going to write extensively about NIL in Part IV of our Big Picture Series. That's scheduled to run late next week. Part II (Arms race) will run this Friday. ... I don't see the NCAA enforcing effectively NIL. At least not without court challenges. There's also very sudden momentum and an urgency for Power 5 schools to break away from the NCAA. If that happens, it will be up to the conferences. The added benefit of that is you're on more solid legal ground when it comes to antitrust challenges in court. These next few months are going to be really interesting to watch in this regard. There is a consensus among Power 5 teams for NIL to be reined in, but there's not unanimity.

12:14

Hi Marie, doing great here. Hope the same for you in Atlanta. There's a lot to unpack here. Let me tack these one at a time.

Marie from Atlanta

12:07

Hi Eric, I hope you’re having a fantastic week. With NIL running amuck, do you forsee a scenario in which the conferences develop their own rules regarding NIL which must be followed in order to play in the conference with severe penalties if not followed, as a way to circumvent the NCAA ‘s spinelessness and to regain control of the situation? Included in those rules to prevent over signing and pushing kids out now that class size limit has been eliminated do you feel that scholarships should be guaranteed for four years if the player remains in good academic and personal standing? Finally on an unrelated topic, if Dante Moore continues to drag out his recruitment do you think ND gets to a point where they say we really want but we are going to aggressively pursue others And if they are interested we may take them, and you will miss out, or we will have 2 QBs in the class Who will have to compete for the job? Thanks for the great Insights and for Hosting the chat.

Eric Hansen

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