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Chat Transcript: Rees' future, ND's fourth-down blues, portal particulars

Notre Dame running back Audric Estimé (7) bowls over a defender during a 44-0 Irish victory over Boston College on Nov. 19.
Notre Dame running back Audric Estimé (7) bowls over a defender during a 44-0 Irish victory over Boston College on Nov. 19. (Jeff Douglas, Inside ND Sports)

Eric Hansen: Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, Back to Frozen Tundra Edition.

Some quick programming notes:

► Our Inside ND Sports podcast presented by Dead Soxy this week has been pushed back to Thursday, so keep an eye out for it. We’ll spend a considerable amount of time on the show talking about the transfer portal and who and what might make sense for Notre Dame in this cycle. In the meantime, check out Rivals new Transfer Tracker and Portal ratings. They’ll be updated daily until the first portal window closes on Jan. 18.

Tyler James and I were back with our YouTube show, Monday Night Live, this week. Beyond breaking down Notre Dame’s 38-27 loss to USC, we discussed the coming transfer portal tsunami, ND’s bowl options, the future of QB at Notre Dame, bowl priorities, and a recruiting reset. The show continues its run next Monday night at 7 ET. If you can’t catch us live, you can watch anytime during the week, as the show keeps its shelf life going through the entire week.

► Finally, recruiting writer Kyle Kelly will host a subscribers-only recruiting chat in the Insider Lounge on Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST.

As for the chat, PLEASE INCLUDE your name and hometown along with your question(s). You're also free to confess whether you've been naughty or nice this year if you think it will help.

Here are the rules:

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Let's get started.

Bobby from Cleveland: Do you think it's time for Notre Dame to hire a full-time quarterback coach? The progress and development of the quarterbacks under Tommy Rees has been less than awe inspiring (2017 Avery Davis: switched positions, 2018 Phil Jurkovec: transferred to find success, 2019 Brendon Clark: transferred, 2020 Drew Pyne: an average game manager, 2021 Tyler Buchner: wasn't setting the world on fire before getting injured). Can Rees properly develop a quarterback while also running the offense? And do you think this lack of quarterback success plays a part in ND's inability to get that 5-star super recruit at that position?

Eric Hansen: Bobby, whether Marcus Freeman would want to hire a full-time QBs coach, it's logistically challenging for now. The NCAA is pondering both taking the cap off what grad assistants can earn as well as deregulating the size of paid assistants on coaching staffs. If/when that happens, your scenario could easily take place if that's the direction Freeman wanted to go. As things stand now, Tommy Rees would either have to coach another position while being the OC or someone else on the offense would have to coach two positions. In the first scenario, you'd have to let someone go. Who would that be? You could also hire an experienced analyst. While he couldn't coach on the field in practices or games. there's still quite a bit of potential value in such a move. If I'm Freeman, that's an offseason move that I'd strongly consider.

Scott-Sacramento: Eric, Tough loss to USC, Notre Dame was beaten at their own game. USC ran the ball down our throat at will. USC backup TB runs for over 140 yards. Notre Dame blitzing their LBs every play is getting old, no pressure on throws and not stopping the run game. LB play is horrible!! Liufau in 12 games this season is averaging 4 tackles per game, Bertrand 7 tackles per game, Kiser 5 tackles per game, HORRIBLE. The DC was a LB coach last year, Freeman played LB, Laurinatis played LB, yet our LB play is lacking at best. Lincoln Riley outschemed Golden at will. Two of USC TD's that went wide were untouched, on one play Williams and the WR both walked into the end zone, the other Williams just taunted Kiser who had no clue about outside containment. Do any of the press ask Golden any hard questions?

Eric Hansen: Scott, forgive me but when someone asks me if the media asks tough questions, I think you know that we do if you watch or listen to any of the press conferences. If you want them to be asked in a confrontational/disrespectful manner, that's not going to happen. If your aim is to get information, there's an art to asking tough questions that get you that information. Being an ass isn't the way to do it. If you want to check our website, we have all the Al Golden Tuesday night interviews saved from this season. And if you sift through, you can see questions about linebacker play -- and specific linebackers -- was a common theme. I asked many of those myself.

There are some fans that think if you're confrontational with the coaches, they'll say, "Gee whiz, I never thought of that. Let me change my ways." It doesn't work like that. ... Now that I got that off my chest. Yes, the linebacker play needs to improve. Part of it this season was playing so much nickel and having only two of them on the field. Part of it was three scheme changes in three years. But there's plenty of talent on this roster with more coming. The competition in the spring at that position group will be one of the key areas to watch.

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Jaime, Naperville IL: Hello Eric, happy chat day. Looking forward a bit to next season's RB room with Tyree, Diggs, Estime, and a (fingers crossed) healthy and talented Jadarian Price. How do you see carries being distributed among this stable of dynamic players on top of a group of highly talented incoming freshmen in Love, Edwards, & Limar. Kind of a log jam, which is a great problem to have! Curious to get your predictive analysis on how you think that likely shakes out.

Eric Hansen: Hi Jaime. If everyone stays, that'll be eight scholarship running backs on the roster and a lot of really good ones. I think the first move would be to see if Chris Tyree is open to moving to slot receiver. That solves two problems. I also think Jeremiyah Love will be used part-time as a receiver, which he embraces. Maybe you redshirt Dylan Edwards and Jayden Limar. Then you'd have Audric Estimé, Logan Diggs and Jadarian Price as your rotation. I guess Gi'Bran Payne would be insurance and special teams. But that, to me, is the most likely scenario, barring another position change.

Tom from Toronto: Thank you again for your great work on the chats and your and Tyler James excellent articles each week. Southern Cal had a very good game plan on both sides of the ball and executed it well. Unlike a number of times in prior years, ND was not out of any of their games this year, which says good things about Marcus Freeman and his staff. While I thought that Coach Freeman had learned from the Stanford game to take the points, he seemed to forget that against SC. Missing the fourth and one changed the complexion of the game. Do you agree? Should he have the words "take the points" sewn into all of his shirts? Or would you suggest another piece of advice? Looking forward to the chats once the bowl game is sorted.

Eric Hansen: Tom, thank you. The failed fourth down was a huge moment in this game. But fourth downs were problematic all season. Maybe the answer is better fourth-down plays? The two teams at the top of the CFP rankings, Georgia and Michigan, converted fourth downs at a rate of 85% and 88% respectively. That's the top two percentages in the country. Notre Dame was at 40 percent (6 of 15), which is tied for 105th nationally. They didn't go for it an inordinate amount of times. Fifteen attempts is tied for the 13th lowest. Texas Tech led the nation with 47 attempts BUT they converted 62 percent of the time. In this particular game, ND was already down 10-0. I probably would have gone for it myself. I think the bigger problem was 3rd-and-2, which turned out to be a Drew Pyne 1-yard run.

Joe H Williams Bay Wi Hey Eric Another regular season in the books and thanks for all your great analysis.Very frustrated and disappointed with our defensive performance Saturday night Missed tackles aside it looked to my as if we were completely disorganized and out of position most of the time Marist Liufau in particular looked misaligned and out of position Thought the players played hard and showed a lot of fight but thought the coaches let them down with a very poor defensive scheme Not sure if Al Golden is the right guy to lead the defense and I for one would like to see us take a serious run at Jim Leonhard for our DC going forward

Eric Hansen: Jim Leonhard is elite, and ND kicked the tires on him in the last DC search, but he wasn't interested. But here are two things to consider when asking about a coaching change at DC: The ND defense regressed in some areas, but in total defense, the Irish improved from 43rd nationally to 23rd this year. And is a fourth scheme/coordinator/linebackers coach in four years going to be good for the players? Now Saturday night was a bad night at the office against a very good offense. ND spend a lot of time in a 3-3-5 look, which didn't work well at all. Perhaps the sloppy tackling was due in part because of that alignment, with different pursuit angles, different responsibilities.

Shane from White Deer, Texas: Hey Eric - hope you are well post 2022 season. Can’t believe it’s already over. So, do you think we were really ever in this ballgame? Maybe I am just being a homer, but it seems without the two turnovers and the 4th down tight end sneak (ugh), the Irish had a good chance of winning. Caleb Williams is a dynamic QB and makes flashy plays, but through all his heroics, I refuse to believe there was not a path to victory in the second half, unless you say - Shane, take off your rose colored glasses and come back to reality. If that’s the case , I will let it go and get ready for the bowl game. Thanks for the season and answering my questions. Go Irish!!

Eric Hansen: The two turnovers and the turnover are downs (and the correct replay reversal of a potential USC turnover) all kept the game from turning into a whoever-has-the-ball-last affair. ND's defense -- both in its execution and allowing USC to hog the ball -- was problematic. Thanks, Shane.

Jack Strongsville, Ohio: Hi Eric. I believe you wrote that this would be a defining season for Tommy Reese. How would you evaluate his performance this year. Do you believe he wants and will return as OC in 2023? Thanks for the great work.

Eric Hansen: Thanks, Jack. I think if Tommy Rees left after this season, it would be for an NFL job, but I don't think this season positioned him well for the kind of NFL job he would desire. Maybe after 2023. I think this season defined Rees as an offensive coordinator who had some really good moments and also showed his inexperience. Certainly total offense isn't the only measure of an OC, but when you're 75th nationally in it with the players you recruited, I think it's fair to say production hasn't yet caught up to his potential.

Terry, Downers Grove IL: Hi Eric, if you had to make a prediction now, which 5 incoming freshmen do you envision having the most immediate impact on next year's team?

Eric Hansen: Hey Tony, off the top of my head and assuming everyone stays in the class: 1. S Peyton Bowen, 2. WR Jaden Greathouse, 3. RB Jeremiyah Love, 4. LB Drayk Bowen, 5. DE Brenan Vernon. Sometimes it's about the quality of player. Sometimes it's about opportunity. And sometimes it's both.

Bob from Naperville: A quick three parter, 1) who made the mistake to prioritize the DL from Harvard over Jacob Lacey ? 2) Pyne seems to be taking a lot of heat for 23-26. Granted he had two turnovers, but Watts should have intercepted two himself. Mickey was a much bigger issue than Pyne in that game. Do you agree ? 3). What are the two moves you hope our cardinals make this offseason ? Thanks for the chat.

Eric Hansen: Thanks, Bob. 1. Chris Smith (6-1, 310) wasn't prioritized over Jacob Lacey (6-1, 280). They pursued him when Aidan Keanaaina (6-3, 323) was injured. The Irish wanted to have a nose guard with size for those occasions that was needed. Now why Lacey wasn't used more is on new D-line coach Al Washington. Lacey had a lot of equity built up with former D-line coach Mike Elston that did not carry over, right or wrong. 2. I guess I don't break down the game necessarily to play the blame game, though I suppose it might look that way. But however you slice it, ND HAD to win the turnover battle against the nation's No. 1 team in turnover margin to win this game. 3. I wish I could answer that one, but haven't had time to give it enough thought to give you an intelligent answer.

Mike from Toronto: Eric, I'm not sure of the rules and timelines regarding recruiting and contact/non-contact periods. Are the coaches on the road as we speak? Naughty or nice? I thought I was nice, but after I got to 4 home games this year, my wife would disagree. Driving through Michigan for the BC game was a hoot. I should have driven a snowmobile.

Eric Hansen: Hi Mike. We'll give you credit for being nice. The recruiting calendar shifted this year. The contact period starts Friday. I think why there was a bit of confusion in that area is because Ohio State coach Ryan Day made an in-home visit during the dead period, using a loophole/gray area to do it and betting, I suppose, the NCAA would see it his way.

Tom Kennesaw, GA+: Hi Eric, other than the game I hope you had a good trip out west. My question/comment is regarding the bowl game practices and who you expect to get a good look in practice and in the game. There are players who are going to be needed next season who have not played much, like Spindler and Schrauth. I hope they play most of the second half. Also Ty Ford and Gobaira. Who are your players to look for. Q#2: The improved play of Colzie and Styles late in the season plus Merriweather and the 2023 WR's maybe our WR room isn't as dire as we thought. What do you think?? Now we keep our fingers crossed for 3 weeks that all the commitments sign on the 21st/22nd. Go Irish!!!!

Eric Hansen: Hi Tom and thanks. I think it's more realistic that some of the young, developmental players will get opportunities in the bowl practices rather than the game itself. I'll try to get a better feel on that when we talk to Marcus Freeman presumably on Sunday. My opinion is that it's incredibly important to work into the bowl prep schedule. The extensive list is pretty long to run in this format — will likely do a story soon, but I'd prioritize Jaylen Snead, Prince Kollie, Junior Tuihalamaka, Justin Walters, Jaden Mickey, Steve Angeli, Tobias Merriweather, Rocco Spindler, Billy Schrauth and Holden Staes.

No. 2. I do like the talent of the young receivers on the roster — agreed — and the likely four coming in. But especially if Chris Tyree does not move to the slot, I'd still go out and get an experienced elite grad transfer WR this December to play slot receiver.

Don in Phoenix: I know there is a bowl game coming but how would you grade CMF's first season starting with the last season's bowl game? Where were the significant improvements? What needs work? What needs to change?

Eric Hansen: Don, big broad questions that I'll go in more detail about once I have a chance to sit down with Marcus Freeman and pick his brain after the season. But let me play along and give you the shorter chat version. I'd give him a solid B with no detention. I think the biggest significant improvement was his understanding of the offense and how to impact the players on that side of the ball, without having nuanced expertise. I also thought he got better at messaging to the team as he went along and had smoother game day operations. What needs work? He needs to be willing and able to be a fixer, even if it means stepping on toes. I think he could have impacted the defense more. One thing I loved was how willing he was to unapologetically examine EVERYTHING after a game, win or lose, in an attempt to find a better way. What needs to change? I think D-line coach Al Washington has some proving to do with regard to both player development and recruiting.

Mike McFadden, Williamsport, Pa.: Hi Eric, Can you please explain, if there is a valid explanation, why Coach Freeman decided to go for 2 point conversion late in the game? IE losing by 11 pts vs losing by 9 pts? Why did ND use QB/TE sneak early in the game with 11 USC vs 9 ND players? I know it worked good 3 times before this year but that was with the whole ND lined up in a spread offense not a stacked offense. Last question, promise, why didn't Coach Freeman use ND's last 2 TO's with over a minute to play? That is called a forfeit to me. We could get the ball back with 10-20 seconds left. I am totally confused over these actions. Thanks Eric.

Eric Hansen: Hi Mike, yes the two-point conversion attempt was a head scratcher. And perhaps one of the reasons that (and many other) questions didn't get asked postgame was because the USC security wouldn't let the media up the tunnel to attend the press conference. Thus only two reporters, one USC and one ND, were there. And the presser only lasted five minutes. But yes, the two-point conversion made no sense. ... The QB/TE sneak has been very successful. But the way USC was aligned, a timeout was probably the best call in that moment. ... I'm not sure down two scores calling those timeouts would have been something I would have considered.

Tony, Lake Mary, FL: I am reading a lot of shade throwing on the defense in the game. Pinpointing specific plays, etc. I certainly felt that the defense was doing ok, but the continual chasing of Caleb Williams and the demoralization if those somehow becoming completions was just constantly draining and tiring. I think not having Bracy and Hart was probably a major factor. Not to mention the plethora of no calls for holding, although I can understand how in a scramble situation it is disproportionately harder to watch every lineman in a 15-square yard box. Curious if you have any comments on any of this. I think Williams was just fantastic and not having to experienced secondary members was the key

Eric Hansen: All good points. I made the point about Cam Hart and TaRiq Bracy in my postgame column, not to make an excuse, but to explain why schematically, the Irish weren't able to dedicate more resources to stopping the run and how the defense was essentially in a run/pass conflict the entire game. I wasn't watching for the holding calls, because I don't cover a game that way. I'll notice them once in a while, but I heard from MANY of you about that throughout the game, so I don't doubt it.

Newt in Midlothian, Va: It's been a long time. Work and family catches up with you. Glad to see you are still at it with the live chat. Remember when you used to ask for your 40 time? Lol. Anywho, when do you think the bowl game destination will be announced?

Eric Hansen: Oh wow. How cool is it to hear from you. For everyone else, Newt was a regular way back when I started these chats 100 years or so ago. My 40 time is measured with a sun dial now. Notre Dame's bowl game will be officially announced on Sunday (noon to 4 ET). We'll probably know sooner. It's either going to be Gator, Cheez-it or Holiday, with ND-South Carolina in the Gator trending with some momentum, with ND-Mississippi State also a strong possibility there.

Michael, Charleston, W.Va.: Are we going to have a good kicker for next year? Blake Grupe struggled on field goals second half of the season

Eric Hansen: Blake Grupe converted 72 percent of his field goal attempts, more than half of which came from between 40 and 49 yards. He has exhausted his eligibility. The competitors to replace him will be kickoff man Zac Yoakam, Josh Bryan and soon-to-be walk-on Marco Diomede.

Marie from Atlanta: Hi Eric, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and got to spend some quality time with family. Now that we have a complete season to look back upon, how would you grade Al Golden’s overall performance this year? Also, how would you grade his ability to make adjustments? Thinking back on this season I could not think of a game in which I was overly impressed by adjustments that were made, but I can think of some times when I thought adjustments should’ve been made and were not. What do you think are the biggest issues that need to be tackled in order to improve linebacker play for 2023? I thought linebacker play was very poor at the beginning of the year, then took some steps forward, but seem to regress this past weekend. As always, thanks so much for hosting the chat and look forward to hearing your insights.

Eric Hansen: Hi Marie, I hit on some of the facets of your questions earlier in the chat, but I'd give Golden overall a B. I think his head coaching experience was invaluable for Marcus Freeman, and to finish in the top 25 in total defense is an accomplishment. The Irish faced four of the nation's top 12 QBs in pass efficiency and three of the top 11 teams in total offense. Yes, lots of room for improvement in the area of in-game adjustment and linebacker play, especially against elite teams. With all the young talent and incoming talent coming this spring in the linebacker room, I expect the competition will solve a lot of the problems as well being in the same scheme for two years in a row.

Jeff from Phoenix: Good morning Eric. In looking forward to the 2023 OL composition, maybe you can revisit the potential for Rocco Spindler. At guard, it appears there are opportunities now to crack the starting line-up. Do you think he can make the push this winter/spring to get there? Is he a transfer risk or is his progress more on track for being a contributor in year 4 or 5? A shout out to all the enthusiastic chatters in the Phoenix area and thanks as always-

Eric Hansen: Hi Jeff, and yes Phoenix always seems to represent well. This is a huge winter/spring for Rocco Spindler, who will be a junior with sophomore eligibility. With Josh Lugg and Jarrett Patterson moving on, there are two openings for starters. Now remember, it's not necessarily the best guys who have been working at guard, but the best five total. So, Alt, Fisher, Correll and ... I believe there will be five players competing for two spots — Spindler, Andrew Kristofic, Billy Schrauth, Michael Carmody and Tosh Baker, provided they all stay out of the portal. I like Rocco's chances, but that's a formidable group. With the portal rules the way they are, everyone is a transfer risk who has played very limited downs for two years.

Derek Q, Oakville, ON, Canada: Hi Eric, Thanks again for the update on the recruiting calendar. Has anyone asked why Estime only received 3 carries in the first half? I am not a College OC but I would have given him the first 3 carries and as many as he could handle. Yes we have other backs..yes they need to be used but the game plan in my humble opinion was not one to be proud of.

Eric Hansen: Derek, thanks. Marcus Freeman was not asked about Audric Estimé in the postgame. Given he averaged more than 7 yards a carry on his six carries, I have a sneaking suspicion there was an injury involved. Will try to get that answer the next time we have Marcus in front of us, which should be Sunday.

Eric Hansen: A lot of you are asking about transfer portal questions. Just trying to find one that will allow me to give a complete and consolidated answer.

Jordan - South Bend: Hey Eric, I hope you and yours had a great Thanksgiving holiday. With the recent news that Cade McNamara will hit the portal, I was wondering if you can recall why he backed off his verbal pledge to the Irish. Seems like he is the game manager that can take ND to the next level as he's already proven to do so last year. Plenty of interest in Devin Leary and Tanner McKee if the latter forgoes the draft. Have you had time to pick a favorite to lead the Irish next season? Also, by my count at least 9 of the 22 pledges in the 2019 class have transferred. Does this seem abnormally high or is this just the era now with college free agency?

Eric Hansen: Jordan, honestly I don't recall, and tried a quick archive search and came up empty. I do remember Notre Dame had to scramble and came up with Brendon Clark, who was a Wake Forest commit originally. As far as reuniting with the impending transfer from Michigan, I think ND can do better. As far as picking a favorite, I'll wait until the portal officially opens to underclassmen on Monday and we get a better feel for the entire pool of available talent.

Eric Hansen: Here's how Rivals rates the QBs already in the portal or having declared they're headed that way on Monday. There's a magnifying feature to read the chart or you can check it out at https://n.rivals.com/transfer_tracker/2023.

Eric Hansen: Keep in mind, grad transfers are easy to get into school. Underclassmen, not easy. Some are impossible because of transferring credits. Also, ND needs to be clear what it's looking for -- a one-year bridge or someone with multiple seasons of eligibility. Another consideration, does ND want a dual-threat guy? Of the last six to lead their team to a national title, only Mac Jones of Alabama in 2020 did not average 3.0 yards per carry in rushing. And keep in mind, fit is important. Of all the QBs in last year's portal, Drew Pyne outperformed all but four of them in pass efficiency.

Sean-Schaumburg, Il: I'll take 8-4. Lots of positives from Freeman. One of my friends was convinced that holding occurred on the majority of scrambles by Williams in the first half. I didn’t see anything egregious. Did you or any of the writers notice any holding calls that were missed/egregious? As a college official in another sport it's always a weak/annoying argument to blane the refs. Pyne did get smacked in the head in the first half that went uncalled. I don't like our agreement with the ACC. That game vs NC State played in the remnants of a hurricane should never have been played in those conditions. The ACC tries sticking it to us any chance they get. Any chance we pivot to the Big Ten before 2030? With USC/UCLA joining we can join and keep our Cali connections. I appreciate your professionalism and insight. I hope to be in Dublin for Navy. Be well. Go Irish!!

Eric Hansen: Thanks Sean. I'm going to focus on the last part of your question ... the part about the Big Ten. The buzz about Notre Dame having to or should join a conference has quieted down considerably with the knowledge that ND really wants to stay independent in football and the speculation that its next media rights deal may allow for that. Should the latter not prove true, then the buzz will be back. For it to be the Big Ten and not the ACC would require Notre Dame to legally escape from its grant of rights commitment to the ACC, which runs through 2035-36. That could be difficult and expensive. I think in the next year, the math will become clear and reveal ND's direction.

Denny: Hello Eric, Any chance that Keon Keeley comes back into the 2023 ND recruiting class? Is it a long shot?? Might the reason he won't come back is the NIL $$$ from Bama or OSU?

Eric Hansen: Recruiting is weird. Weird things happen. For him to come back to the ND class at this point would push the weirdness scale to new heights. I don't see it.

John - Palmyra, PA: Because (I) believe Keon is still very much considering ND, who do you feel has a better percentage chance of ending up at ND - Keeley or Dasan McCullough? And what percentage chance do you give him?

Eric Hansen: I think I have a better chance of ending up in Notre Dame's recruiting class than Keon Keeley. As far as Indiana freshman edge player Dasan McCullough, he's not in the portal yet. He's the son of Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough. If/when he's in the portal, I'd be happy to assess that.

Rich Key West: I would assume that the coaching staff will remain in tact at the end of the season. It would be a little quick for Coach Freeman to be making many changes in those roles. What changes would you think would be appropriate if improvement is not shown in their respective position groups next season?

Eric Hansen: There would be some assistants who have opportunities elsewhere, so we'll see. I think the biggest change I'd like to see is beefing up the analyst staff with quality, experienced coaches willing to take on those roles.

Paul from Toronto, Ontario: Hi Eric. I’m no expert in quarterback evaluations and I don’t mean to pile on the young man but in the recruiting process what did the Irish see in Drew Pyne. It seems to be established that he is a short average at best athlete with a weak arm that is not particularly accurate. His decision making in the pocket seems slow as is his foot speed. He stares down his receivers and doesn’t go through his progressions to find the open man. It usually can be said a QB has some strengths be it a strong arm, good athlete, or accuracy but he has none of these. Is this an issue about lack of development by Coach Rees or poor evaluation of Pyne’s abilities during the recruiting process.

Eric Hansen: Hi Paul. Statistically, Drew Pyne got better as the season went on and finished 20th nationally in passing efficiency. so I don't think development was an issue. Evaluation? Probably. Drew was very advanced at an early age, but didn't appreciably grow physically and it caught up to him. In Rees' defense, Alabama, LSU. Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, Penn State, Tennessee and Texas A&M all were among the schools that also offered him a scholarship.

Eric Hansen: That's going to have to do it for today. Thanks for all the great questions. Len from the Jersey Shore, that was the longest question in the history of the chat. Sorry I couldn't get to it. But, we'll be back to do it all over again next Wednesday at noon EST, at which time we can dig into the bowl opponent and the portal possibilities.

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