Eric Hansen: Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, the pre-Blue-Gold Game/Return of the Stableford Scoring System Edition.
Some quick programming notes …
► 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 YouTube channel. Also coming from the Inside ND Sports team this week is our Postgame Takeaways show Saturday night to wrap up the Blue-Gold Game. Then we’ll be back LIVE Monday night at 7 ET for another presentation of Football Never Sleeps.
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► Finally, at WSBT Sports Radio 96.1, we’re rolling through a busy and newsy Notre Dame spring football practice season. Darin Pritchett and I were 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. I’ll also be joining Darin on the national radio broadcast of the Blue-Gold Game. That can be heard on 960 AM, 1400 AM, 106.1 FM, live streaming at wsbtradio.com, on SiriusXM Ch.381 and on the SiriusXM app at Ch. 971. We’ll have a pregame show beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET.
As far as this week's chat …
Please include your name and hometown along with you question(s). Pretty please.
Here are the rules …
Eric Hansen: Remember the "no drinking" rule has been rolled back for everyone except me.
We've got a full queue and a shorter window today, so let's get to it.
Jack from West Hollywood Calif.: Eric The Cred!!! Thank you for a season-plus of masterful analyses and insights, and for the gift of Chat transcripts. Three questions, please: 1) Watching this weekend’s Junior Jabbie Invitational, any changes from last Saturday’s scrimmage in how you’ll allocate your attention? 2) If The Guerbinator fully recovers from labrum repair, what’s his likely role this season and next? 3) Are the coaches more optimistic about this year’s team or next year’s? You?
Eric Hansen: Wow Jack, love the nickname, the Junior Jabbie reference, the Guerbinator tag. Would you be interested in being my stunt double? 1) In last week's largely closed scrimmage (except to the media and scads of recruits and players' parents), I wanted to make sure I got a good sense of the depth chart, even with the missing pieces. Who flowed in where and in what order. Then I focused on individuals, especially the more unknown quantities, and watched them perform. Defensive line and safeties got a lot of my attention, beyond the QBs. In Saturday's Blue-Gold Game, I sense we'll get a larger dose of backup players, but we'll see. Obviously, the QBs bear watching, but I want to watch WRs and interior defensive linemen above everything else. This is where most of the pleasant surprises have come from (safeties) too and the two position groups the most separated ND from a national title three months ago. I want to see some of those surprises continue trending.
Keep in mind, the Blue-Gold game this year, the 94th edition, is not the conclusion of spring practice, so you'll be watching a less-finished product than usual. ... 2) I think sophomore offensive tackle Guerby Lambert is a future starter. The question is when does the future merge with the present? I still think we might be a year away. Barring injury, four of the top five are Charles Jagusah, Billy Schrauth, Aamil Wagner and Asshton Craig. So is the fifth Anthonie Knapp, Lambert or someone else? And could Knapp bump Craig if Knapp is bumped from tackle. That's what early training camp, when Lambert is healthy and presumably Craig too, should tell us.
3) With the way college football works now, it's harder to project into the future, and that's way out of Marcus Freeman's wheelhouse, so I will say his focus and eval is only on this year. I'm kind of in that boat, too. There are some interesting aspects to the 2026 team, but there's so much roster uncertainty, I'm going to chicken out on that question.
Jack from Strongsville, Ohio: Hi Eric. Not to put a damper on the Blue Gold game enthusiasm, I was there last year and loved it, but do you think more is learned from closed controlled scrimmages than the BG game?
Eric Hansen: I certainly did, and figure this year will be more of that. One reason is they can show more formations, more plays, more of the top personnel, without it being on tape. The media had to shut down their cameras after period 4, though we could still watch. But that's when the scrimmage stuff started. I think we also got a higher percentage of front-line players than what will be in the Blue-Gold Game. Having said that, I still think there's value to watching the BGG, just don't extrapolate too much. If I were not working the game, I'm come anyway and take grandkids with me.
Bob from Oxnard, Calif.: Eric, greetings from deep in Mexico ... out of all the Blue-Gold Games you have seen, what is the single most memorable moment?
Eric Hansen: Hi Bob. Hola Bob. Buenos Dias, Bob. Off the top of my head, this is going to be hard to beat ... Nose guard Louis Nix III in the 2013 game, I believe, scoring on a two-point conversion. Man, I miss him. Here's the video:
Marie from Atlanta: Hi Eric, happy Bluegold week. I hope it’s going great for you. Can you name a couple players that completely surprised you in the Jersey scrimmage? After watching the Jersey scrimmage and I know it’s difficult because the O line was patchwork, are you more confident or less confident in this team for the fall? What will you be watching the most this weekend during the Blue Gold game, and what do you honestly think you will be able to take away with from it given the format? Looking into your crystal ball, will all three quarterbacks be on the roster for the start of fall camp? Enjoy the weekend and thanks for hosting the chat.
Eric Hansen: Hi Marie, and congratulations for crushing me and just about everyone else in the Inside ND Sports NCAA men's basketball bracket contest. I'm just glad I didn't have a side bet with you this year to lose. Then again, somehow being the loser I got a great Italian dinner out of it. Hmmm. To your questions ... I don't know that my confidence needle moved a lot based on that one scrimmage, but it was way more info in one sitting than we had gotten all spring, and the defensive line, including the DTs, were on point, even against non-starters in the O-line. I mentioned earlier what I'll be watching, but I think people who have not seen this team practice can get a sense of individual speed and skills, how players compete, some sense of are they assignment-correct and who has improved? It's fun to see the new players and what they can do.
OK, I get lost sometimes on the multi-parts, let me go grab the first part ... surprises in the scrimmage last weekend. I'd say the two players who surprised me the most were freshman cornerback Cree Thomas and sophomore safety Tae Johnson. I wanted to think Johnson would impress me and he surpassed that. He's my new football-skills crush, so to speak. And finally, I would be surprised if all three QB contenders stuck around, but it's not impossible. And thanks for being part of the chat.
Ced Walker from Saginaw Michigan aka sagnasty Saginaw pride: im very happy jeremiyah love getting reps at kick return punt return and at wr slot god bless this football team here come the irish trust the process the golden standard rally we are nd god country go irish love thee notre dame our mother pray for us
Eric Hansen: Hi Ced, if there's a question buried in here, I missed it, but glad to share your thoughts.
Larry from Topton, Pa.: Hey Eric. I am really looking forward to the Blue/Gold Game!!!!! I realize the BG game will likely be less than it has been in the past, but this is the only chance for most of us fans to see ND in action before 31 August. I am planning to watch the game on Peacock, and would love to synch the telecast with your broadcast on WSBT, but due to my poor technology skills (sounds like I am on par with you in that area), I will not even try that. So, my question - is there any way for us fans to hear your game broadcast after the fact? Perhaps via an insidendsports.com podcast, or maybe a WSBT podcast? I very much enjoy listening to Darin and your banter, and bet your real-time game observations are great. And thanks so much for your and Tyler’s great continuing offseason coverage (writing and talking)!!!
Eric Hansen: Thanks, Larry. I have reached out to someone far smarter than me in those areas and was able to get an answer for you. It is available live in a bunch of places, including 960 AM, 1400 AM, 106.1 FM in our local area and nationally on SiriusXM are Ch. 381 and on the SiriusXM app on Ch. 971. And live streaming on wsbtradio.com. And if you want to listen to it after the fact, you can do so at wsbtradio.com. It’ll be on the podcast page.
Eric Hansen: Wow, breaking news, looks like I'm not the only one who rescinded the "no drinking" rule ...
“The sale of alcoholic beverages at Notre Dame football, hockey and basketball games will expand to include both premium and general admission seating beginning with the 2025 football season.”
https://news.nd.edu/news/statement-on-the-sale-of-alcoholic-beverages-....
Denny from Beaverton, Ore.: Christmas tree greetings Eric; All throughout the season you were able to give grades on game performance for every player that week. When you have some down time after the spring game, I would sure appreciate an in-depth article on the inner workings of PFF where these grades originate.. My simple mind cannot comprehend how someone watches every single play for every player in Division 1 (134 teams?) and gets that information out overnight with a more in depth follow up a couple days later. Since this must be the product of many people, how is subjective judgment neutralized so that everyone is more or less equally evaluated? I can readily understand how coaches break down game film and evaluate their players, but even this is done by position coaches and probably takes a few hours. We appreciate these chats and I hope the Easter Bunny leaves you a Easter basket full of candy!
Eric Hansen: Denny, you know my love for elongating my Christmas tree display. However, it is finally in storage. We actually had Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus on our podcast last fall, and he did a great rundown on the scoring system and other contextual elements of it. I'll include the link to the podcast page, but you can listen on something other than SoundCloud if you prefer. I need to transcribe it at some point and post it in a convenient spot. But in the meantime, here's the link. The grading conversation starts at about the 7:30 mark ... ish .. LINK ... I appreciate you too, but I hope the Easter Bunny brings me a new water heater instead of candy!
Marty ‘63 from Phoenix, Ariz. Question: How much money did ND earn by going to the 4 playoff games?
Eric Hansen: $20 million.
Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Hey Eric, I sure hope that you are having a great Spring!!! How many practices, including the B/G scrimmage are left? You have said that spring ball is the time for progress, not decisions. (Or something like that.) So, what areas do you think ND has made the most progress so that it will be easier to make playing decisions early in fall camp??!! Of the 11 or so freshmen who will enroll in June, who are the 5 you are most anxious to see in camp and why?? There are some very talented players in that group that might really help us this year and we are not even talking about them yet. Thanks for always working so hard to stay on top of everything ND FB & WBB. Go Irish!!!!!
Eric Hansen: Tom, I am having a great spring. Now Mother Nature is falling a little bit behind in that regard, but I have confidence she'll roar back. To your questions ... Today (Friday) was practice No. 11. The Blue-Gold Game is No. 12 of 15. That leaves three to be staged after the BG Game. 2) My actual quote is: Spring is for impressions much more than conclusions … but close enough. I think there's been a lot of progress across the board in terms of knowing who's in the mix to play and whether adding from the transfer portal would be required (shouldn't have to unless there was a run of unexpected departures at a particular position group). But the areas (outside of starting QB) where there was the most uncertainty were WR, interior D-line, safety beyond Adon Shuler and tight ends. And lots of positives in all four of those areas.
However, there are lots of missing pieces to be added in ... recovering players, transfers Malachi Fields and Ty Washington, and 12 June-enrolling freshmen. ... 3) You asked about those later enrollees. Let's review who they are, and then I'll give you my five and why ... OT Will Black, DE Chris Burgess, TE James Flanigan, CB Dallas Golden, DE Dominik Hulak, LB Ko'o Kia, S Brandon Logan, DE Joe Reiff, LB Anthony Sacca, K/P Erik Schmidt, DT Gordy Sulfsted and CB Mark Zackery IV. My five would be Black, Burgess, Flanigan, Golden and Zackery.
Flanigan has the most plausible path to playing time. Black is a five-star and those don't come around every day. Burgess was close to being a five-star and his raw talent is intriguing. Those corners are just so good, and Cree Thomas is already impressing. And Mike Mickens is on fire with that position group. ... And thanks for the kind words!
Len from the Jersey Shore: Hello Eric!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for hosting this week. I did not expect a chat. I know you have been busy, and without as long of a reduced workload/mini break due to the length of the previous football season, the chat is a welcome surprise? I, as well as others, greatly appreciate that. With Bryce Young, Loghan Thomas and Boubacar Traore from previous recruitment, and this year's Edge players with verbal commitments, with the safety play ND has had, recent CB play being stellar , and top level LB's on the roster, is DT the only position the ND defense still has difficulty recruiting? With the three QB's on the roster, being TE U and O Line U, and the great backfield on the roster, is Wideouts the only position that ND still has difficulty recruiting on offense? How will depth be this season for all positions as it appears it is never enough? After the BG game and the final transfers it might be an idea to answer this last question again.
Eric Hansen: Len!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am glad I was able to surprise you. I kind of surprised myself. Glad I could fit it in. I think it's fair to say, Notre Dame needed to pick it up with interior D-line recruiting. But sometimes that's tricky. For instance, Howard Cross ended up being an All-America DT/NG and was a defensive end coming out of high school. So was Rylie Mills, Jason Onye, Armel Mukam, Brenan Vernon, Cole Mullins, Gordy Sulfsted. Seeing a trend? But getting camera-ready defensive tackles is a priority, and Tiki Hola should be the first one in this class when he announces his college choice on May 10. ND is well positioned with some others and DE recruiting has REALLY picked up, so let's revisit this say at the end of June.
As far as offensive recruiting, wide receiver is the position which ND has to pick it up, and again that's lately been trending positively, so let's see how that plays out as well and revisit.
Skip from Houston: Short question - hopefully straight answer: what happened and is happening with the women's basketball program - thank you.
Eric Hansen: Hi Skip. That's a little broad, almost like asking me the meaning of life, which actually might be easier to answer. I have pledged to do a WBB chat in the next couple of weeks if there's interest. I'd like to be able to do some digging before I do that and see what's constellating as far as portal prospects before we go down that road. Thanks for your patience and your interest.
Kevin from Calgary: Eric, great to see another chat during what should be a break for you. Hope you get one soon. I know I’ve asked about the worst-case scenario of the two QBs who won’t be the starter entering the portal, but I thought I’d ask a twist on that. Which QB would you think would be the worst to lose to the portal and, of course, why? Thanks for all the work you do!
Eric Hansen: Hi Kevin, and thanks for joining us today. I think the worst QB to lose to a transfer is CJ Carr, because I think he has both the highest floor and the highest ceiling ... and the most years of college eligibility remaining.
Ryan Frankfort illinois: Good afternoon Eric How has Donavan Hinish and Cam Williams Looked Looking forward to watching the spring game Tomorrow also is any of The Freshman early enrolled players playing GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈
Eric Hansen: Ryan. Hopefully, Donovan will get to play extended time for you on Saturday. He did not play much, if at all, in last week's scrimmage, but participated in drills. It's not because he isn't having a good spring. Al Washington raves about him. It seems he was held back either as a precaution and/or get a look at more of the lesser-knowns in the mix. But I anticipate he'll be a big part of the interior D-line rotation this season. Very consistent. I like how Cam Williams is adapting to his experiment at the boundary receiver position and love his attitude about attacking what kept him off the field last year. He just needs to keep it up. He's in a good track. ... And yes, you should see almost all of the early enrolled freshmen in the BG Game. I believe NG Davion Dixon might be the only one scratched due to injury.
Jim from Springfield, Ill.: In order, what do you believe the ND coaches consider the 8-10 most important attributes (arm strength, accuracy, pocket presence, running ability, field vision, leadership etc.) in their evaluation of the quarterback candidates? Thanks.
Eric Hansen: Jim. I think coaches look at this so much more holistically than having a checklist. And the players around a particular quarterback can also heighten a certain QBs assets or highlight his weaknesses, so that plays in. But I play the game in a very generic sense. I'll start with decision-making. All the talent in the world will only give you stats and not wins if you turn the ball over persistently or if you don't recognize where the ball needs to go or recognize what the defense is doing, so you can slide your protection pre-snap. I'd say next is accuracy. That pass-efficiency formula is a very reliable metric in determining teams that play for and win titles. Accuracy is a big part of that formula.
Again, my mind works more holistically, so it's hard for me to deconstruct these things ... What leads to accuracy? Field vision? Yep. Film study? Yep. Great footwork? Yep? Pocket presence? Yep? Getting on the same page as the offensive play caller and understanding the why was a HUGE part of the turning point of last season for Riley Leonard. You won't see that on a lot of lists, but Brady Quinn once told me that's very near the top. In today's college football, you need some mobility. Maybe not be a true dual-threat QB but have enough of that to make your offense hard to scheme for. Arm strength is a plus, but there are really good QBs without elite arm strength.
And for Notre Dame, high on the list is going to be mental toughness and the ability to block out both the hyper-criticism and the hyper-praise and handle the heaviness of the scrutiny that comes with that position at a place like ND. Hope this helps.
Bob from Oxnard, Calif.: Eric, great stuff from Tyler on the Insider Lounge over the last few weeks in particular. Subscribing to InsideNDsports has been great — informative and fun. Especially when we are rolling on the recruiting front.
Eric Hansen: Bob, thank you for the shoutout to Tyler. I agree. He's been working his butt off and has put out reliable recruiting info that's well-sourced and fun to follow.
Mike, Phoenix: Eric, Happy Friday!! Do you have any concerns about Marcus Freeman addressing the “atmosphere” in South Florida? We all know what happened the last time Mr. Purple face brought his team to Miami. Cheers!
Eric Hansen: Hi Mike. Somehow this feels like a trick question. He's opened his three seasons to date in Columbus against Ohio State, in Ireland against Navy and a new offensive coordinator and last year at Texas A&M in the sweltering heat and just played at Hard Rock Stadium in January against Penn State, so I feel pretty good about him coming up with the right words before the Miami game. The Hurricanes are a good team, so that's the most challenging part of that trip in my opinion. I hope I didn't miss the spirit of your question.
Dave from DC: Hi Eric, as always, thanks for the chat. I noticed Notre Dame recently offered a 4* 2026 WR from Charlotte who seems to be an ND fit. Oddly, the player had already scheduled his commitment for next week. Do you have any insight into what happened here, and why the staff identified this recruit in the 11th hour?
Eric Hansen: Hi Dave. Tyler James is way more on top of this kind of info than I am, so I'm kind of fudging my way through this as he's not available right now as a Phone-a-friend option. I am assuming you're speaking of Gordon Sellars, who's trending toward Clemson. The timing is curious. Sellars is friends with Notre Dame LB commit Thomas Davis Jr. and safety target Nick Reddish, both North Carolina prospects and the Irish have been on fire lately in that state. So, that part of it makes sense. Beyond that, I'll have to check with Tyler and fill in the blanks on a future chat.
Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Hey Eric, just some FYI for you and all us Chatters. There is a very good interview on You Tube by Jon Gruden with Riley Leonard. The info and nomenclature that they go through was eye opening for me. I think y'all would enjoy it and learn a little more about the Irish offense. Go Irish!!!
Eric Hansen: Yes, Tom. I have only seen snippets of it, but will post the link here for all ...
Todd from Medford NJ,
James, Placitas, New Mexico: Dear Eric Hansen,
Eric Hansen: Todd and James it looked like the space bar got the best of you. Sorry.
Eric Hansen: And that's going to do it for this week's chat. Thanks for all the great questions. We'll do one of these next week and then after our spring wrap-up with Marcus Freeman, which takes place on April 23. I'll also do a women's basketball chat here in the next two weeks as we get some clarity on the upcoming developments. Thanks again for chatting today.
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