Chat Transcript: Dishing on staff turnover, roster churn and what's next

Eric Hansen: Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, Groundhog Day/Signing Day Edition.

Notre Dame will not be adding to its roster on what used to be traditional National Signing Day, but the Irish did just add to the coaching staff with the hiring of Gerad Parker as tight ends coach.

A REMINDER ... especially if you're new to these. .. PLEASE include your name and hometown along with your question.

Dan from Plymouth, Mich.: Hi Eric! Can you confirm that Chris Watt is back and a member of the coaching staff?

Eric Hansen: Hi Dan. It is going to happen. It's a matter of when it will be officially announced. He'll be in a grad assistant-plus role, which means he'll be able to help Harry Hiestand with on-field coaching in practices and in games. An analyst's role would not have allowed him to do so. I really like his addition to the staff.

Jeff from Phoenix: Happy Groundhog Day, Eric! I think the world would be a happier place if there were more polka music, no?

Eric Hansen: Jeff. I'll defer to you on that, but congratulations. I've been doing these chats since early in the Charlie Weis Era, and that's the first time that question has been asked.

Chris from Newmarket, N.H.: Eric, congrats to you and Tyler on the move to Rivals. Does the fact that a defensive coordinator still hasn't been named, and the coaching search has been pretty quiet, point to Al Golden being the favorite, and possibly likely to be named after the Super Bowl?

Eric Hansen: Hi Chris, and thanks. That is exactly my read.

Bob Rodes from Manchester, Tenn.: Eric, are there any preliminary candidates for our open tight ends coaching position floating about yet? Looking at the top 25 2023 recruiters, I see that five of them are TE coaches: Kevin Wilson at Ohio State, Todd Hartley at Georgia, Ty Howle at Penn State, Vince Marrow at Kentucky and Brian Wozniak at Oregon State. I can't imagine Wilson moving if he's really making $800k, but I wonder if any of these five are under consideration. Are they?

Eric Hansen: Bob, they moved fast on Gerad Parker. He interviewed Tuesday and was offered the job. Came to a deal today.

Pete Cuozzo ND ‘82 from Naples, Fla.: Hi Eric — incredible job with these chats over the decades! Thank you. With nearly an entirely new coaching staff, what do you see as the three most important things the staff needs to do OFF the field before fall camp? And you can’t answer recruiting-recruiting-recruiting! :-)

Eric Hansen: Haha. Thanks Pete. The R-word will be a big part of things. ... But let's focus on between now and spring football. ... First, there is a lot of newness and people needing to get used to each other and roles, etc. I talked to a former college coach I respect very much the other day. He knows Marcus Freeman well and believes the coaching turnover will actually prove to be a good thing for Marcus. Culture stays constant, but this puts more of Marcus' stamp on the program. ... No. 1: Determine what will the defensive scheme look like? It should be similar to last year's in concept and terminology, but the players need to get their hands on and understand the new playbook. No. 2: What's Marcus Freeman's role going to be at meeting time and in practices? Where will he spend his time? It's likely will gravitate defense, but still a lot has to be worked out.

No. 3: Refining the offense. What does a Tommy Rees offense look like untethered from Brian Kelly, with lots of new voices in the meeting room and with a vastly different skill set at QB? ... Continuation of those themes will take place beyond spring. One more thing on the checklist — perusing the portal. Notre Dame is at 86 scholarship players as of today. They'll likely be more attrition after spring practice and ahead of the May 1 deadline to be in the portal for 2022 immediate eligibility. That means ND needs to be ready to add from the portal, most likely grad transfers rather than undergrads.

Bob Rodes from Manchester, Tenn.: Quick work! Can you tell us anything about Parker's rep as a coach and rep as a recruiter?

Eric Hansen: This happened pretty fast. I posted on our message boards yesterday that I liked Parker when I heard there was interest in him and thought it had a chance to gain traction — and it did in a hurry. ... I think sometimes people get too granular on the résumés, because sometimes a coach inherits lousy personnel, and they actually improved a bad situation. ... What I like about Parker is 1) Recruiting coordinator background. 2) Rep as a strong on-field teacher, even though most of his experience comes at wide receiver. 3) Offensive coordinator experience. He's not going to coordinate ND's offense, but he can sit in the press box with Tommy Rees on game days and offer suggestions and act as a sounding board, as John McNulty did. I do like that there's a coaching history with Freeman/Parker.

Frank from Royse City, Texas: i am sure Matt Salerno is a great kid, but I don’t see him making an impact as a receiver, why didn’t ND offer another receiver?

Eric Hansen: I don't think ND is counting on Matt Salerno for big impact, just depth. Notre Dame browsed the receivers after the early signing period. The one they liked, Justius Lowe from Oregon, locked in on Oregon quickly before the Irish could get him out for a visit. He signed with Oregon today. Amorion Walker and C.J. Williams were late-in-the-cycle defections. ND has a chance to add through the portal after spring practice. And there will be another wave of prospects hitting the portal in the spring.

David K. from Elkhart, Ind.: First things first ... ND Insider out, Inside ND Sports in! Definitely exciting times for ND Football from my perspective. "They" say people don't like change, which made me wonder how the players are adjusting to the culture shift. Do you get a sense morale is still sky high?

Eric Hansen: Hi David, and thanks for following us over. I think the beauty is there isn't a cultural shift. That's what ND wanted to keep in place, and good programs are able to keep that even when the pieces move. I think the philosophical shift toward upgrading recruiting is one that's going to pay off. The tradeoff is a first-year coach who has a lot of learning to do (any first-year head coach would). I think the euphoria of Marcus Freeman landing the job post-Brian Kelly has given way to a determination by the players to work hard to make it all work. So there's optimism, but a commitment to doing the work to making positive things happen in the fall.

Jeff from Phoenix: Hey Eric, first, I hope your plow guy is reliable! As far as media access to the players, do you see that improving under Freeman after the dust settles on coaching hires, as in ~ post-Blue/Gold game? More specifically, could you see more access to the underclassmen to see how they are adjusting to the coaching changes? As a comment, I thought the returning players and transfers that gave the five-minute interviews a few weeks ago were very articulate and thoughtful and generally excellent representatives of the football program. Given life beyond football and players wanting to "brand" themselves, aren't players asking for more interview opportunities? Thanks!

Eric Hansen: Jeff, I am lucky to have good friends who know I'm tied up today, so they're going to take care of the driveway for me. ... Yes, I think access to both the players and the coaches will be light years better ...at least for now. Today we were supposed to have a shot at interviewing all 12 early-enrolled freshmen. Since we have a major snowstorm here and Notre Dame shut down classes, that has been moved to Friday. But this kind of opportunity NEVER happened since freshmen began early enrolling early in the Weis Era. ... And once Marcus Freeman's new coaching staff is complete (one left to go), we'll have a chance to interview Freeman and all the assistants.

The interviews you referenced are just the Zoom versions of player availability. The players rotate downstairs for those at the practice facility. But upstairs, they talk to the print/dot.com reporters for longer periods of time, so we can really go much more in depth with them. I think it's a win-win-win ... if there is such a thing.

Don in Phoenix: Eric, the article earlier this week regarding staff turnover was timely and spot on. Change within a strong culture is a positive. The fan base may believe it, but how are the players feeling about the turnover? Have to believe it's position group-dependent. What are you hearing?

Eric Hansen: Thanks Don. Phoenix is on fire today in the chat. .... I do think there's some position-specific elements to it, especially if there are a lot of unknowns about the new coach. With Harry Hiestand and Chris Watt, there's elation. And Jeff Quinn was well-liked. But the players know with Harry and Chris, the opportunity to change the trajectory of their careers is real. Brian Mason is making a really strong impression with the special-teamers. I think the biggest shock was Mike Elston and the defensive line. Al Washington did a great job of reaching out to the players before he was formally announced. But it's going to be a gradual thing of earning trust, etc.

I think more than anything else, the players know Marcus Freeman could have gone to LSU or Ohio State as DC before he knew he had a shot at the head coaching gig at ND, AND HE CHOSE THEM. That matters big time. They also know with all the people who decided to defer their NFL dreams, they've got a darn good roster and are determined not to waste that opportunity.

Marie from Atlanta: Hi Eric. I hope you are managing to stay warm in that crazy winter weather. I once read that if you are are committed to Clemson and you want to take visits to other schools that Dabo Swinney requires that you decommit from Clemson before doing so. Given the current lack of stability in college football with regard to both players and coaches, do you think ND and other teams will begin to require more firm commitments from players? For example, when Amorion Walker was supposedly committed but was going on all kinds of visits, can ND say to him, 'That's fine, but we are pursuing other players at your position. And if one of them is willing to give us a firm commitment, you no longer have your offer? It prevents the team from ending up empty-handed at the position. I know this approach might not work well with the five-stars. However, with the more interchangeable players it could ensure that they don't use their commitment as a place holder. Thanks for hosting the chat even during a blizzard!

Eric Hansen: Hi Marie. With Brian Kelly .— especially earlier in his time at ND — there was less tolerance of that. Some of the loosening of that policy came from the fact that for 15 months kids couldn't take visits anywhere, per NCAA rules, because of the pandemic. So, there was the thinking that kids were antsy to take visits and deserved to get out and see places they had only experience on Zoom. With higher-in-demand recruits, with the portal dynamic and with the craziest and most-protracted coaching carousel that I can remember, I think it makes sense to be more tolerant — AS LONG AS, the recruit does a good job of communicating about it and being honest about his intentions. There shouldn't be surprise visits.

David from Chicago: Hey Eric. What do you think the odds of Xavier Watts moving back to WR this season are? Go Irish!

Eric Hansen: Hi David. Unless there is a run of injuries or rehab setbacks amongst the wide receivers, I think Xavier Watts will stay where he is. And even if those occur, he likely would still stay where he is. He's got a very good chance of being a rotational player this year and a starter in 2023. If everything goes right for Brandon Joseph and DJ Brown, they won't be back in 2023. Houston Griffith can't be back in 2023. So Ramon Henderson, Watts and Justin Walters are the future at that position.

Don in Phoenix: Thanks for the response. My sense is Freeman is making all the right moves. A hire or two may not work out, but he seems to have jumped on a treadmill that's moving pretty fast and hasn't missed a beat. If he's missing anything, what do you think it is?

Eric Hansen: I don't think it's a matter of what he's missing as much as it is getting to things further down the laundry list of how he becomes the CEO of this team. It even took Brian Kelly a while to figure that out. And it evolved over time. So how does he delegate? How much does he have a voice in the offense, or it is all Tommy Rees for now? How do he and the new defensive coordinator (presumably Al Golden) mesh on gameday? That was a disaster in the bowl game. Wrong personnel groups in the game at certain points. Players not getting the play calls in on time to them.

I watched Brian Daboll's press conference yesterday. He's s first-time head coach with the New York Giants, and pretty deep into his career before he got that kind of opportunity. I wanted to see what his process was, especially with him having coached under both Nick Saban and Bill Belichick at different junctures. And one of the things he admitted he's got to figure out is when to lean on those resources and who else might be a good one to do so with. He said, "I don't have all the answers." And I think that's an astute and pragmatic way of looking at things. I think Marcus looks at his job the same way and will have to work his way through how the supports can best work for him.

Kevin from Memphis: Hi Eric! The numbers seem a bit low this year. The last I read ND is at 86 scholarship players. That includes C'Bo Flemister and Matt Salerno, plus two kickers and two long snappers. Given the usual attrition after spring practices, and other unforeseen losses, what's ND's plan?

Eric Hansen: The portal is rocking everyone's world. There's record player movement on the FBS level and everyone is having significant roster attrition, it seems. But again, ND can add from the portal. It's just more challenging to do so with underclassmen. The staff has been diligent about monitoring it and making contacts when prudent to do so. And if they need to make moves after spring, with even more talent hitting the portal, they will be ready, I believe.

Denis from Niagara Falls, Ontario: Hi Eric. Regarding Deland McCullough and his sons: As I understand, staff children are entitled to free tuition at ND.

Eric Hansen: Hi Denis. It doesn't appear that it will apply in this case, since both early-enrolled freshman Dasan and high school senior Daeh have announced on Twitter they're going to honor their commitments to Indiana University. I haven't seen Deland II make one yet, but I think transferring again without a degree in hand would be complicated (he was at Miami, Ohio). But let's say there were in play, to answer your question. I don't have the info off the top of my head, but there's a difference in privileges, access, etc., between someone on athletic scholarship and someone receiving free tuition. I believe that's why Ron Powlus III is on scholarship instead of just going the free-tuition route. Montgomery VanGorder was on scholarship, too. So in other words, it's not an ideal way find a loophole for scholarship-caliber players.

Frank from rainy Madison, Ind.: What kind of an impact on not having a defensive coordinator/linebackers coach this close to spring football is this going to have on player development and scheme development? Also who is your favorite option to be the new tight ends coach?

Eric Hansen: Hi Frank. The closer the ND defense is to being schematically similar and the closer the teaching of techniques and terminology are, the less urgent it is to push up the timetable on the defensive coordinator hire. If the change was as dramatic as it was going from Clark Lea to Marcus Freeman was, I'd be concerned. And the change should NOT be dramatic this time. If it were, it would be a missed opportunity with all the veteran players and a chance to build upon the learning from last season. ... I do like the hiring of Gerad Parker as tight ends coach, but I do wonder why Tim Brewster wasn't more strongly considered. He intrigued me as well.

Greg from Chicago: It seemed initially that very few coaches were going to leave ND and would stay with Freeman. Lately it seems like the floodgates opened with Mike Elston leaving, then several others. DC, for one, still hasn’t been filled. I can’t recall in prior years this many vacancies as we head into February. Am I crazy? If not, in your opinion, what is the reason? Doesn’t seem like it’s only ND. Jim Harbaugh leaving Michigan now would be bad form, not that anyone seems to care about those things anymore.

Eric Hansen: The reasons for coaches leaving was hardly universal. And I think across the country there's been an incredible amount of movement (and it's still not over). So to review: O-line coach Jeff Quinn and WR coach Del Alexander were not invited back after the bowl. Marcus/Rees wanted to make changes there. RBs coach Lance Taylor and TEs coach John McNulty had the opportunity to become Power 5 offensive coordinators. Hard to turn that down. Mike Elston's hope to get a shot at the DC job through the back door fizzled with bowl game. He decided to take a lateral move that he hopes will fast-track his ambitions to be a head coach. Special teams coach Brian Polian didn't have an avenue to return, but did have an invite from Brian Kelly to go to LSU, and he took it.

The remaining opening — defensive coordinator/linebackers coach —- came from Marcus Freeman being elevated to head coach. ... The last time ND had seven new faces (which included strength and conditioning coach) it was after the 2016 season. The Irish then went on to produce the most wins in a five-year span in school history. Not saying that will happen this time, but sometimes change is good.

Bill from St Joe: Eric, a tough question for you (and certainly a lot of what ifs) if the rumors about Jim Harbaugh moving back to the NFL turn out to be true and there is no position there either at Michigan or with Harbaugh at the NFL for Mike Elston, do you think he would be welcomed back to ND in some capacity?

Eric Hansen: I think Mike would land on his feet somewhere, because he's that well thought of, but it wouldn't be back at Notre Dame.

Mike from Rockville, MD: Hi, Eric! Love these chats! How much is Jack Swarbrick involved in the interview process for coaches? I'm curious to know if Swarbrick is pushing for Freeman to have an experienced defensive coordinator who can also possibly give him head coaching advice. Also, do you know who else is involved in the process? For instance, are all/some of the assistant coaches and/or current players involved in these interviews? Thanks!

Eric Hansen: Hi Mike. I love the chats too, because of fun conversations like this one with you. ... Jack Swarbrick is very involved. Given his experience in college athletics and his knowledge of what a Notre Dame fit looks like, I'd say that more than makes sense. ... When you say "pushing" I think it's more like a conversation, exchanging ideas about what might be best. And I think Marcus welcomes the feedback, given this is his first shot at putting a staff together. He has ideas of what he's looking for, but everyone has their blind spots. ... I know with some of Brian Kelly's hires, the players were involved in those. I would imagine that's still the case ... at least formulating what traits they'd like in a coach, but I will have to double check and get back next chat with you on that. I haven't had a chance to research that answer.

Ron from Dover, Del.: Hello Eric. Glad to be able to follow you and Tyler on this site, and all the best with endeavor. Everyone was excited that the coaching staff looked to be stable after Brian Kelly danced his way to LSU. But as we have seen, there has been a number of coaches that have left. What do you think the challenges are for Marcus to build a strong staff with all these new faces he is hiring and continue to hire. Also If Al Golden is the D-coordinator, why should we be excited with that hire? Thanks for your thoughts.

Eric Hansen: Ron, thanks for the follow and the good wishes. We'll take 'em. Some of it is just forming chemistry. That's a big unknown anytime there's a lot of new faces and personalities thrown together. Chip Long, for instance, deferred to Harry Hiestand and got along well with him in tour of duty 1 for Harry. Chip and Jeff Quinn? Not a comfortable fit. Marcus has a history with Parker and Washington, so that helps. Harry knows Notre Dame, and that helps. ... I like the potential Al Golden hire, because he was a head coach for a decade at two different places. He's been a coordinator. He knows both sides of the ball well. He can absolutely recruit. And he'll have an NFL/Super Bowl vibe walking in the door -- if they can seal the deal.

The unknown is how well will Marcus and Al work together and how will the dynamic work with play-calling? Will Al Golden be comfortable with how involved Marcus wants to be with the defense? And how in touch with the college game is Al Golden after not having coached in college since 2015 and not having been a coordinator since 2005? Marcus Freeman must have received enough positive response to those questions that he's willing to elongate the hiring process until Golden is ready.

Tom from Kennesaw, Ga.: Hi Eric, I hope that you and Tyler are enjoying your new spot. I'm sure glad that you can still give us your insight into ND football like no one else. Good luck with the snow!! I feel bad for Mike Elston, because it sure looks like Harbaugh is off to the Vikings. Not that he would have stayed at ND, but certainly somewhere else that the coach didn't leave a week later. Question: does ND release height/weight or any other info on the early enrollment freshmen?? Would be interesting to see those numbers now and then after spring ball. Freshman TE Eli Raridon is back in Iowa rehabbing from knee surgery, Is the Irish medical staff in touch with him on rehab? Because he had signed his Letter of Intent but not enrolled could the ND doctors preformed his surgery?? As always thanks for the chats. Go Irish!!

Eric Hansen: Hi Tom, and thanks. We are very much enjoying it ... and I think we'll need luck with the snow if the forecasters are right. We'll see. Notre Dame did put out a spring roster the other day with the freshmen on it. HOWEVER — and this is a big HOWEVER — the heights/weights of the freshmen are NOT updated. And in some cases they are very old. I talked to Jaylen Sneed just ahead of the Jan. 2 Under Armour All-American game. He told me he was 6-2, 212. The ND roster has him at 6-1 1/8 and 198 pounds. He said that was what his measurements were last summer. When we meet with those 12 early enrollees on Friday, I'll ask if/when the roster will be updated. Tyler and I will also make a point to try to ask each of them what their current measurements are.

Not confident I know the answer to the Eli Raridon surgery question. My sense is he could have had it done by the ND doctors, but doing it at home seems to make more sense with rehab and being closer to his doctors, since he doesn't enroll at ND until June. I'm sure there is good communication between the medical folks at both places,

Joey G. from Philadelphia, Pa.: Hi Eric, As an older fan I must admit my fondest memories of the Irish were in the '70s. I especially looked forward to the USC game. So many memorable games, players and coaches. I, for one, want USC to be a Top 10 team anytime we play them. What I don’t understand is why a lot of our fan base are knocking are greatest rival. And seem to want USC to be a cakewalk each year. Do you think it’s jealousy or maybe fear that USC will overtake us? And do you agree that it’s better for us when USC is a Top 10 program?

Eric Hansen: My take is USC is the most bitter of ND's rivals, and that it's hard for fans sometimes to think pragmatically about the Trojans. Given that ND only plays in a conference championship game during the height of a pandemic, having a strong opponent every other late November is a big plus for Notre Dame's strength-of-schedule argument for inclusion into the College Football Playoff.

Larrybe from Dayton, Ohio: I went to Notre Dame in Ara's second season, so I have been around for awhile. Did we ever have a coach leave like Brian Kelly did — left for another coaching job?

Eric Hansen: I wasn't sure if Heartley "Hunk" Anderson jumped or was pushed after succeeding Knute Rockne and coaching the Irish for three years. In going back in the New York Times archives, he indeed quit on his own, apparently over the school's scholarship limits for football players. He landed at NC State a short time later, on Jan. 1, 1934. ... The article did not say, however, if he ever danced with recruits.

Jose from Albuquerque, N.M.: Eric, as an ND fan, it seems pretty rich to see SEC coaches complaining about NIL deals that other schools can now offer (A&M has been the focus of most everybody's ire in the 2022 recruiting cycle). How active is ND in offering NIL deals to recruits that fit academically and have an elite athletic profile? It seems to me that the ND alumni/booster network would have the deep pockets to compete with any university for a recruit save the normal restrictions academically that have always applied to ND. If there are more considerations than just dollars, can you please explain those.

Eric Hansen: Hi Jose. You have a right to be confused. In fact, if you weren't I would think there's something wrong with you. Players can receive things other than cash ... like free meals, or —- in the case of ND's offensive linemen —- dude wipes. Seriously. The NCAA let this mess happen. They could have had good guardrails in place to make NIL make more sense. It's hard to commit a violation the way the rules are set up. It's possible, but is it enforceable? There needs to be big changes in limits. NIL, in and of itself, is a great concept. The way it's being used now is not universally so. As far as ND goes, they're putting great effort into helping their student-athletes take advantage of NIL legally. Just yesterday it was announced they had hired Brandon Lee to the staff to work with players on NIL. Here's his bio. To better answer your question, NIL wasn't created with the intent of having premeditated deals in place. It was supposed to take advantage of a free market. Once the boundaries become existent with NIL, I think Notre Dame's international brand will work to the school's and players' advantage.

Paul W. from Toronto, Ontario: Hi Eric. Long-time reader, first-time writer from North of the border. Minority hiring has been a hot topic in the football world. Do you feel the race of the coaching staff and recruiting team has any effect on a recruit and their family about which school they choose to attend?

Eric Hansen: Paul, to be honest I have never given that any thought. I think diversity on coaching staffs is important, especially on campuses where there is a lack of it. But as far as recruiting, I think personality and perseverance rise about everything else.

Rog from Saint Louis: Does the coaching staff have someone who tries to anticipate the adjustments the other team will do (based upon what they are currently running), and come up with new strategies to have waiting? Or do they wait 'til the other team implements their adjustments, then try to come up with changes after the fact?

Eric Hansen: That's largely what analysts do. So there's data ready to help make decisions. There still can be surprises, though, especially when a team has an extra week to prepare and shows something in the game they've NEVER shown on film that season.

Eric Hansen: That's going to do it for this week. We'll probably wait until the coaching staff is in place and we've chatted with them before I do another live chat. Keep an eye on our message board and on my Twitter, and I'll let you know when the next one is coming. Thanks for all the great questions this week.

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