Published Feb 28, 2025
Chat Transcript: Why the outside obsession with Notre Dame's independence?
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Eric Hansen  •  InsideNDSports
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Eric Hansen: Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat from sultry South Bend, Ind.

Some quick programming notes:

► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, the show keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation, so you can catch up now or later on YouTube. We’re back in our normal Monday night spot for the live presentation early this week and next.

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► Finally, at WSBT Sports Radio 96.1, we’re rolling through a heavy news cycle in the run-up to Notre Dame spring football practice. Darin Pritchett and I are together this week on Wednesday and Thursday, and each week moving forward on Weekday SportsBeat (960 AM, live streaming at wsbtradio.com). The weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET. You can download all episodes as podcasts.

As far as this week's chat …

Please include your NAME and HOMETOWN with your question unless you're in the Federal Witness Protection Program ... then just make one up.

Here are the rules ... with the exception of the “No Drinking” rule, which has been rescinded until further notice.

Eric Hansen: And heck, scratch the “No Bare Feet” rule today as well. We might get near 60 degrees here today.

Off we go ...

Kevin from Calgary: Eric, nice to see you keep the chat going in the off-season, although I hope you get a break soon. Couple questions for this week's chat. First, do you think (or know if) Jadarian Price's NIL deal with jeweler Johnny Dang is contingent on him staying with the Irish. I know he might be able to put up better numbers if he transferred to a lesser school, but could leaving jeopardize his deal with the "King of Bling?" Secondly, it seems I can't google Notre Dame football without having a news story pop up about how the Irish are going to, or must, give up their independence. Any idea why so many football writers are obsessed with wanting ND to join a conference? Thanks, and keep up the great work!!!

Eric Hansen: Hi Kevin and thanks for coming up with fun questions like these to keep my fingers busy and my brain trying to keep up with them. ... Let's start with the independence question first. For us on the beat, it's become a punch line of sorts. How can Notre Dame's offensive line improve? Join a conference. How can ND get more five-star recruits? Join a conference. How can someone get their spouse to stop burning dinner? Join a conference. It's become a knee-jerk reaction to people who are either too lazy to understand the dynamic of what it would take for ND to consider it or not creative enough to come up with good ideas on a slow news day. (more)Eric Hansen: Now there are times where examining it makes sense ... and these are the three topics that apply. 1) ND suddenly doesn't have a competitive media rights deal (but their extension with NBC quells that challenge). 2) They lose access to winning a national title in football. (So far through all the iterations of the Alliance, the BCS, the four-team playoff, the 12-team playoff and what's coming in 2026, Notre Dame has kept that access.) 3) The conference where its basketball teams and Olympic Sports teams called home implodes.

That happened with the Big East years ago, and then the ACC came along with the five-game football commitment that worked. For a time there, it looked like the ACC was fragile, but it seems to have stabilized for now. The funny thing about Notre Dame joining a conference, when they actually did in 2020 for football during the pandemic, they went undefeated in regular-season conference play. To the NIL question, I am sure it's in the contract, but I don't know the answer. But if Notre Dame were in a conference, I bet I would!

Pogo from Madison, Wis.: As always, love reading the chats and your thoughts. Now that you’ve heard coach Ash, do you have a feel for how the defense may evolve next year. He seemed very clear that there would not be a full overhaul, which makes sense, but he seemed vague on any specific tendencies he would have versus Golden. He may not be able to tell much without actually coaching . I also feel very lucky with the continuity of the coaching staff on defense in particular, where we could have had more losses.

Eric Hansen: Pogo, I love that your name is Pogo and thanks for being part of the chats. I think the intention is as much continuity as possible, and his background and Al Golden's mesh somewhere anyway in that Ash was a head coach at one point, spent some years in the NFL, etc. I think he HAD to be vague in that he's just learning the personnel and all the particulars and will continue that learning process for some time. I know Al Golden said it really took him to year 2 to really get everything the way he wanted to. With the minimal changes Ash plans to make, that timeline likely speeds up.

But even if Golden had stayed, there would have been evolutions. One, I would like to see is more emphasis on run defense. That means schematically and in recruiting. I'm also curious what happens with the rover position. Does it get redefined? Does it get used more or less or about the same? And how will Ash go about generating pressures and disguising them? Those are the things I'll be looking at/for in the early days of spring football.

Len from the Jersey Shore: Hello Eric!!! Nothing yet from SEC and Big 10 meetings on new CFP format past 2026. I am sure they are working with ESPN et al to determine what combination of season games, conference championships and CFP games generates the most revenue potential for them. Or perhaps their antitrust lawyers keep muddling the plans. Question, have you heard anything about the big 2 buying out members that are not generating enough TV dollars from football? An SEC without Vanderbilt? A BIG 10 without Purdue or Northwestern?

Eric Hansen: Len!!! I have not heard anything about that, no, and why would they? Now have there been conversations about graded revenue distribution, heck yes. But that's way different from kicking someone out. And if the schools you mention don't generate great revenue, it doesn't affect the other members, just themselves, so I'm not sure I see the point.

Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Hey Eric, imho, one of the traits that sets an elite OL player from the good OL's is a certain mean streak or nastiness to their game. Athleticism is probably the #1 trait that coaches look for, but a certain attack-mode attitude is not far behind. In rewatching ND games this season, especially in the Playoffs, there were some plays from practically every OL that was a "wow" moment. That block that put a defender on his backside, or just stepping over someone they had just flattened. Coogan, Knapp and others played with that attitude. Can you please rank the returning top 7 or 8 OL in terms of that nasty, Pat Coogan pregame attitude??!!!

Eric Hansen: OK Tom, I hope I am understanding my assignment correctly. So I am going to take who I think are the top seven linemen regardless of specific traits, separate them out and then rank them on the nasty scale and thus not consider the other traits in that part of the game? OK, here goes. From extreme nasty to adequately nasty: Billy Schrauth, Charles Jagusah, Guerby Lambert, Anthonie Knapp, Aamil Wagner, Ashton Craig, Sullivan Absher.

Marie from Atlanta: hi Eric, I hope you’re having a great week. I know Notre Dame really wants to get over the hump and win a national championship and they seem to be doing a lot of the right things. It is my understanding that their policy has been to only pay transfer portal players as opposed to high school players. They may give high school players an idea of what NIL will be like once they get to ND but they don’t pay cash upfront. Do you think ultimately they will have to revise that policy slightly for certain positions such as defensive line and wide receivers so they can get the top players they need to win a national championship? Changing gears completely, with spring practice about to start, Can you pick one or two spring surprises on each side of the ball. Players that no one is even thinking about right now that might surprise us by the end of the spring practice. As always, thanks for hosting the chat and for all the great insights.

Eric Hansen: Hi Marie I am having a great but busy week, which beats the alternative. Thanks for asking. Here is the No. 1 thing to keep in mind with your first question. Everything you asked about in terms of financial dynamics is about to change. As early as this summer, based on a court hearing on April 7, colleges will be making direct payments to athletes with a cap for all sports of $20.5 million in the first year. The huge majority of that will go toward football. NIL will exist as truer NIL and as a side financial resource except by those schools that look to circumvent that intent. So what recruits get, what transfers get, what existing players get will be changing ... theoretically for everyone, but Notre Dame for sure.

I do think Notre Dame will be competitive in all those areas. And that is why Notre Dame not only needs a really good GM in Mike Martin, who is great at roster construction and scouting and evaluation, they need people around him who can recruit and people around him who understand the financial dynamics and how to play that game. ... As far spring surprises, my instructions here are to go WAY off the radar, so I'll go with WR Cam Williams on offense and DT Elijah Hughes from USC on defense.

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IrishMike from Altoona, Pa.: Hi Eric!!! Thanks for the chats! When ND has football openings does Marcus come up with the list of potential replacements or is it more with the AD and/or a committee? After watching the press conferences of Ash and Seider. I think they will be fine additions. I was a little surprised that Ash was a little less effusive concerning the lure of Notre Dame than Ju’Juan. Seider definitely sounded like he really wanted to be at ND and especially to get the opportunity to coach with Freeman. Chris Ash…..not so much. His comments stating that Freeman called him not the other way around and also that he didn’t take the time to contact Joe Rudolph, whom he spent time with at Wisconsin to discuss the Irish, sounds unusual. Seems like it’s a job to try and re-establish his coaching career and less about “wanting” to be in South Bend. What say you?

Eric Hansen: Hi Irish Mike. Thank you for your questions. I get this a lot, the who's decision was it, and I understand the curiosity, because you want to know who to praise/blame I assume? These things are done more collaboratively than maybe you're imagining. I guess the football equivalent of a food chain exists, but there's a lot of respect for different viewpoints and experiences, so why not talk about things? Ultimately, Marcus Freeman leads those discussions in terms of who he'd like to hire. And he's got a pretty good track record. But it's not like the old Caddyshack movie when Spaulding, says, "I want a hamburger, no, a cheeseburger." And Judge Smails says, "You'll get nothing and like it."

I think you're parsing Chris Ash's comments way, way, way too much and reading things that aren't there. They are two different personalities, two different situations, one with a long history of knowing Marcus and one who does not, leaving very different situations for different roles at ND. I was impressed with both of them and thought both really appreciated and were excited about what they're getting into. And yes, both have big aspirations. Seider would like to be a head coach. Golden wanted to put himself in position to be either an NFL DC or a college head coach. I think you want coaches who have that kind of ambition working for you.

Ryan from Frankfort, Ill.: Good afternoon Eric what do you think about the season Rylie Mills had before he got injured vs Indiana in the playoffs i think he had a good season GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈

Eric Hansen: Hi Ryan, yes Rylie Mills started slow but really picked up momentum. By the end of the season, he was playing the best football of his career.

Scott from Bossier City, La.: Being that we are about to move into March, and with March being a pretty big month for recruiting for the Irish. What is the urgency level of replacing our open recruiting positions? I know another spot came open yesterday but also doesn't feel like it was a big shock. Winning builds momentum in recruiting, but seems we are losing that the longer it takes to replace those who left.

Eric Hansen: Hi Scott. There are a lot of schools going through what Notre Dame is going through that have good personnel people, because they are in demand with GM positions being created everywhere and those "front office" jobs expanding. But to answer your question, I think it would benefit Notre Dame to have a new director of recruiting in place by the start of spring practice, which is presumed to be March 18. With Mike Martin getting his official stamp as GM Thursday afternoon, that should be a workable timeframe. And while those positions are really valuable, you're still selling Marcus Freeman and his vision, and the most important relationships are those developed between Freeman and the recruits and the assistant coaches and the recruits. Great question, no sky falling.

Bob (Oxnard, CA): What do you expect to remain the same under Coach Ash? Most of the defensive alignments, the names of the schemes, the defensive play calls, etc.?

Eric Hansen: I think basic concepts will stay the same. For instance ND will be a base 4-3. I think they'll still embrace rotating players, especially on the defensive line. I do think terminology changes and as Chris Ash suggested, some teaching techniques will change. I would liken this closer to the Elko/Lea transition over say Lea to Freeman, Freeman to Golden or VanGorder (gasp) to Elko.

Fredzee from Scottsdale, Ariz.: How has the extended season affected winter conditioning and impact on spring practice if at all?

Eric Hansen: Hey Fredzee. It has in terms of how those are structured and when they started. We've even seen it affect the players who are not coming back and are at the NFL Combine this week. Most are deferring doing physical testing until Pro Day rather than at the combine itself. So, ND, as it did during the season, is leaning big into sports science to help navigate this new timeline.

Jack from Strongsville, Ohio: Hi Eric. I watched the NC State and FSU WBB losses. Read your column about last night's game. Seems to me the star, Hannah Hidalgo, is in a slump and it is affecting the rest of the team, Olivia Miles is a very good player and as a senior I would have thought she would have put the team on her back and carry them more. Niele Ivey talked about an identity crisis. What does that really mean and what is your opinion on what's the issue(s)? Thanks for all your great work on all sports.

Eric Hansen: Hi Jack. Coach Niele Ivey would never say that publicly, but if she's not saying it privately and doing something about it, she is not living in reality. And I believe Ivey is on top of it and working to fix it behind the scenes. I was sitting next to Tom Noie, my former cohort at the SB Tribune, last night at the game in the press area. We both noticed, not only is Hannah pressing too much hurting the offense, it's hurting the defense. She had a 4-on-1 fastbreak and elected to force a tough shot with the only defender in her face. She missed, FSU rebounds and has numbers going the other way.

Hannah is smart and maturing and will get through this, but that process needs to start now. In her last five games, she is shooting .318 from the field and .200 from 3. And she's taking a ton of shots ... more than 17 a game in that five-game stretch and that doesn't include the times she's getting to the FT line. Her shot selection is questionable. And she's not even looking for open teammates. She didn't get her first assist until 1:52 remained in the game. FSU's Ta'Niya Latson, the nation's leading scorer, found her touch late after struggling early but had NINE assists.

The post defense and offense (outside of Liatu King) is also backsliding. ND has hit these inflection points before and has responded. Again, I think the world of Hannah and think this is a normal part of evolving into a player who can have sustained success. Sunday is going to be a welcome test to see what ND has learned and has applied.

Milton from Oswego: Eric, any updates on 2026 WBB recruiting? Do you have any predictions on whom they might land? They can certainly offer immediate playing time for transfers next year and recruits/transfers the following year.

Eric Hansen: Hi Milton, if you're a subscriber, you know I have stuff intermittently on our Insider Loung message board, including five-star guard Jacy Abii's visit. Things really will start to heat up re visits and the 2026 class in April, so let's revisit this question at that time when things really come into focus.

Rui from Ossining, N.Y.: One question, but more of venting...you have players like Jordan Clark that didn’t get a combine visit but would do anything and everything possible to be inside the building and test in front of NFL personnel, but yet, you have multiple "prima donnas" whom dont test, and take spots from others that are trying to reach their goal of playing in the NFL...how do we stop this from happening and accommodate those that would do anything for an invite?

Eric Hansen: Hi Rui, let me put it out there first that I believe Jordan Clark should have been invited based on his play this season. Having said that, this is business. So if a player is better served by not participating in drills and that's the best business decision, should he go ahead and make a bad one because someone else didn't get invited to the Combine? It's not about being a prima donna. Dop you consider Xavier Watts to be one? He and some others are deferring to pro day to do the testing because of ND's long run of the season and lack of time to prepare adequately to give it his best. Some players are injured and don't participate and they shouldn't try. This isn't T-ball, where everyone gets an at-bat and a snack. And a lot more goes on at the combine than testing -- measurements, interviews, medicals, all important stuff. And those who don't get an invite can work out at their pro days and still chase their dreams.

Ed from Sayville: Hello again Eric. What do you hear what do you say? Quick tongue in cheek query for you today. The picture included with notification of the chat shows the 3 ND QB’s and Coach Gino. CJ Carr is a step ahead of Steve Angelli with Kenny Minchey somewhat behind. Intentional subliminal placement of this photo or merely coincidence? Inquiring minds want to know ☘️

Eric Hansen: Haha. Very, very random.

Jules, Joliet, Ill: Eric: Based on knowledge or your best guesstimate, can your project approximate return dates for the players that finished the 2024 season injured? Specifically, who will be healthy for spring practice? Thank you for your great content on FNS and chats.

Eric Hansen: Jules, thanks for the compliments. Now you can take them all back, because I'd rather get the most up-to-date info from Marcus Freeman in the record in a couple of weeks that speculate and do the anonymous source route. That does me no good with the next game six months away. We do have some info from our time in Atlanta covering the national title game and interviews we did their with injured players, and those are reflected in our early look at the spring depth chart, which you can find HERE. But we'll fine-tune that in a couple of weeks.

Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Hi Eric, thanks for the Friday Chat. Great way to start the weekend and an early Happy Hour!!! With the Big 10 (haha) and SEC each having so many teams, do you possibly see them limiting their teams to only 1 or maybe 2 non-conference games??? This would severely limit ND's strength of schedule possibilities and thus hurt their chances to be included in the Playoffs and thus open the discussion to join a conference. Your thoughts on this. Thanks and have a great weekend. Hope the WBB team can utilize rotations that might give their big 3 some rest and get ready for the Tournament. Do you think these last 2 losses could cost them a #1 Seed?? Go Irish!!!

Eric Hansen: Hi Tom. Let me start with the WBB question first. I think the worst-case scenario is a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament if the Irish win Sunday vs. Louisville. But they may have to win out to get a No. 1 seed. That at least would put their destiny in their own hands, Lose in the ACC Tourney, and they'd need help. ... Tom, I don't think there will ever be an appetite to go to 10 or 11 conference games. It's too difficult to make the math work in terms of having more home games than road games and bringing in the kind of revenue you need/want as a power conference school. Now, the SEC could go to nine games as some others have ... or not.

Roger from Peoria: Eric!! Wow what was the chance one week ago we would be looking at the Lady Irish losing two games before the next Live Chat? Pretty slim I would have thought but that is where we are. My observation is the defense seems to have disappeared. Your thoughts as to what happened? A #1 seed appears to be slipping away. Argh!! Speaking of slipping away, the entire 2024 ND football recruiting staff is now gone with Caleb Davis off to San Diego State. Relationship building seems to be a critical element of successful recruiting for the Irish and the relationships of the three departures went with them. Of course, today, NIL is really important, but it seems to me ND really needs to create important recruit relationships most importantly with Marcus. But, by whom or how is it initially determined which potential recruits will be pursued to create those relationships?

Eric Hansen: Roger!!!!! You are not from "Chance" this week, nor are you masquerading as Chance The Rapper. Very proud of you and thanks for your three-part email. Roger, yes the defense really has struggled the past two games, and I went into greater detail for the other things in Jack's question re WBB, so you can refer to that. ... But let me get to your football question. ... The oversimplified answer to is there is a staff that sifts through and evaluates players and then brings them to the staff and Marcus to decide whether to offer those players scholarships. And again not all offers are created equal. Some come with the green light to commit right away and the other end of that spectrum is, hey why don't you come to our camp and see if we still like you.

Players are prioritized by position. And Marcus is not a closer but someone who's involved pretty much once an offer becomes serious. So, he is the early word and the final word on which recruits he'll have relationships with. (sorry for ending a sentence with a preposition.)

Mark from T-ville NJ: Hi Eric!!!!

Eric Hansen: Mark!!!! I hope there's a question coming. If not, I appreciate the enthusiastic hello!!!!

Frank from Royse City,Texas: Eric, any updates of the injured ND players? Who do you expect to be ready for the season opener?

Eric Hansen: Frank, if you are expecting that level of psychic ability, I'm going to charge for the chats. Do you remember how many players were injured in the spring, in the summer and in training camp?

Rui from Ossining, N.Y.: ND can now pay players + ND one of the best institutions in the country + we played in the national championship game last year + we have an amazing coaching staff led by one of the best HC in the country BUT YET, we cant secure multiple 5-star rated players( other than Will Black )...if we cant do it now, what has to change for it to be done?

Eric Hansen: Hi Rui, I do think there's room for improvement in that area and I think there are some positives that could help the Irish trend more positively there. 1) The hiring of Mike Martin ... now who's hired around him matters. 2) ND can and will play the money game well. 3) The national title game run matters. It's not an overriding factor, but it opens doors and minds. But remember, it's still about fit. it's still about signing five-stars and RETAINING them. And that shrinks the pool a bit.

Guest: Who is going to start at LT, and what will be the spillover (very positive spillover) from there?

Eric Hansen: Guest, you lively minx. What a creative name your parents gave you. Since, we're getting to the bottom of the queue of questions I can actually take, I'll humor you this time. I think Charles Jagusah will win that job this spring and keep it from that point forward.

Eric Hansen: Ced, I'm not going to answer your question about someone else's depth chart. We have our own. Ask them about theirs on their chat. C'mon now.

Mark from T-ville NJ: Hi Eric!! Thanks for all your insights appreciate your honest feedback. Bit nervous about the girl b-ballers maybe a blessing prior the tournament? Do you agree? Do you think all the new hires will handicap the progress made over the past few years and if so how long will it take to get everyone on the same page? Thanks for your knowledge.

Eric Hansen: Hi Mark, glad you followed up on the great greeting with a strong couple of questions. IF AND IT'S AN IF, the WBB team can learn from these losses, then it's a good thing. But they could have learned from the NC State loss. They didn't need a clunker on Senior Night. But I remember when they hit a similar bump last season -- a brutal 59-43 home loss to NC State in mid-Feb., and then they ran off 10 straight wins -- including a win over NC State in the ACC Tourney finals -- before losing to Oregon State in the Sweet 16. So that kind of transformation is possible, but we need to see more than a hint of it Sunday against a Louisville team that is playing well.

Mark, with the second part of your question, I am going to guess you switched to football and are not asking about the WBB program? If that's the case, assistant coaches moving on and evolving is part of business as usual. Every successful program goes through that, so it's nothing that's unique as far as challenges.

Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Hi Eric, hope all is well in SB. Ash Wednesday is next week and I am giving up worrying about the portal or anything else I have no control over! While the new RB coach had a lot of nice things to say about PSU coach Franklin and that ND was that special opportunity that he couldn't pass up I still think that he believes he has a better chance of winning a National Championship with Freeman than with Franklin. I know you don't like to speculate but I am interested on your thoughts on this!!! Where do you think TE Evans is drafted? Anything after Rd #3 will be a great pick for someone. Great Hands, good blocker and great team guy. Hope it is a good team that picks him. Go Irish!!!! Lax team is here in Atlanta 3/1/25.

Eric Hansen: Hey Tom, yes epic lacrosse matchup in Atlanta on Saturday. No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Maryland in a rematch of last year's national title game. I had such a great time in Atlanta in January, wish I could come down for that. ... As far as football, I'm not sure he or anyone else believes ND has a better chance to win a title in 2025 than Penn State does. The Nittany Lions are No. 1 in a lot of the way-too-early Top 25s. But long term, I do think there's a belief by a lot of coaches in where Marcus Freeman is headed as a head coach and ND as a program, irrespective of James Franklin. Evans is going to test. Will be interested to see his numbers. The projections I've seen are rounds 4-5. I think he's better than that. Tyler James is covering the NFL Combine for us and talked to Evans down there. Here is his STORY.

Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Eric, the tight end room concerns me for this season. It is very possible Cooper Flanigan could miss most of the season because his injury came so late in 2024. Larsen hardly played in '24. Eli has had some injury problems although he played all 16 games in '24. I have high hopes for freshman Flanagan but if Eli gets hurt and the Arkansas transfer is not up to speed, do you see formations with NO TE's and extra WRs??? Thanks and have a great weekend.

Eric Hansen: Tom, the tight end room does have a lot of questions and very few healthy scholarship players this spring. I see James Flanigan getting a real opportunity to move up once he arrives in June. And if Ty Washington, another June arrival, isn't as good as advertised, if Jack Larsen and/or Kevin Bauman don't rise to the occasion in the spring, the Irish can add from the spring transfer portal. That is an option, but there could be some good surprises this spring, so let's see how those play out first.

Rui from Ossining, N.Y.: Can you please share with us in a "cliff notes edition" the pros and cons for Notre Dame football with this new playoff format that is being discussed where SEC and Big10 get 4 automatic bids and so on?

Eric Hansen: The Cliffs Notes version of the 14-team playoff format that seems to be gaining the most traction is that if ND is ranked 14th or higher, they're in. 15th or lower, they're out. That's a good concession. Now can they get a bye? Can they get a top 2 or 4 seed? TBD, along with a whole bunch of other things.

Eric Hansen: OK that's going to do it for today. Not sure about next week, but if I do one it'll be earlier than Friday as I have ACC WBB Tournament duty next weekend. Keep an eye on my social media. If we don't do one next week, I will definitely do one the week of March 10, likely Wednesday the 12th, ahead of the start of spring practice. Thanks again for all the great questions and exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND for not making me regret suspending the "no drinking" rule.

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