Chat Transcript: Dishing on ND's OG races, Buchner's surge in the QB race
Eric Hansen: Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, the "It really feels like spring" Edition.
Some quick programming notes:
► If you missed this week’s live episode of our weekly offseason Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, you can catch up anytime on YouTube. In our latest episode, Tyler James and I discuss what we saw during Wednesday's (surprise open) full practice, the developments they hope to see from Notre Dame football through the Blue-Gold Game, how the defensive line is progressing and what's new for the Irish on the recruiting trail. And we answer questions from viewers.
► We’ll be recording our Inside ND Sports Podcast late Friday afternoon with a special guest with insight into Notre Dame’s upcoming Legacy Weekend. You can find the podcast link Friday evening at insideNDsports.com. You can also listen on your preferred podcast platform including: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Podbean and Pocket Casts.
► Finally, if you haven’t had a chance to get familiar with our new recruiting writer, Charleston Bowles, I highly recommend you give him a follow on Twitter at @cbowles01.
As for today's chat, there are a few rules:
Also, a friendly reminder, please include your name and hometown — or at least your planet — along with your question(s).OK, off we go.
Bob from Oxnard, Calif.: By the end of spring, do you think anyone will meaningfully separate themselves from the pack to emerge as starting guards?
Eric Hansen: Hi Bob. We are due to check in with O-line coach Joe Rudolph Friday morning, so tune into our coverage for his take on the situation. Here's mine: Billy Schrauth has done more than enough to win the left guard spot. I think he's a star-in-the-making. At right guard, I think Andrew Kristofic has had the better spring than Rocco Spindler. The one thing I liked from Rocco in the reps I observed him Wednesday was a guy who was at least fighting for the job. He still has six practices to change impressions.
Marie from Atlanta: Hi Eric, I hope you are having a great week. What a nice surprise to get to watch a full practice yesterday. Now that spring practice is getting near the end, what do you think has been the most overblown positive thing about spring practice and what do you think has been downplayed the most in spring practice that could be a potential problem or that we should be more concerned about? I read that Lorenzo Styles played some cornerback yesterday, is this possibly a permanent move? I know everyone assumes Hartman will be the starter, but it seems like Buchner is getting more of the praise during spring practice, are you as confident now as you were at the beginning of spring practice that Hartman will be the starter? Thanks for hosting the chat and for all the great insights.
Eric Hansen: Hi Marie. Thanks for being here and for your questions. The weather here is spectacular and a surprise open practice? YES, it's a great week. So to the first part of your question, an overblown position. Might be the D-line. They have been surprisingly strong and deep, but is it sustainable? The defense can be hard to read in spring. There were Brian VanGorder defenses that looked good in spring. I'd say most of the defense's improvement feels real. I love the safeties and how they've surged, but I think depth could be a real problem if they don't hit the portal and maybe that's been downplayed too much.
I'm going to preface my last answer about the QBs this way: The best-case scenario for Tyler Buchner when Sam Hartman arrived was that Hartman's presence on the roster would make Buchner better. To Buchner's credit, it has. Big time. He was clearly the better QB in the 11-on-11 drills Wednesday. HOWEVER, I still expect Hartman to overtake him and then both of them to grow in part because of each other. Summer transformations are not uncommon for QBs, including very dramatic ones. Think about DeShone Kizer in the spring of 2015. I wasn't convinced he was better than even Montgomery VanGorder. Even he questioned that summer whether he should have chosen baseball to pursue. And then it all came together in the summer. I love Malik, but I'm convinced Kizer would have overtaken Malik Zaire had Malik not suffered a season-ending injury. There are other examples. The more Hartman learns the playbook, the better chemistry he can create with the receivers, the more his skill set will be apparent.
But if Buchner gets beat out and stays, I'm becoming more convinced ND's QB situation in 2024, starter and depth, will be in a very good position.
Circling back to Marie for a second. I forgot your question about Lorenzo Styles. He did take a few reps in a cornerback drill Wednesday, but receiver almost all the other periods. We have Marcus Freeman and both coordinators on Saturday, so that'll be sure to be asked about. Remember when you look at moving a player, you usually do so with the thought this is helping them, not just the team. So Styles, the leading returning receiver, should at least have a chance to start as a cornerback if you would make that move. Right now, even with Cam Hart not yet 100 percent, that's hard to envision.
Tanker from Dulce, N.M.: Hey Eric! In response to your previous musing regarding my real name, Tanker is not my real name. It's Tanknelious D'Tankashaw Dulce. ... JK, it's Theodore, but a nickname is a nickname. My question is with regards to the loaded backfield this year. How do you anticipate Jeremiyah Love being utilized or not utilized this season assuming everyone remains healthy and Love is as advertised (which seems highly likely)? A tremendous problem to have for the Irish!
Eric Hansen: Tanker/Theodore. Thank you for the clarification. Love the nickname. I've kind of run that scenario through my mind as well. ... assuming everyone is healthy. Ge catches the ball very well (so do a lot of the other backs), so I could see him forging a role on third down and maybe getting involved in the return game. I think he could cut into Gi'Bran Payne's carries, though Payne has taken advantage of injuries this spring to Logan Diggs and Jadarian Price and has looked pretty good.
Jason from Grand Rapids, Mi: Thanks for the chat Eric. I missed the pay wall chat so hopefully it wasn't too much fun 😀. A couple of questions. Prince Kollie. Was he out due to a class conflict or injury? Also, Aidan (Keanaaina) with his size intrigues me. Is he still recovering from injury or what's holding him back? Seems like the size we need for a run stuffing NT. Thanks!
Eric Hansen: Hey Jason, thanks for jumping in today. So with Prince Kollie, Wednesday's absence was a class conflict, the media was informed. ... With Aidan Keanaaina, his size gives him a chance to get more reps against certain, more physical offensive lines. But he needs to match that size with production. In the practices. I've seen, he hasn't jumped out at me yet. When D-line coach Al Washington was asked about him after practice on Wednesday, here is his response:
“Yeah, he’s fully healthy now. He’s working in at the nose position. We’re pretty deep there. He’s part of the depth. He’s working at it, getting himself going. That group, the tackles group — the tackles and nose combination — we have a chance to be pretty doggone stout in there. He’s doing well.”
Dan, Vernon Hills IL: Eric, I enjoy the chats. Has there been any news regarding a new TV deal and do you believe it will be competitive with teams in the B1G and the SEC?
Eric Hansen: Hi Dan, I enjoy them too, so thanks. Yes, ND is in negotiations, and this is a huge flash point for the program's future. ND athletic director Jack Swarbrick is optimistic the Irish will command a figure that will keep them competitive financially with the Big Ten and SEC. Otherwise, joining one of the two becomes a viable option.
Manny from San Pedro: ERIC!!!!!!! So happy to finally make a chat.. I have missed way too many but always love to read them. What is your position to watch in the spring game? With Hartman do you think we are favored in every game but OSU, Clemson and USC?
Eric Hansen: Manny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great to see you and your exclamation points. So, the position I'll keep the closest eye on in the spring game is the QBs, because I want to see how the receiver chemistry is evolving and how the defense reacts when they don't necessarily know what's coming. No. 2 for me is D-line. I think with Sam Hartman, ND would be favored in every game but the three you mentioned. The hope from an ND standpoint is he's good enough to help the Irish get over the hump in two of those three. ... My trap game is the Sept. 9 road game at NC State.
Doug from Sunny Florida: Eric, I've read a couple of times that the offense has had some rough times this spring and not what many were expecting. Do you agree with this assessment and if so, can you pinpoint a cause(s)?
Eric Hansen: Doug. This is Eric from Sunny Indiana to be clear (at least today). There is a mirage element to spring practice, especially if there's newness on one side of the ball and not the other, especially if you're trying to expose your own weaknesses so you can fix them before real games start. With that in mind, what you've heard is largely correct. When you watch the offense in drills, the pieces look very impressive. When you watch them try to move the ball against ND's defense, they labor.
What I always ask myself when I see a particular player or facet of the game struggling in spring is: Is this fixable? Is this a dead end? And the answer there is yes to the first, I believe everything I've seen in the struggle department is fixable. That doesn't mean it WILL get fixed, but the potential to do so is certainly there. So, the causes would be, new coordinator, new QBs coach, new offensive line coach all getting on the same page with a new aspiring No. 1 QB and some new OGs. AND the desire to drill down deep to fix flaws now and not in September.
Kevin from St. Louis: Hi Eric. I've picked up from somewhere an adage (real or imagined) of "Win now" in college football, in the sense that as a coach, you never risk the current season in preparation for a future that may never come (because you may not be around, losing now might result in recruiting struggles that damage your future, etc). Curious your thoughts on the veracity of such an adage and more specifically, if you are Marcus Freeman, how do you think about developing your younger players if you feel your more experienced players are better right now primarily due to their in-game experience? At what point does continuing to play, say, that sixth year linebacker late into a non-playoff year begin to stunt future team growth?
Eric Hansen: Hi Kevin. I think ideally you look for ways to do both, win now and develop for the future, if you can accomplish that. But if you can only do one or the other, you have to focus on this year's team. Let me give you an example and then I'll address yours. So in 2005, Charlie Weis inherits a pretty veteran team from Tyrone Willingham but one that hadn't won a lot of games. Charlie divvies up the practice reps like 98 percent for the starters to 2 percent for everyone else, closer to an NFL model. The veteran team in 2005 and '06 responds. And CW did a lot of good things beyond the reps to bring the best out of those teams. But in 2007, the roster turned over. There was a ton of young talent, but it wasn't being developed. And ND goes 3-9 and sets an NCAA record for sacks allowed. Brian Kelly, on the other hand, always gave the 2s a high-percentage of reps. And there were times of the year he'd focus on the young guys, notably bye weeks and bowl prep.
One more example before I get to yours. There was a strong sense in fall camp of how good Ben Morrison could be at corner. But the only way they could progress him toward that end was to play him and take some lumps. The first eight games, his Pro Football Focus grades looked like this: 62.8, 48.9, 61.6, 60.9, 60.5, 57.3, 49.3 and 59.5. Then comes game No. 9, Clemson: 91.0. His last five games were all better than his first eight. That included a 92.5 against BC. So, ND wins the Clemson game in part because of that investment in Morrison. And now going into 2023, he heads into the season as the team's best defensive player.
So, I'm going to steep your example in the hypothetical. Let's say the sixth-year linebacker is clearly the better option than a younger linebacker with a high ceiling. In your scenario, ND is out of the playoff picture. If you play the younger player and he's not deserving, you risk losing your senior class and your team. In the Morrison example, ND was out of the playoff picture in two games, but the belief all along was he was going to turn into the better player IN THAT SAME SEASON and help the team win games. That's what happened. That's why the players were able to embrace that move.
Ken from Palm Springs: Could Hartman leave for the NFL if he's not the starting quarterback?
Eric Hansen: Hi Ken. Let me preface my answer by saying, I don't think that is going to happen. But yes, he could enter the supplemental draft, which would be held in July. He could not get into the regular draft coming up at the end of the month. I believe there has been so little interest in the supplemental draft lately, there has not been one held for the past three summers.
Joe H from Williams Bay, Wis.: Hi Eric. Great to have the chats back as we go through spring practice. Last year I think we all had doubts about our offense. This year it seems like the defensive side of the ball might be a problem. Right now it feels like we won’t have enough talent up front to mount a decent pass rush and I’m worried about our safety play as well. Does that seem like a legitimate concern to you and what players in particular do we need to step up to be a potential playoff team?
Eric Hansen: Hey Joe, great to have you back. I think going into spring practice, the conventional thinking was the offense would be ahead of the defense and that safety and defensive line were the two position groups that had the most to prove. So naturally, through nine spring practices of the 15 allotted, the defense has been ahead of the offense and that the D-line and safeties have been the two most pleasant surprises. I already addressed the offense in pretty deep detail and how it might project in the fall, so let's focus on the defense here. The question now becomes on the pleasant surprises: Are they sustainable? From the D-line standpoint, I like the No. 1s — Jordan Botelho, Rylie Mills, Howard Cross and either one of the hyphenated guys — Nana Osafo-Mensah or Javontae Jean-Baptiste. With Botelho it takes some projection. After meeting him yesterday for the first time in his first media availability and talking to his mentor in Hawaii, I'm pushing my chips into the middle of the table for that kid.
Where I need convincing re the D-Line is depth. Is it real? Don't know that yet. Safety depth concerns me, even before Ben Minich was sidelined. They need another safety who is good enough to be on a four-man rotation with Xavier Watts, Ramon Henderson and DJ Brown.
Ryan from Mars, Pa.: Eric, how has the offense looked with Gerad Parker taking over and how has the special teams looked with Marty Biagi taking over Go Irish 🏈🏈☘️☘️
Eric Hansen: Hi Ryan. The Blue-Gold Game will provide a clearer picture of the offense's progress, though certainly not conclusive. And I think we'll get bits and pieces of how ready Gerad Parker really is for the OC job only when we get to the monster games like Ohio State, USC and Clemson. I think one early positive is that he and new QBs coach Gino Guidugli have made a heck of an impression on 2024 commits, QB CJ Carr and WR Cam Williams. So, there's that.
As far as special teams, we haven't seen any drills yet for punt blocks (and likely won't). But I like what Marty Biagi is doing with the kickers and punters,
Tony from Brooklyn: Conference realignment ... I know we WANT to stay independent, but with the new playoff system and disadvantages that come with it, we may have to join. Is it likely the desire to be Big Ten and midwest or is ACC the goal if they survive?
Eric Hansen: Hi Tony, the new playoff system wouldn't nudge ND toward conference membership. It's tied into the money it will receive in its next media rights deal. Keep your eye on that story line. And the goal then would be the SEC or Big Ten, not the ACC, though there are legal entanglements with the ACC that would have to be resolved.
Mike McFadden from Williamsport, Pa.: Hi Eric, Hope you can give a shout out here to the NDC of Gettysburg as they host coach Marcus Freeman on Tuesday May 2 with a great dinner as he speaks to the ND fans. $75. I would guest 250~300 attend, based on their small Club bringing in Fr. Jenkins for Fr. Corbin memorial where they donated $10K for scholarships and flew in Muffet and her husband only a few weeks after her national championship. My question is after two gimme-game losses in 2022, as Coach Kelly also did, do you feel the new coaching staff and all the players are in position to never have this happen again as Kelly also never lost to an unranked team, ... meaning was this just a never~again fluke? Great discussion here.Thanks Eric.
Eric Hansen: Hi Mike. Hope your dinner with Marcus Freeman is a success. He'd definitely be worth hearing in person. ... Brian Kelly put together quite a run against unranked teams at the end of his run at ND though there were some CLOSE calls. It ended at 42 straight with Freeman's loss to Marshall in game 2 of last season. I'm not going to see that will NEVER happen again, but I think moving forward it will be much less likely. I also think MF will have a better record, when all is said and done, against top 10 teams at ND. And I do consider BK one of the better college coaches in the game, regardless of his dancing skills.
Steven, Austin Tx: Hi Eric!!, So going into year 2 of the Freeman era... Does Spring seem more organized and efficient?
Hi Steven. He's very much more in sync with his big-picture vision of the program and the details he believes it takes to get there.
Romon from Virgina: Hello Eric! How are you doing ?? Curious I wonder ask you question. How was defense and Offense ?? Also why they wear white cleats shoe?? Please tell coach Freeman. Go back to traditions — cleats shoe black, gold and navy! Not white.
Eric Hansen: Romon, do you really think I'm qualified to give ANYONE fashion advice? That's WAAAAY out of my lane. Not sure that the white cleats will carry over into the season. Marcus Freeman has yet to ask my opinion on the footwear, but if he does, I'll pass along your suggestion.
Ray: Who do you believe will actually be ND’s most reliable TE by the time ND plays Ohio State?
Eric Hansen: Ohio kid Mitchell Evans, with Eli Raridon as the one with the highest ceiling.
Jeff from Phoenix: Good morning Eric. For this question, on my honor, I have not violated the ‘no drinking’ rule. Here goes. For the ND vs Navy game in Dublin, it appears the game is a home game for ND in all aspects except location. Could/will ND host recruits for paid/official recruiting visits to Dublin? Although nothing replaces the true ND home game experience and campus visit, Dublin could be an attractive option for recruits that have already been to South Bend multiple times. Cheers!
Eric Hansen: Jeff, thanks for your assurance of not dipping into the Irish Whiskey. This has come up with the Shamrock Series games in Las Vegas, Yankee Stadium, Dallas, etc. Notre Dame can provide game tickets for prospects, but they can't host official visits at those venues. And I'm guessing you couldn't disguise yourself as an 18-year-old prospect anyways?
Sean from Schaumburg, Ill.: Eric, I'm having a tough time gauging my expectations for the upcoming season. Ohio State, USC and Clemson are the marquee games. But, some tricky ACC road games. What are you looking for in these spring practices to guide your prediction for the upcoming season? One thing I have noticed is that the O-line is slow to gel. Starting with Navy and Tenn St may lower those concerns. The Navy game raises concerns on the D line. Washington needs to up his coaching game. Wish I was gonna be attending Navy in Dublin. I'll have to settle for Belfast in May. It'll be good to get back to the homeland. Go Irish!!
Eric Hansen: Sean, very cool you're headed to Belfast. I've been to many countries in Western Europe, though many years ago when I had family alive there. Northern Ireland is not a place I've been. What I look for in spring to try to concoct that into an early win/loss prediction is floor/ceiling of each position group and then matching that against the tougher team on the schedule. This spring is harder than most. My sense is I'll come out of spring with a 10-2 vibe with the potential for the team in August to convince me to add either one win or one loss.
Ken from Livonia: With all the staff changes, recruiting seems to have stalled in getting Top level guys in 2024/2025.... Is it just the time of year or are the current recruiters just lacking that closer mentality?
Eric Hansen: Hi Ken, I think Notre Dame is more interested in closing In June when they have their official visits en masse rather than now, when they're trying to build relationships and form strong impressions, especially among the new coaches. I think they're well positioned.
Doug from Sunny Florida: Eric, this may be more of a Charleston question but is there anything to make regarding the large number of defensive line offers out compared to the number of commits? Seems like a large net is being cast but nobody seems ready to commit. Can it be that some targets are waiting to see who commits where before they commit? Is there a 'tier' system where ND is waiting for 'tier 1' targets to make a decision before accepting a player from a lower tier?
Eric Hansen: Hey Doug. Charleston Bowles is en route to South Bend today as we speak, so I'll try to answer this one myself. Each position group kind of has its own ecosystem. Where D-Line is concerned, the Irish can't afford a lackluster class. Even though they're trending well on some of their top targets, I think it's smart to cast a wide net just in case on this group. And yes there are tiered targets with DT Justin Scott of Chicago at the very top.
Ryan from Mars, Pa.: Eric, how has Rocco Looked and The transfers we got the defense lineman Harper and Hartman looked good so far during spring practice go Irish?
Eric Hansen: OK, we hit Rocco Spindler and Sam Hartman, so let's talk about Thomas Harper. Harper had offseason shoulder surgery, so he's doing some non-contact things but not doing the 11-on-11 work that could really show off his skill set. We've had a chance to talk to him earlier. Intelligent, confident, impressive in that regard. But he's still kind of an unknown going into summer.
Mike McFadden from Williamsport, Pa.: Wow, good question from Jeff. Good answers to all q's today, ole buddy, thx Eric.
Eric Hansen: Thanks, Mike! And I wasn't drinking either!
Ron from Dover, Del.: Good afternoon Eric hope your Easter was good. I have two questions. One you spoke that Rocco Spindler looked like he was improving on football never sleeps last night. What is he doing better and what do you think has been holding him back as a starter? Second, with the linebackers being more aggressive wouldn’t Sneed and Kollie, with their athletic ability, be ideal to be on the field a lot this year? Thanks for your thoughts.
Eric Hansen: Hi Ron. I'll take you at your word what I said on Football Never Sleeps. Here's my impression of Rocco Spindler. He didn't impress Harry Hiestand as much as he would have liked, because he wasn't assignment-correct often enough. So, his outstanding physical traits were mitigated. Joe Rudolph provided a clean slate. Where maybe Rocco gets tripped up is that he believes he's the best option without proving it. There have been times this spring he's kind of reinforced that, and then yesterday I thought he was better, but still not better than Andrew Kristofic. Jaylen Sneed and Prince Kollie are definitely in the mix for more playing time, but they've both had bouts with injuries this spring that have slowed their progress. But let me go in depth a little more on athleticism at linebacker.
So, several years ago, Notre Dame had a decision to make at inside linebacker between Te'von Coney and Asmar Bilal. Bilal was the freakier, faster athlete. But Coney was soooo good at play diagnosis. And that allowed him to PLAY fast. Coney became quite prolific at tackling. The only thing that held him back was coverage skills. Bilal eventually got good enough to be adequate with play diagnosis, but it was later in his career and he still was not the linebacker that Coney was. Kollie and Sneed know that have to bring both to the table. Sneed probably embraced that more quickly than Kollie. He also brings a skill set no other rover has and has fewer bodies competing at that position.
And thanks for watching, by the way.
Robert from Menomonee Falls, Wis.: Hello Eric! There has been much criticism of ND quarterbacks in that we have not been able to stretch the field with a deep ball threat. How have the red jerseyed Irish placement on deep passes in practice? Has anyone impressed you? Thanks!
Eric Hansen: Hi Robert. There's nothing wrong with Sam Hartman's arm that chemistry with the receivers can't solve. As I've said the pieces -- ascending QBs and a surging WR group are there. The chemistry and timing are likely to follow.
Joe from Baltimore: Oh brother! Funny, yes, thanks. FYI ~ You probably know this but there were 272 ND Clubs a few years ago but it is down a little today. BD gives 3 annual awards out for best off campus city Club, small, medium, large ... Gettysburg wins small Club every year as I recall. Later dude. And I am NDC of Williamsport and I will drive the 125 miles to see MF.
Eric Hansen: Duly noted.
Dennis: Assuming good health all season, name the running back you believe will have the most yards during the regular season.
Eric Hansen: I think Logan Diggs ended last season as RB1, even though Audric Estimé had more yards and TDs. I think Audric is RB1 this year, so he will have he most yards during the regular season.
Joey G. Philadelphia, Pa: Hi Eric, Haven't been hearing too much chatter about OG position battle. Personally I see it as a 3 person battle between Carmody, Kristofric, and Schrauth. I see no chance for Rocco Spindler. His increased weight along with his poor footwork, and not always being assignment correct are the reasons Spindler won't see the field at ND. With more talent arriving in June I think the best option for Spindler would be to hit the portal. What do you think of Spindler's future at ND?
Eric Hansen: Joey, I'm assuming you've been avoiding the chat transcripts and our stories if you haven't seen much about the OG battles. So scroll up. ... Regarding Spindler's future at ND, the transfer portal reopens Saturday and stays open through April 30. That's not a lot of time to make a decision if the prospect of Andrew Kristofic being named starter coaxes Spindler to contemplate a move. It would not surprise me if the person who doesn't win the job strongly considers moving on, though not predicting it.
Jim Tal from Valley Center, Calif.: Hi Eric. Just got in from a power walk. Glad to see you are still plugging away. Simple question. Is the coaching staff beginning to have serious doubts about Marist? Seems as if his window of opportunity is rapidly closing. Thanks for all you do.
Eric Hansen: Hi Jim and congrats on the power walk. I think Marist Liufau got the benefit of the doubt last year in coming back from a year-long injury. He never really cashed that in with either big-play moments or consistent production. I think doubts would be too strong, but I think it's fair to say that he's being challenged and he's going to have to perform at a high level to hold off that competition.
Eric Hansen: OK, that's going to do it for this week. Thanks for all the great questions and punctuation marks (Manny). We'll be back to do it all over again next Thursday at noon ET.
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