Chat Transcript: The state of the Notre Dame Football O-line and D-line
Eric Hansen: Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat brought to you by J&R Solutions.
Some quick programming notes:
► Join Tyler James and me Thursday night for this week’s live episode of our weekly Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps. Remember, if you miss the live show, you can catch up anytime on YouTube.
► If you missed our Inside ND Sports Podcast, our special guest Dennis Dodd discussed the rapidly changing NCAA landscape, and how it might affect and NOT affect Notre Dame’s independence in football. The national college football writer for CBS Sports also discussed the new departures from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten and Big 12, what comes next for the ACC, how the Pac-12 managed to crumble, the expectations for Notre Dame's media rights deal, if the Big Ten and SEC are going to have too much power in college football, how other sports could revert back to regional conferences, the most intriguing game on ND's 2023 schedule and more. The podcast can be listened to via SoundCloud or on your preferred podcast platform including: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Podbean and Pocket Casts.
► I’ve returned to WSBT radio as a co-host with Darin Pritchett on Weekday SportsBeat (960 AM, live streaming at wsbtradio.com) on Wednesdays and Thursdays during training camp and the 2023 Notre Dame Football season. I'll also be co-hosting the pregame shows with Darin. The weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET. You can download episodes as podcasts.
Now to today's chat ...Please remember to include your name and hometown with your question. Exclamation points are accepted too.
Here are the rules:
Eric Hansen: Let's get the chatting going.
James from Columbus: Hi Eric. What are your impressions of both fronts after watching the live practice Tuesday? Strengths of the team, cause for concern, or somewhere in between. Thanks!
Eric Hansen: I wrote about my impressions Tuesday night and will expand on those two areas now. There's a certain inherent mirage effect of an open practice even this deep into training camp. Unintentionally, because there's still tweaking and personnel experimenting going on. And intentionally, because they know the media is going to report what they see, so they make things vanilla. Having said that, the defensive front continues to be the surprise storyline of both spring and preseason camp. They're deep, they're loud, they're confident, but are they for real? I'm becoming more convinced of that and the whole front 7 but still exercising some caution in my optimism. The offensive line has really great individual pieces. It still does not look like a cohesive unit. There has been a lot of mixing and matching of the guards. There's work to be done here, but there's not a lack of talent.
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Len from the Jersey Shore: Hello Eric, Great coverage of camp by you, Tyler and Charleston. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. Every ND fan knows many things need to gel or go right for this team to really fly. On O the team needs a QB to flourish, young WR's to grow and contribute early, developing backup RB's and deciding on the best TE rotation from a talented pool. But the O line was a given and as close to a known as these things can be. As was pointed out this is not the spring or the beginning of training camp. And it appears the O line laid an egg in the open scrimmage on Tuesday. Particularly the number of times someone on the line was physically beat. Last year JP was a positive influence on the players of the O line and especially those playing next to him. I keep wondering if Zeke C is the best option at center. Are the failing of the guards partially caused by a center that gets blown up by the D line too often? Nothing messes up a guards footwork as badly as a retreating center. Your take is appreciated.
Eric Hansen: Hi Len, and thank you. I see Zeke Correll at THIS stage of his career as more of an answer than a question. He's more powerful, reads fronts and coverages well. And remember those guards are also playing next to one of the best tackles in college football, no matter which side they're on. Tracking Joe Rudolph is new to me, so his timetables and methods I'm learning in the fly. In talking with him, he's very clear on what he prioritizes and he has a very good player development record from his days at Wisconsin, so he gets the benefit of the doubt from me. For now. It's better that he ends up with the right offensive guards, builds depth now, and gets the growing pains over now than carry those processes into the season.
Bill from St Joe, Mich.: Eric, I thought you recent article on Sam Hartman was amongst your best which is a high bar! So, going into preseason practice, I thought that ND’s overall success would hinge on how good the DL would be and to a lesser extent the safeties. But I’m beginning to be concerned about the interior of the O-Line. Should I be concerned?
Eric Hansen: Thanks, Bill. There is a recurring theme today with the O-line. I'm not denying there's work to be done. But I also know what I saw Tuesday night wasn't meant to be the finished product. Worth watching, not worth panicking over at this stage. There is talent -- and depth.
Dave from Ponte Vedra, Fla.: How would you assess the depth on the defensive line at this point? I’m fearful this could be our weak link.
Eric Hansen: Two kinds of depth here to look at -- depth as in how large and how effective the rotations will be. Depth as in losing a starter or two for a long stretch to injury. ... I'm increasingly bullish on No. 1. The reason, players who are non-starters who are playing at a high level. Jason Onye is the No. 1 example. But even guys down the depth chart like Tyson Ford, Boubacar Traore and Brenan Vernon look this part. The second part of the depth question ... I think it would be a blow to lose Jordan Botelho, Rylie Mills or Howard Cross for a long stretch. Not that ND couldn't survive it on most games, but the Irish need all the tumblers to click into place when they play three top 10 opponents this season.
Frank from Royse City, Texas: Eric, is Nolan Ziegler back with the team? If not, does ND have any idea if he is even coming back?
Eric Hansen: Sophomore linebacker Nolan Ziegler has not been at practice in recent days due to a personal situation for which he's asked for privacy. There is every expectation that he will return to the Irish roster. We just don't know when, and perhaps neither does he yet.
Matt from Salem, Ore.: Really enjoy your chats. Hear so many things about the receivers. It sounds like TE Staes is a great receiving option. It appears that the ball could be spread around a lot. Do you think that 3-4 might all have similar numbers of catches to lead the team, or might there be 1 that pulls away significantly from the rest? Would you be worried if a true #1 doesn't separate?
Eric Hansen: Matt, when you say "receivers", I am going to assume you want me to include the wide receivers in my answer as well, as well as the running backs? If I misinterpreted, you can call me a big dummy and re-ask the question next week. Let me start with TE Holden Staes. Especially with Kevin Bauman having missed so much camp and Eli Raridon coming back slowly. his opportunities has expanded. And Staes has taken advantage of it. He grows on me every time I see him. But I think junior WR Jayden Thomas is the No. 1 receiver on this team and soph WR Tobias Merriweather the freakiest. I believe Thomas will lead ND in receptions and he'll be a big security blanket on third down and in the red zone. Given the many options of WRs, TEs and RBs, I think once you get past Thomas, there will be a lot of parity from a stats standpoint.
Chris from Albuquerque: Hey Eric, less than 3 weeks baby! As I listen to more college football talk the "experts" like Joe Klatt say the lack of elite speed at wr could be what keeps up from have a great season. From what you have seen and/or heard do we have the WRs needed to beat OSU, USC and Clemson?
Eric Hansen: I don't know Joe Klatt and I didn't personally hear him say that, so let me take it on the premise that those words were uttered to you by a random stranger at Lizard Tail Brewing. I would agree that dynamic passing game play, the lack of elite skill at QB and and the lack of a depth of elite skill at WR, has held some of the really good Brian Kelly teams back. On paper, at least, this team does not fit that mold. There is a better QB than ND has had since pre-Kelly and there is better skill at WR than any time since the Charlie Weis Era. There are questions that have to be answered on the field about this team before it plays the first of those big three Sept. 23, but I don't think WR speed will top the list of concerns or even be close.
Ced Walker from Saginaw, Mich.: How many freshmen do u see playing this season trust the process god bless the golden standard rally we are nd go irish love thee notre dame our mother pray for us.
Eric Hansen: Hey Ced. I'm going to eliminate special teams from my answer and give you the freshmen who I think who have the best chance of playing at a position on offense or defense in a rotational role and in more than the redshirt cutoff of four games: WRs Jaden Greathouse and Rico Flores Jr., RB Jeremiyah Love, DE Boubacar Traore, LBs Jaiden Ausberry and Drayk Bowen, CB Christian Gray, S Adon Shuler. So eight of them. Others sprinkled in on special teams and in blowouts.
Matt from Long Island, N.Y.: At the risk of sounding like a vulture circling around the Pac 12 as it lay dying in the desert, is there any chance of ND getting back in the hunt for Elijah Rushing (DE committed to Ariz) or Emmett Mosley (WR committed to Stan, and son of two ND varsity athletes)? The 2024 class is almost complete, but those two sound like players for whom you make room. Thanks, as always, for the great work.
Eric Hansen: Our Rivals national analysts have reached out to a lot of the Pac-12 recruits, and the prevailing sentiment is that most want to stay put for now and see where things are headed. Notre Dame would certainly make room for Elijah Rushing, but I don't know that Arizona going to the Big 12 would be seen by him as a reason to question his commitment. Emmett Mosley is really good and Stanford is more in a state of flux. It would be harder for ND to make room for him. Another WR in the 2024 class is not the same priority as pulling in one of the elite edge players in the 2024 class, even with Mosley's ND connections.
Dan from Granger, Ind.: Do you think the ND AD's biggest concern with all this conference musical chairs nonsense is not about football at all but where all the Olympic sports might land?
Eric Hansen: Absolutely at the moment. The three pillars that hold up Notre Dame's desire to remain an independent in football are: Playoff access to play for a national title, a media rights deal that keeps Notre Dame competitive financially, and a place to house the basketball and Olympic sports teams. You blow any one of those up, and ND has to strongly consider joining a football conference full time. I suggest listening to our latest Inside ND Sports Podcast with CBSsports.com national college football writer Dennis Dodd, who thinks the Irish are on solid ground in all three of those phases as we stand now. Just take us on your next walk, jog, drive.
Kevin from Sleepy Eye, Minn.: Eric!!!!!!!!!!!…that enough 😂. ACC: where’s it going and more importantly will the changes affect us? Go Irish ☘️
Eric Hansen: Kevin!!!!!! The ACC is possibly looking to add, perhaps Cal and Stanford and maybe SMU. Another topic addressed in the Inside ND Sports Podcast. Florida State is certainly publicly whining, but is it more bluster and substance? It seems to be for now.
Larry from Topton, Pa.: Greetings Eric! Thanks for the chats, and it has been great to hear you back on the WSBT airwaves!! You and Darin have a wonderful on-air rapport, and listening to you both talk ND football brings back good memories (and I personally want to thank you for the return of the Soap theme). I know you do not like apparel questions, but I have a question about the Under Armor deal from a business perspective. We all hear that ND will receive $10MM from UA, but what does that really mean? Does ND get $10MM worth of apparel and equipment? Do they get $10MM cash? Do they Get $10MM cash, but have to pay for the apparel/equipment they use? Do they get $10MM cash plus all the apparel and equipment they need? I would appreciate it if you could clarify.
Eric Hansen: Larry, what a nice compliment. I would have answered your tax questions with a lead-in like that. Then again, that might have been devastating for your financial situation. In any event, we believe the deal is mostly cash (sometimes stock shares are involved). Ross Dellenger, one of the top reporters on college sports, recently joined the Yahoo Sports/Rivals family that we're a part of. He's very well-versed on these apparel contracts, so let me share his words:
Apparel deals are revenue-generating giants for some of the most elite college athletic departments. In normal cases, apparel companies pay an annual licensing fee ranging from $5-10 million in cash for some of the powerhouses in college football and men’s basketball. In other deals, the school receives a cut of royalties from merchandise sales (usually 10-15%). Most agreements require the company to outfit that school’s athletic teams with $2-5 million in gear each year, as well as discounts in merchandise purchases.
Marie from Atlanta: Hey Eric, I hope you had a great week and you enjoyed watching practice on Tuesday night. Now that you have seen a complete practice in pads what are one or two things that you’re most excited about and that you feel will help the team get to the playoffs and what are one of two things that you are most concerned about and that you feel will need to demonstrate significant improvement in order for this team to make the playoffs? As always thanks for your great insights and for hosting the chat.
Eric Hansen: Hi Marie. I did really enjoy it, in part because it was staged at a venue (School Field) where my kids played in games years ago and it's right next door to one of my grandkids' middle school. And the weather was beyond perfect, if that's even a thing. OK, now that I've almost lulled you to sleep, two things I'm excited about in terms of boosting the team's playoff chances are 1) that the front seven hasn't taken a backward step in its progress throughout spring and preseason camp, and 2) the special teams specialists. I'm extremely impressed with kicker Spencer Shrader and punter Bryce McFerson ... as well as the contenders to win the return jobs. Concerns? How soon and how thoroughly the offensive line chemistry comes together (not concerned about its talent), and I'd like to see more consistency from Tobias Merriweather at WR.
Jay from Cincinnati. Is there a freshman that has a chance to be this years Ben Morrison, excluding the wide receiver room?
Eric Hansen: Hi Jay. CB Christian Gray if the cornerback position weren't so deep.
Bob Gorman from Oak Park, Ill.: Eric!!!! Imho, ND needs more speed on the D side of the ball than we showed last year. That defect was particularly manifest when we were chasing Caleb all over the field. Have you observed in fall camp any quick and fast players on the D side of the ball that are playing smart and pushing for more playing time? I have another question that is not about x's and o's. Feel free to punt (the most important play in football) it to another day...I am wondering how some of the other academically elite schools handle the transfer portal and preserve the integrity of their degrees. For example, do Stanford, Boston College, Wake Forest, Northwestern, California or Duke accept transfers of student athletes for their junior or senior years? Thanks for getting us through the off season with so much great content. I am getting ready to go to Ireland with some friends to play lots of golf and watch a little football. Can't wait!
Eric Hansen: Bob!!!! More exclamation points, I love it. ... Have fun in Ireland, and I heard somewhere doing yoga may improve your golf game or at least put you at peace with it. To your questions, Notre Dame under Marcus Freeman, is recruiting faster, more athletic defenders. And Al Golden is finding a way to use the younger ones even if it's not in a full-time role. Once ND gets past Navy and Tennessee State (odd offense then an FCS team), I think you'll start to see those show up. The portal question is interesting, and worth answering. I don't have the time right now to take a deep dive, but I do know Stanford has similar academic bars. Not sure about the others you mentioned. But what I can tell you is only Cal among them was fairly competitive in the transfer market. Rivals has new comprehensive team rankings that combine recruiting rankings with transfer portal rankings. Notre Dame finished 10th in 2023 in the combined rankings.
None of those schools you mentioned was in the top 45, in part because of dismal transfer rankings. Notre Dame's No. 10 combined ranking comes from a No. 11 recruiting ranking and a No. 50 transfer ranking. ... Here's my thought on possibly diluting an ND degree. Let's say ND took a player who was a sophomore at, say, Louisville, who had a very good GPA. It stands to reason that his toughest classes, and in his major, are ahead of him. So if he can handle those at ND, he's earned that degree? Right? Just a thought.
Roger from Peoria: One certainly can be impressed by a young man who eschews a few football scholarship offers in favor of the opportunity to walk on at Notre Dame. I understand Luke Talich did exactly that. Have you seen him at the limited practice opportunities afforded to you and, if so, what is your impression? Where do you think the connection between Sam Hartman and the receivers currently stands? I keep looking for positive reports, but the names that seem to show up are Matt Salerno and two tight ends, Staes and Evans. I believe you have previously addressed the uptick by Rocco Spindler at RG this fall. Now I see an unanticipated appearance by Pat Coogan at LG with less time for Billy Schrauth. Do you see both of those players having starts this season at LG as you have commented about Kristovic and Spindler at RG? On an unrelated, but surely groveling topic, since the legendary 16th Century Erik the Great was also known as Erik Longbeard, would you as the current Eric the Great also be known as Eric Shortbeard?
Eric Hansen: Wow Roger. I did not see that last line coming. you know how people type LOL, and don't actually do that. I did LOL, really, 'til it hurt. So, thanks for that, ... To your questions, yes I noticed Luke Talich right away, and not necessarily because I was seeking him out. He's tall -- legit 6-4 and very fast in drills. It takes me a while to learn all the new and changed numbers, so I found myself saying, "Who's No. 28?" I asked safeties coach Chris O'Leary about him the other day, and he said in part, "A bright future. A really high ceiling. He’s a freak. He’s 6-4, and he’s about as fast as you can get back there. He’s just learning the defense and figuring it all out right now. He’s getting stronger. But what he has in his skill set, he can be how ever good he wants.”
As far as guards, I asked Joe Rudolph recently about possible rotating starters, and his preference is not to do that. Pat Coogan deserves credit for surging into contention. I just think Schrauth is the better prospect.
As far as receivers you hear about. I'm not sure if you're reading our premium message board or getting the info elsewhere or a combination thereof, but we've mentioned way more receivers than Matt Salerno and the two tight ends. Thanks again for the chuckle.
Chris from South Bend: Sometimes around this time of year, a walk-on or two will get rewarded with a scholarship. It's always great to see a player who bet on themselves or toiled relentlessly to make their mark earn that recognition. Last I checked, Notre Dame has two spare scholarships. I'm wondering: do you expect any current walk-ons to land one of them this year? If so, who?
Eric Hansen: Hi Chris. There are a lot of worthy walk-ons. Notre Dame has gotten better at attracting quality in numbers. I think if ND were to award two scholarships, freshman S Luke Talich and freshman WR/KR Jordan Faison have the best chances to impact the team this season and beyond.
Cowboy Mike from Jefferson, Ga.: Know it's early so give us 2 starting O lines options. Long time follower cuz ur the Best!!
Eric Hansen: Hi Cowboy Mike, and thank you. Usually people only ask for one. But since you want two, you'll get two. If I were picking, I'd go Joe Alt, Billy Schrauth, Zeke Correll, Rocco Spindler, Blake Fisher. An alternative would be Alt, Pat Coogan, Correll, Andrew Kristofic, Fisher. Best player in neither of those lineups: Aamil Wagner.
Tanker from New Mexico: hey Eric(!!!!!), hope all is well with you. Looking forward to the season and for things to continue to ramp up here in the coming weeks. Wanted to ask you how Deion Colzie has been coming along in camp. He's a guy i feel could surprise a lot of folks and seems to be slept on a bit, but he has all the tools and has flashed previously. Just curious on how he has looked thus far. All the best.
Eric Hansen: Hi Tanker. (!!!!!!!!!!!!) Doing great here and loving life. And same to you. Deion Colzie has his really good moments, but not enough of them to overtake the team's best wide receiver, who's now playing primarily the same position (boundary), Jayden Thomas. I see him as a strong rotational guy who will contribute. If ND goes six deep, I like Thomas/Colzie, Tyree/Greathouse, Merriweather/Flores.
Mike from Phoenix: Eric, what is going on with Tyson Ford as we have not heard his name mentioned? Do you think that the OL might be a bit overrated as all reports have the D winning practice? Or are we talking about practice? Hope you are doing well. Hopefully see you in Louisville October 7th. Cheers!
Eric Hansen: Hi Mike. I mentioned Tyson Ford a little earlier, though you may have submitted your question before I did. Every time I see him in a scrimmage situation, I like what I see. He dropped down from 292 in the spring to 274 to open training camp. I asked D-line coach Al Washington about the freshman defensive lineman last week. Here is what he said:
“You know what, man, his arrow is going up. He’s improving every day. He’s dropped some weight, which I think has been good. But he’s improving.”
Do you see him going back outside? Or all-time inside?
“Right now he’s playing some field end for us, so he’s playing both. He’ll play some 5-technique, and he’ll come in and play some 4-i. It’s just his body type. He’s a big kid; he’s a big athletic kid. So, I think that’s the role we feel like will play to his strength.”
And if you're in Louisville, it'd be fun to say hello to you.
Bill from Milford, Conn.: Thanks for these great chats— what’s the one “weakness” with Hartman that defenses will key on & who will be #2. Thanks.
Eric Hansen: Hi Bill. Thank YOU, They will try to get him to force the ball into coverage. He did that at times at Wake, largely because he almost had no choice. In the past three seasons, the Demon Deacons have not had a top 50 rushing offense and were 92nd nationally last season. .. Steve Angeli right now is the clear No. 2 QB.
Kevin from Boston: Hey Eric, based solely on how things have looked so far in Marcus Freeman's tenure and your impressions of fall camp, are we moving in the right direction? And/or will we do well enough on the field to continue to pull in better recruiting classes? I want so badly for him to be successful, and it feels like there's potential for this year to impact Freeman's tenure significantly based on generating positive or negative momentum given the relative success of this season - 11-1 wins recruiting battles and 8-4 loses them. Those battles impact future winning, etc. Tell me we're gathering momentum?
Eric Hansen: Kevin, I love when I'm clued in to what my answer is SUPPOSED to be. It's not always possible to comply. In this case, I think I can tell the truth and give you largely what you want. So let's break your question into parts: Is the program moving in the right direction? I think this year will prove that out, but it's a feeling, not an absolute. Will ND do well enough on the field to positively affect recruiting?
There's so much more that goes into the recruiting dynamic than wins and losses on the field in a given year. HOWEVER, when you're splitting hairs with Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, on-field performance could be a tiebreaker. And I think ND is betting it will be this fall, based on their ambitions to flip five-star DT Justin Scott, an Ohio State commit from Chicago. So how did I do?
Dave from DC: I know the team does some intense strength and conditioning in June and July. When camp begins, do they continue to do the same type of S&C? What about during the season? Thanks, Eric!
Eric Hansen: Hi Dave. Maybe I can get into more detail in story form sometime, because it's a good question. The short answer is, yes the team does do strength-and-conditioning work during the season, but the emphasis and frequency changes. S&C is a big part of GPS monitoring workload, making sure players are getting enough sleep, injury prevention, etc.
Patrick from Los Angeles: In what areas does Marcus Freeman need to grow/improve the most from his first season in order to give the Irish the best chance to succeed this season and going forward? Thank you.
Eric Hansen: Hi Patrick. I think he's moved down that path this offseason. He has a much better feel for his vision of the program and how to get there. He's come up with a strategy to deal with NIL. He has continually made very good assistant coaching hires, and yet his coordinators will test that theory this season (and perhaps succeed). I think some of the things he implemented in year 1 are serving him well -- question everything, for example.
Jon from Bellaire, Ohio: Hi Eric, The enter button submitting the question gets me every time. Fool me once… How do you see the ND defensive backfield matching up against the high-powered OSU receiving corp? Do we use Cam Hart's size and length to match up against Harrison and put Morrison on Ebuka? Do you see a mix of man and zone. Dear God can we avoid the safety blitz from depth that toasted us last year and turned the game for the Buckeyes? Curious how you see that matchup playing out. Thanks as always!
Eric Hansen: Hi Jon. The enter button gets me, too. And it's fooled me more than twice. I tend to hit it by accident when I'm typing an apostrophe, so I have to slow down and be careful ... Wow, a game 5 question during training camp. In total candor here, I do think about those big games and the matchups this far ahead of time, but only on a cursory basis, not in deep-dive detail. I'll try my best to give you a sound off-the-top-of-my-head answer, Notre Dame's cornerback group may have evolved into its strongest position group from one of its weakest in the course of a year. Ohio State's receivers are probably the nation's best. The good news is C.J. Stroud is no longer the Buckeyes' QB. I do think ND will blend zone and man, and try to bring pressures. When ND is in man, I see Cam Hart on Marvin Harrison Jr., Ben Morrison on Julian Fleming, and nickel Thomas Harper on Emeka Egbuka in the slot. ... and no I don't think you'll see the blitz where the safeties appeared to line up in the parking lot. Ever. Again.
Shaun from Boston: Is there a player or two that isn’t getting a lot of attention right now that could be a true impact player by mid season? Thank you
Eric Hansen: Shaun, it's hard for me to gauge who you've heard about and who you haven't, because I try to talk about everyone who I think is or will be relevant, but I'll take a stab at someone who I think is under the radar, DT/NG Jason Onye.
Bill from St Joe, Mich.: Eric, if you were to look into your Madam Marie crystal ball, do you see Jack Swarbrick becoming the “chairman” of whatever replaces the NCAA?
Eric Hansen: Hi Bill, Jack Swarbrick will likely have celebrated his 70th birthday when he completely steps away from his longtime role as Notre Dame's athletic director in the spring of 2024. I know he likes to be relevant and contribute to things for which he has a passion. I think the role you suggest might not fit at this stage of his life. However, I could see him taking on a role in college athletics or with the College Football Playoff in some role that's more consulting than it is consuming.
Bob from Manchester, Tenn.: Hi Eric. I'm looking at Tyler's post yesterday about the defense dominating practice. Do you think the offense just had an off day, or do you think that our defense might be showing itself to be tougher than we have been thinking? And specifically, how much did the DL contribute to that performance, and what does that say to you about Washington? More, fewer or the same reservations?
Eric Hansen: Hi Bob. I actually wrote a column detailing a lot of those questions: Analysis: Adding big-picture context to Notre Dame football's field trip. We're kind of in the lightning-round portion of the chat as I'm running out of time, so hopefully, that will answer all your questions about that.
Dave Childers from Jacksonville: Which bar on Temple Street will you let us buy you a round at?
Eric Hansen: Dave, Tyler James will be the one seeking free beverages, or even paying for his own, on Temple Street. I'll take a voucher for one in South Bend, though.
Bill from St Joe, Mich.: Eric, at the point who do you project to get the most carries after Estimé?
Eric Hansen: I'll say Jadarian Price.
Tom from Kennesaw, Ga.: Hi Eric, I hate to ask conference questions in the middle of training camp BUT..... with more large super conferences coming together my concern is that these conferences will require their teams to play more conference opponents leaving very few games available with non-conference teams like ND. Do you think this is happening and if so will it force ND to join a conference? Also, what is the ACC's TV deal? Do you think the ACC can survive or are they headed their separate ways like the Pac-12??? Thanks and keep up the great work. Go Irish!!!
Eric Hansen: Hi Tom, the succinct answer is those teams will always want to play non-conference games and as long as Notre Dame is a top brand in college football, there will be a demand to schedule the Irish. I do think the ACC cab survive. I'm not sure it will thrive in this new college football world order.
Bob from Loganville, Ga.: Eric - I have read players talk about how physical practices have been this camp. From what you have seen does that sound accurate? It Seems we might be getting to the point in camp of bumps and bruises, tired arms, heavy legs etc. Do you know when they will break camp and start focusing on Navy.
Eric Hansen: Hi Bob, it's possible to be physical and smart about it simultaneously, and that is the intentional part of Marcus Freeman's practices. ... Notre Dame's final day of cap is a week from Friday. I would be willing to bet they're working on Navy in a practice period or two here and there when the media isn't around to report the personnel groups and alignments.
Jay from Granger: Do we end the year with a higher rated defense or offense? Either one a top twenty?
Eric Hansen: I was sure it would be offense, but then ... consider it's been defense every year since 2010 except for the two years Brian VanGorder was the DC for the entire season (2014 and 2015) and the first season of his aftermath (2017). In none of those years (2010-22), was ND top 20 in total offense. In fact, the Irish have only reached that threshold twice in the 2000s - No. 8 in Jimmy Clausen's junior season (2009) and No. 10 in Brady Quinn's junior season (2005). See a common thread? I'll still say offense, even after last night's open practice, though I think the gap will be smaller.
Jonathan from Addison, Texas: Eric, hello! As the resident old dude at my place of work, I’ve no-doubt come to over-value “experience” as an attribute. But looking at the returning ND defense through my not-coincidentally gray lenses, I can’t help but note the years and mileage on the starting 11 (or 12). Defensive end will feature 2 new starters, a senior/senior in Botelho and a grad student in either Jean-Baptiste or Osafo-Mensah. New to ND nickel Harper is also a grad student. Everywhere else (9 other positions) we have returning starters as long as 4 starts by Watts, another senior, is enough to count.
Oops, continuing . . . The only projected starter who isn’t at least in his 4th year? Sophomore Ben Morrison. So finally my questions: How important is this? How unusual? In this new era of 6-year players and transfers on demand, is it less surprising? Cause this is one old—er, “experienced”—defense.
Eric Hansen: I think the portal and the sixth-year options definitely play into the trend both at Notre Dame and elsewhere. Now keep in mind the last of the sixth-year options ends with the class that’s currently true seniors this season. No more COVID exemptions for the class of 2021, 2022 2023, etc. I think the blend of experience and young, high-ceiling players give ND's defense a chance to surprise in a good way.
Eric Hansen: OK, ran overtime and need to get to my next assignment. Sorry to those of you whose questions I couldn't get to. Thanks for all the great ones that were answered and unanswered. For NEXT WEEK ONLY, we'll do this on Thursday (noon ET), and not Wednesday, because of a scheduling conflict. Then back to Wednesdays until the end of the season.
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