Eric Hansen: Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, a special Thursday edition from tropical South Bend, Ind.
And when I say tropical, I mean 50s (allegedly), which is amazing for January.
Even more amazing are the questions in a very full queue today, but please keep adding ... Before we jump in, a couple of quick programming notes …
► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, it was epic. And if that doesn’t give you a case of the FOMOs, former Notre Dame offensive lineman Bob Morton joined Tyler James and me for some great conversation about where ND football is headed. The good news: FNS keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation. We’ll be in our normal Monday at 7 ET time slot next week. Remember, if you miss the live show, you can catch up anytime on YouTube.
Related Content
► Trail Tracks: Notre Dame football coaches hit road for contact period, 1/30
► Chris Ash arrives, Mike Mickens stays to lead Notre Dame defense
► Portal Roundup: Former Notre Dame WR Deion Colzie signs with Miami (Ohio)
► Sorting through the spring intrigue of what's next for Notre Dame football
► Finally, at WSBT Sports Radio 96.1, we’re rolling through a heavy news cycle following Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff run. Darin Pritchett and I are together on Wednesday and Thursday this week, and each week moving forward on Weekday SportsBeat (96.1 FM, 960 AM, live streaming at wsbtradio.com). The weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET. You can download all episodes as podcasts.
OK, as far as this week's chat …
PLEASE include you NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question(s).
Here are the rules:
Eric Hansen: The "No drinking" rule continues to be rescinded, except as it applies to me.
I am stuck with caffeine, which actually helps.
And we're off ...
Brendan from Pittsburgh: How quickly do you think the QB battle will be decided? And should timing inject any confidence or doubt concerning the eventual starter? (i.e. Carr winning in the spring means he is significantly ahead of Angeli/Minchey)
Eric Hansen: Hi Brendan. Since it will be an actual competition among three viable options, with freshman Blake Hebert perceived as a back-burner QB this spring, the competition itself will inform the timetable. Head coach Marcus Freeman isn't going to pick an arbitrary deadline and then force-fit the competition to that deadline. My best guess is that there will be a loose pecking order coming out of spring, open to those shifting over the summer. And then eventually the starter would be named in the first couple of weeks of training camp.
And to better answer your more-specific question, the timing is all about naming the starter, not naming the leader. So there should be confidence the starter named is actually the eventual starter. Now might someone drop out during the spring transfer-portal window (April 16-25)? Maybe. We need to see some of this play out. Otherwise, I need a Ouija board to give you an answer.
Bob from Oxnard, Calif.: To smooth the transition for our players, will Chris Ash adapt/express his scheme by using the language/vocabulary/calls that our players already know?
Eric Hansen: Marcus Freeman talked about doing just that before he hired Al Golden in 2022, and it all went out the window pretty fast. So the intention to do so is a good one, but the practicality of it doesn't always sync up. The fact that the rest of the defensive staff is staying, especially Mike Mickens, will ease with the translation and continuity.
Michael from Chicago: Which young WR(s) do you anticipate cracking the rotation next year? And was it a surprise that Gilbert didn’t get more run this year considering his production in the spring?
Eric Hansen: Hi Michael. That Malachi Fields, the grad transfer from Virginia, is a June arrival and not a January one, opens the door wider for some young receivers to make an impression, especially Micah Gilbert — who plays the boundary receiver. And there is a huge opportunity this spring for all three sophomores-to-be to make a move .. that's Gilbert, Logan Saldate and Cam Williams. So let me answer the Gilbert question first, and then we'll spin forward until what this spring might look like.
Gilbert played well in the spring and in training camp. And of the freshman receivers, he got the most game reps (43). He did not grade well in that limited sample size. But he is much better than that. The problem was numbers. He was at the deepest receiver position. Boundary. Beaux Collins, the starter at that position, played by far the most snaps of any receiver. Jayden Thomas and Deion Colzie, were 2 and 3, so it's hard to get your No. 4 player at a position meaningful reps. So, how might things play out in the spring and then once Fields joins in, in June?
I think you could pencil in Fields, Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison in as the starters. So you have three rotation spots, maybe four behind them and eight players competing for those. Wisconsin grad transfer Will Pauling and Gilbert are the most likely. And that's where it gets interesting. There are always surprises, but I see Jerome Bettis Jr. and Scrap Richardson having the longest odds to make an early impact. So now it's down to Saldate, Williams, KK Smith and Elijah Burress. For one or two spots. My sense is Williams ascends.
Marie from Atlanta: Hi Eric, I hope you’re having a great week. I’m sure it’s been very busy. Can you give your thoughts on Chris Ash as the new defensive coordinator, were you surprised by his hiring, what are his strengths and what would be some potential weaknesses, and are you at all concerned that it’s been several years since he held a coordinator position in college football? Excluding Knowles and Leonhard who would have been a couple of your choices for the job? I’m assuming if Notre Dame wanted to they could’ve matched USC to keep Chad Bowden, how big of a loss do you feel that he is and how do you think Notre Dame will move forward in replacing him could you see them replacing him with more than one person and potentially dividing up the general manager position a little differently? As always, thanks for hosting the chat and all the great insights.
Eric Hansen: Hi Marie, great to have you on the chat and still digesting the largest chicken parm portion I think I've ever had. Really enjoyed meeting in Atlanta. My knee-jerk reaction when I sensed Golden was leaving was that Mike Mickens would be promoted. And it sounds like he will be, just not to the defensive coordinator position. I thought Marcus would and should consider everything, including an outside hire. Perhaps this is the best of both worlds? My experience with these kind of hires is the résumés need to have context. And so that takes some digging.
I'll give you an example. Ash's most recent season as a college DC was 2020. With Texas. The Longhorns were 64th in total defense and head coach Tom Herman got fired at the end of that season. BUT, what was Texas the year before Ash was DC? 97th, so quite a significant improvement. I tend to trust Marcus' track record of hires and the big endorsement from Urban Meyer carries weight with me too. Strengths, I hit some of those in the hiring story and will have more in the days ahead, but the quick chat answer is, really good at coaching safeties, aggressive in his approach.
Really good recruiter (except at Rutgers), has some NFL vibe going on from the last few years. Weaknesses. He inherited a mess at Rutgers and it didn't get better. Not concerned about his last college DC job being 2020. Al Golden's last coordinator's job on any level before ND was 2005 and his last job in college was 2015, so much longer gap. Not sure I can answer quickly the question about who I might have hired beyond the guys Marcus considered. My mind doesn't go there easily, because it wasn't a reality, so I don't do that kind of research I would need to give you a good answer. I just kind of deal with the cards on the table.
Quickly, on Chad Bowden, he's a really talented and creative guy who I think will do well at USC and I think ND could have kept and they did last year when Michigan went after him. But I think there is an opportunity here to get someone who not only is really good at the recruiting and scouting side, but also the business/money/retention side. And you're right that may end up being more than one person.
Jack from Strongsville, Ohio: Hi Eric. Were you surprised that none of the 4 quarterbacks on the roster opted for the transfer portal? Do expect a starter to emerge during the spring or will the competition extend to the fall? Do you feel Steve Angeli could start for a top 25 program? Thanks as always for your great work.
Eric Hansen: Hi Jack, and thanks for your questions. We hit the QB competition timeline earlier, but let me get to the others. Not surprised that all four QBs stayed, given the length of ND's playoff run and the belief this will truly be an open competition. With ND finishing on Jan. 20, they were already starting their second week of spring-semester classes and Ohio State its third week. So finding a landing spot and getting enrolled in time meant a small inventory of fits. Now do I expect all four to stay behind the spring portal period? Probably not. But if I'm one of those four guys, I'm excited about spring and playing behind THAT offensive line, with those running backs and an upgraded receiver room.
I think Steve Angeli could start for a top 25 program, yes. Especially is they have a really good O-line. I really admire how he's approached being a backup and has taken advantage of every opportunity, including learning from Sam Hartman and Riley Leonard instead of sulking about them.
Mike from Rockville, Md.: Hi, Eric!!! True or False. With a more accurate QB and more dynamic WRs, ND had a chance against Ohio State. Explain. Also, why has ND historically had trouble recruiting dynamic WRs? Do you have faith in Mike Brown to change that narrative?
Eric Hansen: True, because it played out on the other side. And they almost had a chance with the configuration they had. It really would have been interesting to see what happened in the final minute if they get the third-down stop. Why do I say true? Because that's what Ohio State had paired with an elite defense. As a defensive coordinator OSU is exactly what you DON'T want to game plan against. Because they have an answer for just about everything you can throw at them if they can handle your disguises and surprises.
They had a QB who was third in pass efficiency, dynamic WRs at all three positions. A really good O-line. Two dynamic RBs. And that same QB can extend plays, is poised and experience and can hurt you with his legs. So what can you take away? Nothing without giving something away or gambling. And that's where ND's offense is headed. Why not more dynamic receivers in bunches since the days of Michael Floyd/Golden Tate? Lots of reasons, including not a lot of recent success at the position. Some of its wide receiver coaches. Look at ND WR recruiting during the Del Alexander stretch. (more)Eric Hansen: Offensive philosophy of the OC. This OC is committed to having an offense that can do all things like OSU's. Do I have faith that Mike Brown will change the narrative? I think Marcus Freeman does, which is more important. What I have faith in is the notion this is a big recruiting cycle for Mike Brown.
Ced Walker from Saginaw, Mich., aka sagnasty Saginaw pride what position will tae Johnson play in spring practice will cam Williams b be ready to step up at wr this spring 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. Tae Johnson is listed as a safety for spring, so that's where I expect him to start the spring. If there are injuries at corner, he may have to migrate back there. We're going to find out about Cam Williams. Two things I love about him -- he has the want-to, humility and work ethic of a walk-on and the talent to be something really special. Will it all come together this spring/summer? We're about to find out together, but I like his chances.
Skip from Houston: Our running backs had only seven carries against Ohio State. How injured were each of the three? Thanks.
Eric Hansen: Hi Skip. Jeremiyah Love was feeling pretty good going into the game and may have got dinged a bit, but everyone else was healthy. That's not why there were only seven running backs carries (and 17 from the QB and one from a WR). When you play the nation's No.1 defense and they're balanced in being elite against both the run and the pass, they can have more influence on your offensive game plan than say, Stanford. And Ohio State was determined to commit to limiting ND's traditional run game and forcing the Irish to do something else to move the ball and score points. Plus being down 31-7 also limits the practicality of feeding the ball to the running backs.
Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Hey Eric, things just don't slow down!!! What a crazy time. My question is about ND's use of the portal. It looks like they had 3 in 2022; 6 in '23; 9 in '24 and so far 8 for '25. This will be the 4th year we have brought in a kicker via the portal. I don't see that changing anytime soon. From the 9 transfers from '22 and '23 it looks like there were 6 players that were on NFL rosters this past season. Of the 9 that were on this year's team, how many do you think will make an NFL roster this coming season??? 3 or 4?? And, who do you think they might be?? Hopefully we can continue to add high quality players from the portal. Thanks for all your great coverage. All of us "mad chatters" really appreciate it!! Go Irish!!!
Eric Hansen: Hi Tom. Tell me about it. My phone told me it wants either a raise or a vacation! Football Never Sleeps. And I love it. .... Thanks for your questions and for the book and for spending time with us in Atlanta. Awesome visit. I want to verbally commit to Atlanta. ... I will trust your stats for the past transfer classes. This is something important to point out before I give you my answer. Notre Dame puts WAY more into it (and they should) under Freeman than they did under Brian Kelly. And in BK's defense, he does that at LSU, but let me show you why ND is better in the portal.
For those who didn't see this story last May, it may be worth your time: Inside the Notre Dame football program’s seismic off-the-field evolution ... But the big takeaway is that director of scouting Matt Jansen starts accruing a list of 30-50 potential transfers at EVERY position group in July. That's how much science goes into it. Now, to your question (FINALLY!!! I know). I have not talked to any draft analysts yet, so this is very off the top of my head. I'd expect Riley Leonard and Beaux Collins at the very least to get drafted. Probably Jordan Clark too. So that's three. But there are a bunch on the mix to make rosters ... Mitch Jeter, RJ Oben, Rod Heard II, Jayden Harrison, maybe Kris Mitchell. If I had to guess a number, including practice squad guys, I'd guess six? I may revise that after talking to some draft folks.
Jordan from Seattle: Eric!! Second post so second exclamation point. I hope to earn more. Thank you for your tireless coverage and great humor. Two questions: 1. what are the odds/factors coaxing Mickens to stay beyond next season? 2. How important to Golden was Mickens?; that is, what fundamental changes would Golden (now Ash, in perhaps 2026?) have needed to make without Mickens’s elite development and coaching?
Eric Hansen: Jordan!! I will reciprocate your punctuation and give you props for explaining it. Well-played. Staying beyond NEXT season, I think it comes down to if he feels like he's continuing to move toward a DC position at ND or elsewhere and what the long-term plan for Ash is. Does he aspire to be a head coach again? An NFL DC? Because if he does a great job, he will not be at ND long. The other part of that is: Does Marcus feel Mickens needs to go somewhere else as a firs-time DC before he could potentially come back and be the DC at Notre Dame? Now to No. 2 of your question ...
Sorry, phone call from one of my sons, who doesn't quite grasp the concept of a LIVE chat LOL. Back to your question.
I think Mickens is HUGE in Ash's success and it’s mutual. But Mickens brings continuity in scheme, in recruiting, brings elite development. And Ash brings expertise in safety development and another set of eyes as Mickens coaches two position groups.
CHUCK FROM "THE LAND": Hi Eric, my 2025 debut. Still on a HIGH about this great season; beat iconics like FLA ST, USC, GA, PENN ST & TX A&M. Quick questions: 1) WHY will the ND offense be better next year? 2) Was Golden outcoached --so many chunk plays and wide open lanes & routes and 3) HOW are the skill sets of Carr & Angeli different? Appreciate you and your work ethic. We are lucky to have you.
Eric Hansen: Chuck, when you say the land, I think you mean the city where I came roaring into the world a few decades ago, CleveLAND. Here are your quick answers. 1. Yes and more balanced. 2. Kind of, but having Mills and Traore/Botelho and Morrison would have evened the cards on the table. 3. Not a ton of difference in skill set. Carr has a stronger arm and slightly better runner, processes the game at a stunning speed considering his age. Mental toughness off the charts. Angeli also processes really quickly, also mentally tough. To me the biggest difference is ceiling. Both high-floor guys, but Carr's ceiling might be scary high. And wow, that was a cool way to end those questions, thank you. Much appreciated.
Rui from Ossining, N.Y.: Last week, i asked for you to give me your starting lineup for offense and defense in 2025...you said next week will get you something...its that time, no pressure...have at it...and if its too much right now, no worries, will come back next chat and ask again.
Eric Hansen: Rui, I anticipated having a more normal life in between chats. I miscalculated what normalcy is. 😎 Having said that, I made a promise. So off the top of my head, let's do this:Eric Hansen: QB: CJ Carr: RB Jeremiyah Love WRs: Malachi Fields, Jaden Greathouse, Jordan Faison. TE: Eli Raridon. OL: Aamil Wagner, Anthonie Knapp, Ashton Craig, Billy Schrauth, Charles Jagusah.DE: Jordan Botelho/Boubacar Traore DT Gabe Rubio NG Jason Onye DE Josh Burnham LBs: Drayk Bowen, Kygnstonn Viliamu-Asa, Jaylen Sneed. S: Adon Shuler, Jalen Stroman. Nickel: Devonta Smith: CBs: Christian Gray, Leonard Moore.
Jim from Wheaton, Ill.: Hi Eric!! As always, many thanks for these fantastic opportunities to get your insights about the Irish. I have two questions today. First, do you believe that Mike Brown is at the same level of many of the other assistant coaches on the staff, specifically with regard to selling the best high school wide receivers on the opportunity to develop into NFL caliber receivers under his guidance? Recruitment of the highest rated WRs remains challenging. Second, what are you hearing with regard to realistic timelines for Traore, Botelho, and Craig to be “all systems go” from a health standpoint? Thanks, and we are counting the days until spring practice begins!!!
Eric Hansen: Hi Jim. Thanks to people like you who make these chats great. When I met with a couple of the chatters in Atlanta, Tom F from Kennesaw mentioned the consistent quality of questions. And he's right. You guys inspire me, make me laugh, teach me how many exclamation points are appropriate, give me story ideas, and have not once made me second-guess rescinding the "no drinking" rule. So thank you. To your questions, I think we're going to get a real feel for that in this 2026 recruiting cycle and the early feedback is encouraging.
I think Mike Denbrock will also play a large role in that. But as we saw in the 2025 cycle, it's not only about good early returns, it's about the ability to close. So, stay tuned. I spoke to Ashton Craig in Atlanta and wrote a story about it and he is encouraged that he will be back and ready to roll for the season. I did not talk to the defensive ends, but I believe Tyler James did and they are also encouraged that barring a setback, they will be ready. I think Botelho, whose injury wasn't an ACL tear, is further ahead of those two. Once we get a chance for an update from Marcus Freeman, I'll share that with you all.
Sean from Schaumburg, Ill.: I'm surprised by the O line departures. Are the backups that good to force three guys who started/played a lot of snaps to leave? I hope so cuz I'm banking on Jeremiyah Love having a monster season and winning the Heisman. I, also, believe having a strong RB group will help ease the transition to a new QB. A QBs best friend is a running game. What, specifically, was Carr's arm injury? Shoulder or elbow? I'm not convinced he's better than Angeli or Minchey for that matter.
Eric Hansen: Hi Sean. I sure wasn't surprised that there were O-line transfers. The numbers kind of dictated that, and Marcus' transparency with his players helps make for good decisions. You had eight players with starting experience in 2024. You have prodigies like Guerby Lambert and Will Black who are going to be starters at some point and pushing hard now. You'll have surprises, perhaps Sullivan Absher. And there are five starting positions. O-line is not normally a rotational position group. Once in a blue moon that works (Hainsey/Kraemer). Carr’s injury was an elbow injury. I'm sure everyone has their favorite QB in the derby, and thanks for sharing yours.
The Beave from Grand Rapids: Eric: After watching and evaluating the ND v OSU game and the last couple of Natty games, I continue to believe that the biggest gap between ND and the consistently elite teams is at WR. You have next year’s starters as Greathouse, Faison and Fields and I can’t disagree. Given that we had Faison and Greathouse in 2024, is Fields enough of an upgrade over Bo Collins to significantly close that gap? Or maybe the better question is whether a healthy Faison, improved Greathouse and Fields are enough of an upgrade to significantly close that gap?
Eric Hansen: Hi The Beave. I would say WRs and interior D-line or maybe fully healthy d-line, but D-line is an area that must keep evolving as well. And I think you nailed it. Fields > than Collins. Greathouse 2025 > than Greathouse 2024. Healthy Faison 2025 > than banged-up (for much of the season) Faison 2024. I also like the rest of the rotation potentially better as well. And a QB who will have more time to throw behind a better, maybe lite, offensive line. So it is a seismic improvement? Probably not, but a significant one and necessary and reasonable evolutionary step.
David: Hi Eric, First time questioner, and I think my question got deleted, so I'll try again. I have questions about the new ACC scheduling arrangement that would have ND play at least 2/3 of Clem/FSU/Miami annually. What, if anything, does this suggest about the USC series? Do we know what Pete Bevacqua views as an ideal schedule in terms of SOS? In 2029, we could theoretically play Texas, Bama, USC, Miami, and Clemson. That's a very tough top half! And maybe more importantly, it seems unnecessary to play that kind of schedule in order to make the playoffs. What are your thoughts about the ACC arrangement that is being discussed? Will it be a net positive for the Irish?
Eric Hansen: Hi David, thanks for submitting a question. If you can help me out next time, please include your hometown too. I think the ACC tweak — purely from Notre Dame's standpoint — is more about the depth of quality teams in the ACC and loving the budding rivalry with Clemson, for instance, than it has to do with USC. Now Stanford, may be another story. Do those games now count as part of fulfilling the annual ACC commitment (ND would like them to)? As far as USC, I had a chance to catch up with athletic director Pete Bevacqua in Atlanta in a group setting. I asked him specifically about scheduling and future scheduling.
On USC, he had this to say: “We have those great rivalries.Think about the rivalry with USC. We have every intention and every desire to keep that USC rivalry going." What Pete told me in a 1-on-1 last spring was pragmatically it may not appear in the same place on the schedule as it typically does ... down the road. But the intent is to continue. As far as getting too far down the road and theoreticals, I'm not going to get overly excited. But I do think this tweak in the ACC agreement bodes well for the Irish.
James from Columbus: Hi Eric. Thanks for the great coverage during an awesome season and postseason! My question is are all of the transfers into the program enrolled and on campus? Thanks!
Eric Hansen: Hi James and thanks, and no they're not. And I had a story earlier this week in this heavy news cycle that covered that ground. It might be worth reading. Sorting through the spring intrigue of what's next for Notre Dame football ... But to answer your question, two transfers will arrive in June, WR Malachi Fields and TE Ty Washington.
Pogo from Madison Wis.: Always love the chats and appreciate your time. Like you suggested, I had felt Mickens had done enough and was valuable enough to promote directly to DC, particularly given a similar history with Clark Lea proving to be very successful after Mike Elko left. Any thoughts that Freeman may realize the defense is almost bound to take a step back and wanting to avoid putting Mickens in a no-win situation? Hence, he reached for and found someone with experience as a DC and head coach more like Golden.
Eric Hansen: Hi Pogo. I don't think he thinks the defense will take a step back. I think he tried to create the best-case scenario. To me having an experienced DC with some NFL experience and head coaching experience COMBINED with Mickens on paper seems like a win-win.
Paul S from Las Cruces, N.M.: 1st time messager!!!! Question re: the additional 7 weeks of football prep/ practice the team enjoyed with the playoff run. Usually the last game is at the end of November with an additional 3-4 weeks of practice depending on whether the team makes a bowl and which bowl. That's prep for one team. On this run, they practiced hard for about 7 weeks and played 4 good teams. I cannot help but think the additional time prepping/ practicing to play quality teams will be a benefit going into the spring and next season. Bringing in the early enrollees and exposing them to practice and game prep is also invaluable. While the grind does test your depth, I feel it helps build your depth. Is this extra time focused on football (with no school) an underappreciated benefit?........Thoughts?
Eric Hansen: Hi Paul. Sometimes I don't get the best quality pods for my Keurig and the caffeine wears off this late into the chat, so I am not sure I followed everything there. So if I misunderstood, please forgive me. Notre Dame did have a few weeks of football practice and no school -- ahead of the Georgia and Penn State games and for the first few days of Ohio State prep, then they were back in school. As far as the longer season, it's a double-edged sword. Plusses are more development time for returning starting/key rotational players against some of the best competition college football can offer.
But there's not a lot of "young guy" time — reps for players way down the depth chart that they might get in bowl prep. Yes, reps on scout team there are (sheesh that sounds like Yoda), but it's a little different dynamic. And the challenges are there (but worth it). There needs to be ample recovery time. That additionally compresses winter workouts agenda, compresses spring practice, etc. All worth the price of admission, but must be done strategically. I believe the core media will have a chance to talk to director of football performance Loren Landow upcoming at some point, and I can give you more insights then.
Brian from Wauconda, Ill.: How big of a get is Tyler Merrill?
Eric Hansen: Yes, while I've been typing away, Notre Dame received a verbal commitment from 2026 four-star offensive lineman Tyler Merrill.
Eric Hansen: Top 100 prospect from Mechanicsburg, Pa. No. 3 offensive guard in that class. Really big pickup for the Irish.
Ryan from Frankfort, Ill.: Good afternoon Eric what do you think about the season Xavier watts had Irish fans will miss him who will start the season in his place the transfer from Virginia tech or will it be someone Else GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈
Eric Hansen: Hi Ryan, thanks for joining us and for having an emoji game that's WAY better than mine. I said this on Twitter/X. Xavier Watts is one of the most impactful players I've covered in my career, and I have lots of gray hair, so that's a long time. I used my third-place Heisman Trophy vote on him. That's how strongly I felt about his game and his contributions. ... I think the Va. Tech transfer Jalen Stroman has the inside track, but I see a deep rotation, and I like Luke Talich, JaDon Blair, Tae Johnson and Kennedy Urlacher to all vie strongly for roles in that.
Don in Scottsdale, Ariz.: Eric, You and Tyler did a great job this season. Always enjoy reading what you write!! Since I've never hired a DC I'll trust Freeman knows what he's doing....but I do have a perspective. CMF wants to keep Mickens on staff and has stated he's ready for a DC position. All indications are he will be elevated to the CO _DC position. Knowing Freeman's position, how many big time DCs would come to be a CO DC? No knock on Ash, but he had to get back in the game. The opportunity to coach at ND gets him in the spotlight allowing him to rejuvenate his career. Freeman gets to elevate Mickens and gives him training wheels to keep it going. Basically, Ash was the best CO DC available. Your thoughts?
Eric Hansen: Don, I like your scenario and l like your compliment even more, but back to your scenario. Sometimes the “co-” designation has a lot of wiggle room on different staffs and difference places. Ash was a co-defensive coordinator when he was at Ohio State. Sometimes its a job share. Sometimes it's more ceremonial. Sometimes it evolves. There's a lot of speculation, and much of it off base, as it what this will mean. I'm OK in waiting to get Marcus Freeman to clarity, before I put my two cents in. But here is what I do know. Marcus is structuring it for the good of the FUNCTION of the team, not for what looks good. But again, I like your theory.
Mike from Phoenix: Eric, Do you think ND can and will go on a 88-93 run of producing top 5 teams? Will Young and Flanigan get a ring that they can give to their fathers for being cheated out of the 93 title?. I rewatched the 2nd half of the Penn state game. Lot to be excited about. How much will ND need new leaders to step up with Watts, Mills, Kiser, BMo and Leonard gone? Thank you. cheers! Go IRISH. ☘️
Eric Hansen: Hi Mike. The 12-team Playoff Era brings with it such a different dynamic than even the four-team version. So when we're talking about measuring sticks, I think the inclusion in that field annually is the benchmark. Now can ND get to the very top and win a national title in say the next five years? I came to the South Bend market in 1988, and I walked out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium feeling that Notre Dame has a better chance of doing just that than at any time in the past 30 years. And I've been home for more than a week, and I am more confident of that feeling.
Jules, Joliet, Ill: Eric: As always, thank you (and Tyler and Bob) for all of your wonderful output. Question: In your opinion how important is it for ND to have a #1 QB in place by the end of spring practice?
Eric Hansen: Hi Jules. Not important. If it happens, it happens.
Tom from Toronto: Hi Eric, What an experience! What a ride! My question is really for Coach Freeman, but he's not here. Do you think that on further consideration it would have been better to use Steve Angelli for the two remaining offensive opportunities in the first half? Riley Leonard took some really tough hits in running the ball during the first possession, to such an extent that he threw up on the sidelines. In hindsight, it seemed that he was a step or two off on the next two possessions. It is amazing that he performed so well in the second half. Coach Freeman says to question everything, and I wonder whether there is a lesson to be learned from what happened, or didn't happen, on offense in the first half after ND's first possession. As usual, thank you for your excellent work! (just had to sneak in another "!")
Eric Hansen: Hi Tom!! What a ride, indeed. In talking to Mike Denbrock, briefly, after the game, that Angeli question didn't come up, but Denbrock did offer they knew they couldn't do the Riley Leonard carries nine times on a drive thing more than once. Could they have put Steve Angeli in? Maybe. But Leonard was really good at escaping one of the best pass rushes in football. I'm not sure Angeli would have, but I do have confidence he would have processed well when he did have time.
Kevin from Calgary (via Huatulco): Hola, Eric!!! I’ve missed a few chats and am currently escaping the cold of the Great White North here in Mexico. Thanks for keeping these up in the dead of winter. There have been a few changes in the coaching/management since the NCF most significantly the loss of Al Golden. Should Irish fans be confident that as long as Marcus Freeman stays put the losses will be no more than flesh wounds, or is losing a coach of Golden’s status alone (since the D is what got us to the final) a greater cause for concern? Also, how important was Chad Bowden to NIL management?
Eric Hansen: We're in the lightning round here, because I have women's basketball coverage tonight, so no wiggle room for overtime. So sorry in advance for the great questions I can't get to. ... To your questions, Kevin — oops, and Hola to you too ... It's the price of success that people are going to want to hire your coaches and that those coaches are going to want to grow in their careers. It happened to Nick Saban all the time. So flesh wounds is a good way to look at i —, good metaphor. In fact, great metaphor, is it for sale? Chad Bowden was not central to NIL management and now with direct payments coming, that dynamic changes again. His value was more on the recruiting/evaluation end of things. When there are staff departures like this, I think sometimes there’s an unofficial contest among us in the media to come up with the best apocalyptic adjective. And maybe we need to rethink that. Of course, he was valuable. Notre Dame just played in the national title game. You get there with great people. And Chad will be missed. BUT he can be replaced.
Denis from Niagara Falls, Canada: Hey Eric. As far as I'm aware, Notre Dame has not had much of a problem with players regarding academic issues. I believe Marcus freeman is responsible for have the requirements/ standards loosened somewhat. Is this true? Is a house of cards being constructed? Could you talk to this situation? Thanks very much and all the best to you.
Eric Hansen: Denis, every time Notre Dame is successful, I am asked about lowered standards, and when they stink, I get asked about higher ones. How that relates to a house of cards, I have no idea. I know it was an episode of the Brady Bunch way back when. But I do not think Notre Dame is adding players who can't compete in the classroom. And if you listen to clips of the player interviews, they all have a better grasp of the English language than I do. So ...
Len from the Jersey Shore: Hello Eric!!!!!!!!!!! I was able to watch the game and besides eye discipline on defense, reading keys and confidence in yourself (especially CB), and not getting to the QB on third down, I was brought back to a conversation you reported with Al Golden way earlier in the year concerning halftime adjustments. Coach Golden told you that sometimes if you wait to halftime it is too late to make adjustments, that adjustments needed to be made during the game. Second quarter needed defensive adjustments to avoid a second quarter ala Clemson with Love out and Donte V in. Sounds prophetic. Do you recall that conversation? Seemed Ohio St , as an example if ND defense did not account for QB run, just took advantage of that. Especially on 3rd down. Do you think ND needed to better self scout tendencies on third and more than yds 5? Seemed OSt had answer for everything ND defense did in that situation.
One more question for today. I saw in the game, when I watched, Billy Schrauth on one play where he ended up on his back put his arms up and waited for teammates to help him up. It was long enough that it seemed to conform my assumption from his play that he was not 100%. Have you had a chance to find out if he was injured in that game? Looked like a core injury. Second part, if both starting guards had significant injuries, did Sam Pendleton feel he could of helped but was left out of any rotational play time? He was only O linemen I was surprised left.
Eric Hansen: Len!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Your exclamation points saved you. A two-screen question? OK, let's go ... Al Golden was trying to adjust. Ohio State and Chip Kelly just kept having great counterpunches. OSU's execution was off the charts. I don't think they didn't know Will Howard could run, but they had to give up something and leave themselves vulnerable and Ohio State kept finding those in the first half. As far as the O-linemen stuff, Pendleton got passed over when Schrauth came back from injury. Passed over again when Jagusah came in for Rocco in the Penn State game. Great kid. Wants to start in 2025. Likely wasn't going to happen at ND in 2025. And for good measure ... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eric Hansen: OK. I am out of time and on to transcript mode and then women's hoops. Thanks for all the great questions. We're going to continue to do this on a weekly basis while the news cycle is still loaded. Maybe all the way until and through spring. I will push out something on social media as to which day next week. Thanks again.
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