Eric Hansen: Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat as we roll toward a home game Saturday for the 17th-ranked Irish with Miami (Ohio), which does not like to be referred to as "Miami of Ohio."
Some quick programming notes:
► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, it keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation. We are back in our normal Monday at 7 ET time slot. Remember, if you miss the live show, you can catch up anytime on YouTube. This week on our YouTube channel, we’ll bring you our Postgame Takeaways show late Saturday night after we’ve done interviews and pushed out our written content.
► The Inside ND Sports Podcast will drop on Thursday afternoon. On the most recent Inside ND Sports Podcast, we invited former Notre Dame quarterback Dayne Crist (2008-11) to join us. Crist knows a little bit about playing in Ross-Ade Stadium, where he helped lead the Irish to a 24-21 victory in 2009. Crist discussed how quarterback Riley Leonard can bounce back from a rough start to the season, what it's like on campus after a loss like last weekend's, how difficult it is to switch offensive systems, his role in the 2009 win at Purdue, returning to play following injuries, what he's seen from ND's receivers, his confidence in head coach Marcus Freeman and more. The podcast can be listened to via SoundCloud or on your preferred podcast platform including: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Podbean and Pocket Casts.
► Finally, we’re bearing down on Notre Dame’s home matchup with Miami (Ohio) on Saturday. And Darin Pritchett and I are together each week this season on Wednesday and Thursday on Weekday SportsBeat (96.1 FM, 960 AM, live streaming at wsbtradio.com). The weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET. I’m also part of the Gameday SportsBeat crew, and that pregame show runs Saturday from noon-2:30 p.m. ET. You can download all episodes, including the pregame shows, as podcasts.
Eric Hansen: As far as this week's chat ...
PLEASE include your name and hometown along with your question.
If you submit as "guest", I'm going to need to see a birth certificate.
Here are the rules:
Eric Hansen: The "no drinking" rule remains rescinded since you all were so good with it last week. We'll strike the "no bare feet" rule this week too.
Off we go ...
Kevin from Orlando: My question might be the dumbest question posed in the Chat in 2024. That said, it is, at least at this point, pretty clear that our top two QBs have significantly different skills. If Leonard could pass like Angeli and / or if Angeli could run like Leonard, they might be two of the most likely Heisman candidates. My question is...Is there any way that both of them could be playing at the same time? I am an infrequent questioner but an every chat reader. Like everyone else on here, I really do appreciate your extensive and insightful coverage of ND football and look forward to your coverage of the women's basketball team a couple of months from now . Oh, if there is an award for the dumbest question, I am curious to hear what I might be in the running for.
Eric Hansen: Kevin, you lively minx. There are a lot of Riley Leonard questions in the queue today (and some outright rage included with some of them), but I really like this version. So this is the opposite of dumb. Now, hopefully, I can give you a credible answer. There are times when that kind of arrangement made a lot of sense. Coan/Buchner in 2021 comes to mind as does Wimbush/Book at the start of 2018, Rees/Hendrix in a couple of spots in 2011, and the best one, Golson/Rees in 2012. I talked with Urban Meyer years ago about this, because he won a national title with this kind of rotation at QB and his warning was this does not work for every team for a variety of reasons, and more often than not, it doesn't.
Here's why I don't think it will work this season or even be attempted, unless there's a stall in Riley' Leonard's development as a passer. There's a belief in the coaching staff that Leonard will eventually become the better passer and better runner. And that skill set is very tough to defend. ... if it plays out that way. It did with Jayden Daniels at LSU after he left Arizona State, and OC Mike Denbrock sees a lot of the same challenges and potential in the path Leonard is on. And given ND's inexperience at offensive line, the growth curve of the WRs, etc., Leonard makes the most sense to the ND coaches. If you start giving his reps away in high-leverage situations, then is he ever going to become an adept passer?
Thanks for the compliments, by the way. As I mentioned, there are scads of Leonard questions today. I'll mix in as many as I can then are not repetitive and that show different angles to the QB situation at ND.
Frank from Royse City, Texas: Eric, any word on when Rubio will return?
Eric Hansen: Hi Frank. We'll get an update on him Monday ahead of the Louisville game (Sept. 28). The original timeline had him on track to return that week or after the bye for Stanford on Oct. 12.
Related Content
► Notre Dame O-lineman Pat Coogan ready to ride his second wind
► Notebook: Kennedy Urlacher leads a surging Notre Dame youth brigade
► Coordinator Transcripts: DC Al Golden | OC Mike Denbrock
► Film Analysis: What worked for Notre Dame's offense against Purdue
► Notre Dame football depth chart projection for home game with Miami (Ohio)
Rick from Pasadena, Calif.: In a matter of 3 weeks Leonard has become such a polarizing QB for ND fans, from Hero, to Goat, and back again. My issue is more of the decision to not warm up and sub in Angeli on the last drive vs NIU knowing you needs down field passing to get in range for a long field goal. What do you make of the whole Riley Leonard experience?
Eric Hansen: Hi Rick, and the term "Goat" has two meanings these days, but I'm picking up what you're putting down. It's fascinating the range of opinions Riley Leonard in a Notre Dame uniform elicits and sometimes confusing for me. I think there are some people who are going to prefer Steve Angeli or one of the other QBs no matter what, because they simply don't like the concept of a transfer portal guy being at the top of the depth chart. There's a feeling from some of them that it will wreck Notre Dame's recruiting long term, which then would be true for EVERY team. And how's avoiding the portal working out for Clemson?
I have to admit, heading into LAST season, I couldn't wrap my head around all the buzz around Riley going into 2023. His pass-efficiency numbers were very average. And then I watched him play Clemson, and I saw what the ND coaches see. He's already one of the best running QBs in college football and a guy who can rise up in big moments. And the tools, drive, work ethic and want-to all appear in place for him to add the passing skill set. Steve Angeli has performed well whenever he's been called upon. But I think he's a high-floor guy (which is good) with a limited ceiling. RL's ceiling is much higher, but it's not a guarantee he'll ever get there.
And missing spring practice slowed the timeline. ... But that's why the coaching staff makes more than sports writers do. They can see around the corner, and that's what they're doing with Leonard. They might not turn out to be right. But, I am in the camp that eventually this season, this gamble of sorts will pay off. I get that's not maybe the popular stance, but you're going to get my honest appraisal, whether I get dinged for it or not.
Jonathan from Hideaway, Texas: Great article on the amazing freshman appearances at Purdue Saturday! Very much enjoyed the read and the victory. But at the same time, I can’t help thinking about the other side of that same coin. Too many grad transfers stepping in and disappointing while simultaneously slowing the path of the freshmen to development and playing time. Do you agree? Can you share any insight on what makes the difference between getting it so right on nickel transfers now 2 years in a row vs. the multiple misses at, say, safety and receiver? (Defensive end and punter definitely head scratchers too at the moment.) Apparently talent evaluation is hard. I don’t really understand why. Can you shed light on that?
Eric Hansen: Hi John and thanks for the compliments. Two things might make you feel better about the transfers. If they're being outperformed, the Irish coaching staff isn't going to be stubborn and play the older player anyway. RJ Oben played only 11 snaps against NIU and only 16 at Purdue with Josh Burnham injured, so freshman Bryce Young played a lot against the Boilermakers and will continue to get opportunities. Sophomore Adon Shuler beat out Rod Heard II at safety, though Heard rotates in a lot. Sophomore KK Smith has moved ahead of transfer Kris Mitchell at receiver. So no one's having their progress halted. If anything, it might accelerate it, having more competition to overcome to rise on the depth chart. So let's get to your evaluation question, which is a good one.
There is not a universal template when taking grad transfers at various positions. They're all in the portal for one reason or another, and often their reasons -- and challenges when they arrive -- are very different. One thing that is sort of universal is that while they're experienced players, they have to learn a whole new offensive or defensive system. And so, oftentimes it's more gradual. Think about how invisible DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste was in the spring of 2023 after coming over from THE Ohio State University and how that carried into summer, fall camp and the first month of the season.
And then he surged and by the end of the year was one of the five best players on ND's roster. Could that happen with Oben. There may be a surge and maybe not. Mitchell has legit speed, but he hasn't handled well yet the consistency that needs to come with the step up in competition from FIU. Heard, a corner at Northwestern, got a late start because he missed spring practice to finish his degree. And he's playing a new position at ND and in a new system. I think he will get better as the season goes along. ND is very diligent in its scouting these players for skills and potential fit, and they take far fewer than some other schools. I think they've struck a good balance with the portal.
Bob from Oxnard, Calif.: Hi Eric, do you think the following theory of mine is correct: A. The coaches think they can win every game, at least until USC, if we don’t significantly lose the turnover battle; B. The coaches think the team can score enough and avoid turning the ball over by leaning into Riley as a runner and avoiding risky passes; C. By USC, the coaches hope the passing game will have improved enough to win at the Coliseum. Thx
Eric Hansen: Hi Bob, thanks for the questions and the multiple choice answers. I think C is most true of those options, but there's some truth to A and even a little bit in the short term with B. Here's what I said on Football Never Sleeps and on WSBT-TV. There are really two tracks in play each game with the offense — short term and long term. You can't ignore the short-term track, because if you mess that one up, the long-term gain doesn't matter. You've got to arrive at USC 10-1 with a chance to play yourself into the playoff. So each week you're attacking the other team’s weaknesses and/or their game plan while making some INCREMENTAL improvement on the long-term goal of evolving the passing game. I believe ND did that against Purdue.
Purdue, as expected, blitzed more than they didn't, about 2/3 of Leonard's dropbacks, according to the Pro Football Focus. So long dropback passes didn't make much sense, especially early. So there were a lot of quick passes and putting Leonard on the move and Leonard runs to slow down or neutralize the pressures. Against Miami on Saturday, the Irish will face a team that's 109th in rush defense and the third-best pass defense they'll see the rest of the season (in this week's statistical snapshot anyway). Two games later, against Stanford, the script flips. So which week does it make more sense to lean into the deep passing game if the goal is to win every game? In between is Louisville, which is doing everything right against admittedly soft competition.
The biggest challenge for Leonard this week and moving forward is continually learning how to process the game and play the game differently than he ever has before. He does miss reads. He does leak out of the pocket when he should step into it. At times. Those times need to become fewer. Mike Denbrock is confident they will:
“I think and believe that that's coming along. I do, and we've got to continue. An emphasis again this week is really kind of whatever free minutes we have we're spending on movement keys and progressions and whatever we can do to kind of speed that process up a little bit. We're going to have to be — and nobody understands this better than Riley does — we're going to have to be more consistent with the way we throw the ball, moving forward, to be the type of offensive unit we need to be. And we're committed to doing whatever we can to make sure that becomes a reality. And he's digging in and doing what he can on the practice field to help that process.”
Kevin from Calgary: Eric, as always you and your team do great work on the Notre Dame beat and these chats are always informative and entertaining. I was so disgusted with the NIU loss I avoided reading anything last week, so I apologize if you addressed this issue. My question is, what is up with James Rendell? He was supposed to be a stud who could kick the ball a mile and he hasn't seemed to be able to kick one 40 yards so far and his hang time hasn't looked great either.
Eric Hansen: Kevin, welcome back to the planet. The James Rendell we have seen in games is not the same James Rendell we saw in practice in August. Adjusting to American football — the punt rush, the crowds, the high stakes -- have taken a little longer for him. All while adjusting to school at ND and a new country. But the ND coaches are confident, and Marcus Freeman mentioned Monday that perhaps they need to streamline what he's doing in practice and the games and just focus on hang time and distance for now.
Here's a snippet from special teams coordinator Marty Biagi's press conference Tuesday night, in speaking on Rendell:
"We’re really trying to go back and create as many situations as we can, like Coach Free talked about in practice to make it feel very game-like. Getting him the feel of the game. But Coach Free did a great job of saying we need to be able to simplify, simplify but also make sure we can see — you know, he does a lot of things well, let’s not overdo it, but let’s try to get him the game-like atmosphere so we can really try and get him into a routine, because it’s still so new and fresh to him."
Marie from Atlanta: Hi Eric. I hope you are enjoying your week. Much better performance by the Irish this past weekend. A lot of the problem areas were addressed, but there are still areas that require a lot of improvement. What do you see as the biggest problem areas the team needs to continue to work on in order to potentially have a playoff run? If Saturday was the floor for this team and they continue to steadily improved throughout the season, what do you think the ceiling for this team is? Do you think the Irish miss evaluated/made a mistake in taking Riley Leonard as their transfer quarterback? Looking back at some of the other potential QBs that might have been Notre Dame transfer possibilities do you think there might have been a better fit for this season? In particular, I remember a lot of conversation about Will Howard and kyle McCord. As always, thanks for hosting the chat and for all your great insights.
Eric Hansen: Hi Marie, thanks for being on the chat and for keeping the parts to under 17 this week. But for you, I'd answer the 17 if it came to that. ... Biggest problem areas? It sounds funny, but they start with the offense, coming off the second-most points scored in a Notre Dame road game in its history and the most in 59 years. So, it's Riley Leonard's continued evolution as a passer, the wide receiver corps taking steps forward, especially at the field receiver. It's Mitchell Evans now healthy and flexing the tight ends. It's the offensive line becoming an asset. There are certainly special teams tweaks, and figuring out who's going to be the key players at both ends spots.
Wow a 59-point win, the worst loss in Purdue's history is the floor? What's the ceiling look like ... it would be a team that takes care of its business the rest of the way and beats USC on the road. There's lots of room for improvement everywhere. Benjamin Morrison, the past two weeks for instance, hasn't played his best football. So, even the best player on the roster has room to grow. ... As far as other portal options, I do think we'll be having a different conversation about Leonard in November, but there will be a lot of grumbling up until then. I like the choice, better than McCord by a lot, given his lack of mobility. And better than Will Howard, though his skill set kind of fits. We can revisit this conversation then and see if I was under caffeinated today when I made that assessment.
Mike from Rochester, N.Y.: Hi, Eric, excellent episode of FNS this week! How did Coogan and Splindler grade out in the Purdue game and how does that compare to the men they replaced?
Eric Hansen: Hi Mike. Given the circumstances they were better than solid, and both graded out higher than the injured players they replaced. Both Coogan and Spindler did really well in pass-blocking and OK in run blocking. I believe these are still the preliminary grades rom Pro Football Focus. A more thorough review will likely be posted later today. The highest-graded O-Lineman for ND Saturday was freshman OT Guerby Lambert, who played 23 -- admittedly, low-leverage situation -- snaps. And thanks for tuning in to Football Never Sleeps.
Jack from Strongsville, Ohio: Hi Eric. Could you outline, as you see it, Steve Angeli's strengths and weaknesses. After this year how many years of eligibility does he have left? Thanks for all the great work.
Eric Hansen: Hi Jack and thank you. I think Steve reads defenses well, throws the ball confidently, made the most of his spring in terms of getting chemistry with most of the wideouts, has good footwork in the pocket and sense pressures well, even if he doesn't have the footspeed to run away from it sometimes. The downside is that he is easier to target with a loaded box that would make the Irish offense one-dimensional. In other words, there are fewer answers for an offensive coordinator given his skill set. His skill set offers a more limited challenge to defensive coordinators. But all in all, this is a guy who could win games this year at ND and who will be a strong contender to be ND's quarterback in 2025 with a much more experienced offensive line in front of him. And the offensive line's inexperience, by no fault of Angel's, made him a less-attractive option going into this year. … Angeli has two seasons of eligibility after this one, because he redshirted.
Robert from Dunedin, Fla.: Eric- Thanks as always for hosting the weekly chat. It seems we have had a rash of injuries so far. In particular high ankle sprains. Any insight into this? Are precautions taking place to try to prevent these from a training standpoint? Lots of games left to go, or is this just bad luck?
Eric Hansen: Hi Robert. I get why these questions are asked, but given the high stakes of keeping players healthy, I think it would be insane for any program not to lean into sports science and do their very best to prevent and minimize injury risks. And Notre Dame goes to great lengths to do so, and I've written stories about what those look like. But this is a violent sport with huge bodies colliding at high speeds. There are going to be injuries. The good news is recovery and rehab have come a long way, so some of these career-ending injuries are now just season-ending. And now some of the formerly season-ending injuries are shorter term.
Jeff from Boston: Eric - as always, thank you for doing these chats. What a roller coaster ride this season has been so far. I'm sure the answer is that the team is not as good as it looked last week nor as bad as it looked the week prior. My question for you is, from what you have seen thus far, what do you think this team is (e.g., playoff contender, championship contender, pinstripe bowl, coaching carousel)? What is the ceiling for this team? What do you need to see over the next few games to believe that this team could actually reach its ceiling?
Eric Hansen: Hi Jeff and thanks for the questions. I actually saw a lot in the Purdue game that was encouraging ... even better passing efficiency. And from a statistical standpoint, that's one of the five metrics to watch. That and run defense, total defense, rush offense and turnover margin. In one week, ND went from 129th to 112 in pass efficiency, 100 to 63 ranking nationally in run defense, 72 to 28 in total defense, 69 to 23 in rush offense and 57 to 37 in turnover margin. They need to push those all near or into the top 25 eventually. That's not the extent of their ceiling but the key areas for improvement.
So, those are the numbers I'll be watching, especially as a heavy favorite this week and then against what appears to be a formidable Louisville team the next week heading into the first bye week.
Patrick from Los Angeles: I was very impressed with Kenny Minchey in the Purdue game. He may be the most athletic of all the QBs. Why does he seem to be the forgotten man in the QB room? I think he could be a good starter in 2025.
Eric Hansen: Hi Patrick. I, for one, am not writing off Kenny Minchey in terms of his viability to start the 2025 season at the top of the Notre Dame QB depth chart, but I am willing to admit he has the most unknowns and that's probably why if you took a poll among ND media, he'd probably finish third as to who had the best chance. Steve Angeli has the most experience, practice and game experience. And he's done a lot with that experience. CJ Carr in practices and scrimmages is remarkably advanced, skilled and poised for his age. Minchey feels like the most inexperienced, even though he's a year ahead of Carr, and the most untapped. And there's a lot to tap. He can make spectacular plays with his feet and his arm, but his consistency is the issue. Sometimes that comes in time. Sometimes it doesn't. But when he was acting as Caleb Williams on scout team during last year's USC prep, Irish DC Al Golden was wowed by Minchey. So again, not writing him off.
Ryan from Frankfort, Ill.: Good afternoon Eric what do you think about the play of Steve Angeli also Same with Chris Terek Steve Looked good so did Chris my prediction for this week is 49-10 Irish GO IRISH 🏈🏈☘️☘️💪💪
Eric Hansen: Hi Ryan. I hope you're enjoying your new location. I know you've asked me about Chris Terek before and now you got to see him in action. He got in 23 snaps at right guard late in the game and did a decent job. Better on his pass blocking than run blocking. He'll be the No. 2 RG until Billy Schrauth comes back. I thought Steve Angeli looked as good as usual, which is impressive.
Don from Scottsdale, Ariz.: Eric, Hope all is well with you. Your objective review of NIU debacle was good for me. I was on the brink of believing the season is over. Hard to remember CMF is a first time head coach. It took Dabo a few years before Clemson stopped Clemsoning. CMF said the team needs to learn how to deal with success. Is that really it? When he says that does he get that from the team or is it his projection on the organization. Did he start believing the press clippings and forgot the fact that ND has to prove it every week. I like the smiling Freeman but I hope he keeps this demeanor and get a playoff win or 4. Not likely but maybe 2 wins. Thanks for the great coverage. You and Tyler deliver quality!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eric Hansen: Hi Don, and thanks for the endorsement. ... The NIU game prompted me to go back and take inventory on Marcus Freeman, because he really was at the center of that storyline and deserved to be. And while his blind spot was alarming and unexpected, it kept going back to all the things he does get right as a developing first-team head coach, actually some of the hardest things on the checklist. And so, I continue to see his potential to do bigger and better things ... as long as he doesn't repeat his mistakes. I do think underestimating NIU played a part in it. And we'll get a better feel for NIU when they visit NC State at the end of the month. And I think until this team moves closer to its potential on offense, there's a smaller margin for error. Thanks again for the compliment.
Jason from Grand Rapids Mich.: Hey Eric, I see that Aidan is having a solid start to his career at Cal. He didn't ever seem to gain traction at ND but feel like he could have been a run stuffer and let our LBs run free
Eric Hansen: Hi Jason. I see Aidan Keanaaina, the Notre Dame transfer nose guard, doing well at his new school, Cal. And good for him. But I can see why he wanted to transfer for more playing time. He was playing behind an All-American, in Howard Cross, at nose guard with Gabe Rubio and Donovan Hinish all competing for playing time ahead of him. That's an example of the transfer portal working well for a player.
Scubavt from Jamestown, Tenn.: With the way Riley Leonard runs and sacrifices his body by playing it's easy to see he might get injured during a game. Do you think the coaching staff gives Angeli reps with the first team to keep the rust off him in case that happens?
Eric Hansen: Hi Scubavt. Steve Angeli does receive first-team reps in every practice, just as he did last year as Sam Hartman's backup. That's been pretty standard practice under both Freeman and Brian Kelly, no matter who the No. 1 QB is.
Matt from Austin: Hi Eric, sorry so late to the show this week. I still have significant issues in two areas that I feel will cost us wins. Vertical passing and punting. Please tell me to relax. Thank you. Matt
Eric Hansen: Relax, Matt.
Jim from Oregonia, Oho: Eric!!!! I am embarrassed to admit that I actually predicted Purdue would beat us on this chat last week....sheesh, I must have been more depressed than I thought after the NIU game! What a luxury to have Coogan and Spindler on the bench to come in after the unfortunate injures on the O-line. Question, when Schrauth gets healthy in a few weeks or so, lets say the o-line is really jelling, do you reinsert him into the starting rotation or go with Rocco? I know the ole adage where you don't lose your starting job because of injury. Also, barring further injuries is Young the starting DE by the end of the year? Liked the bounce back from Leonard, hoping he uncorks a few TD passes soon, watching that kid in interviews makes is sure hard not to root for him. As always thanks so much for all you do with everything Irish. I don't know how you maintain the not too high or not to low attitude in dealing with us crazed Irish fans. Go Irish!
Eric Hansen: Jim!!!! I REALLY appreciate your perspective. Thank you. To your O-line question, I think Billy Schrauth is Notre Dame's best offensive lineman. Period. End of sentence. When he comes back healthy, he's the starting right guard. But if Rocco surges then perhaps he's pitted against Sam Pendleton for playing time at left guard. I don't anticipate Pendleton's progress stalling, but perhaps it can play out that way. As far as the defensive end position, I think Josh Burnham will end up as the starter, but Young has a big opportunity in the next week or so to push for more reps in that rotation. I'm not writing off RJ Oben, but from what we've seen of Young on special teams and in some practices, it's just a matter of time until he can consistently assert himself in that rotation. And it's needed.
Jason from Grand Rapids Mich: Keyboard error... speaking of running free, granted it's a limited sample size but have you seen a freshman play with such zip and quickness as Urlacher? His tackling and game speed were a treat. I hope to see him continue to develop.
Eric Hansen: Jason, sorry I didn't initially see part II of your question. Kennedy Urlacher was really fun to watch. I think the challenges for him are: Practicing that way on a day-to-day basis and being adept in his coverage skills. But against the run, he was a human highlight reel. More please.
Len from the Jersey Shore: Hello Eric!!!!!! The Jersey Boys, Angeli and Bauman, connected on a TD pass. For me it was the best moment of the game. Kevin B has had bad luck with injuries. It is a tribute to his character that he was out on that field. I am sure it took countless hours to get there. I was also excited on seeing Spindler and Coogan succeed when they unfortunately needed to replace Schrauth and Craig. Kudos to them for being ready when needed. 3 questions. Will Kevin B see more plays without another TE getting hurt? KB showed early on an ability to catch the ball in tight spaces and against Purdue showed good run blocking ability. 2cd, Riley Leonard is a dynamic runner. All ND fans are hopeful he continues to develop as a passer (which includes reading defenses, stepping up in the pocket and keeping his eyes downfield when on the move). Will we ever as fans understand why his running number wasn't called from 2cd QTR on vs NUI? In your opinion will he become a CFP level passer by end of reg. season?
Eric Hansen: Hi Len!!!!! (Love the exclamation points). I got your note that I have answered your Riley Leonard question, so let me get to the others. What a cool story with Kevin Bauman. At least for now, I see his role as intermittent. With Mitchell Evans finally back to full health, you'll see mostly him and Eli Raridon and Cooper Flanagan. But Bauman may get a few snaps here and there, just not consistently barring injury to someone else. And yes, a tribute to Coogan and Rocco for being ready and continuing to help the young players when those two did not win starting jobs. I have a story on Coogan today: Notre Dame O-lineman Pat Coogan ready to ride his second wind
Skip from Houston: Our receiving corps is an upgrade from last year, both in quantity and quality. After three games, what grade do you give our slot and wide receivers? Thanks.
Eric Hansen: Hi Skip. I think the best is yet to come from the slot receivers. Their snaps collectively were a bit limited Saturday by two things -- more two-back sets and Jeremiyah Love lining up wide, and more multiple-tight end sets, which sent the slot receiver off the field. ... And the recruiting question you keep sending me is one I can't give you a verifiable answer on, so I'm going to pass on it.
Tanker from Dulce N.M.: Happy Tuesday Eric. There is obviously a lot of football and offensive growth/evolution ahead of us but so far do you feel that the passing woes and absence of WR production (not their fault thus far in my opinion) will have a material impact on recruiting/retaining top end talent at WR and convincing a guy like Deuce Knight to stick around? This is something I think about and try not to get concerned about so early in the year but I feel we are remarkably underachieving in this particular department given the TEs and WR skill on the roster with Denbrock at the helm. It begins and ends at QB in my view but curious how you feel the output so far impacts recruitment if at all.
Eric Hansen: Hi Tanker. For some reason, I associate your hometown with restaurants I would love, but maybe there's only a McDonald's there? In any case, I thought your questions were intriguing. I don't think any of that affects recruits considering Notre Dame, visiting Notre Dame, putting Notre Dame among their finalists. But when it gets down to splitting hairs between two top schools IT MAY come into play with some prospects and not at all for others. And that's a picture that can change season to season and even week to week. But let's say even if Deuce Knight goes elsewhere, when has ND in decades had a QB room like it has now and with 2026 high four-star Noah Grubbs waiting in the wings? And three four-star freshmen in the wide receiver corps?
Having said that, Mike Denbrock has a track record elsewhere and earlier at ND. What recruits want to see now and he's eager to show off is what this offense looks like in 2024 with ND players running it. So let's see what that looks like in November and revisit this question then?
Lorne from Reno, Nev.: Thank you again for sharing your expertise with us. Hard to believe a guy can lead a team to a 42-0 halftime lead and still have a QB issue, but (I can't even believe I'm asking this) do we beat NIU with Angeli at QB? And speaking of backup QB's, I understand the principle (get your QB reps and maybe some confidence), but I still can't believe that Hudson Card played the whole game against us. Doesn't their backup need a little work also (and the game was a good example of the risk of injury)?
Eric Hansen: Hi Lorne and thank you. I was surprised Hudson Card played the whole game, too. And maybe ND does beat NIU with Steve Angeli at the end and maybe not. What would have made me consider that as a coach is if Riley couldn't function physically at maximum or near max.
Ced walker from Saginaw Michigan aka sagnasty Saginaw pride: great win beating Purdue what would you like to see us do vs Miami Ohio Saturday god bless this football team here come the irish trust the process the golden standard rally we are nd god country go irish love thee notre dame our mother pray for us
Eric Hansen: I think most ND fans would like to see progress. Tangible progress across the board, Saturday and each week after, that would lead to this team being playoff-worthy in December.
Matt from VT: Hi Eric, How interchangeable are the Vyper and Field End positions and do their roles change drastically in subpackages? With Botelho done for the season, Junior only earning 18 snaps through three games, and three legitimate options at Field end (Oben, Burnham, and Young) do you see one of those three moving to the opposite side? Or is the plan to give Junior and Logan Thomas increased time behind Traore? Thanks!
Eric Hansen: Hi Matt. Boubacar Traore is the one guy who was a really good fit at both spots. But with Botelho out for the year, it's hard to see him bouncing back and forth, moving forward. I asked about that on Monday, and Marcus Freeman led me to believe Junior Tuihalamaka will get more reps there and Loghan Thomas, really good but way undersized at this point, will get some run in practice to see if he can help. You can also drop one of the linebacker down there in passing situations, which they were already doing. So maybe more KVA there on obvious passing downs.
Tom from Golden Beach, Fla: Hi Eric! Do you think we'll be seeing a lot more of Jordan Faison this week? Also, do you think it was a missed opportunity to get CJ Carr in earlier for something more than a couple hand-offs? At first I thought they were protecting his redshirt until they inserted him in the final 2 minutes. Speaking of redshirting more generally, does the NCAA still have a 4-game participation limit for redshirting and does that include or exclude bowl/playoff games? Thanks. Go Irish!
Eric Hansen: Hi Tom. As long as Jordan Faison doesn't have a setback physically, I think you'll see him a decent amount on Saturday. The redshirt rule the past couple of years was altered by a temporary addition that has now become permanent. So, a player can play in four regular-season games and all postseason competition. So if a team played four playoff games, a redshirting player could see action in all of those plus the four regular-season games and still save the year of eligibility.
Patrick from Boulder: Hi Eric! Thanks as always for hosting these chats - they are a consistent highlight of my week!!!! Question about Riley Leonard's propensity to leave the pocket/stop looking downfield as receivers come open. Why do the coaches think that this will get better over time? Is that something that Leonard executes well in practice but hasn't consistently executed in the game, or is sitting in the pocket a fundamental change in how he plays the position that he's now having to learn? Also, what are we to take from Angeli's standing in and immediately connecting on passes that I don't believe we've seen from Leonard? Was the defense just playing Angeli differently, or were those throws that were there for Leonard if he'd stayed in the pocket but he weren't because he bails too early? Finally, of all the injuries from last weekend, it seems Botelho's may be the most impactful. Do you anticipate any drop off with Traore? Thanks for taking our questions and helping us process all that is ND football! Go Irish!
Eric Hansen: Patrick, I'm into overtime here. So let me be quick with this and give you Mike Denbrock's answer last night about Riley Leonard leaving the pocket, and how to get past that:
“I mean, I think he does have to, at times, feel the pocket and not necessarily see flashes of color outside him that forces him to not trust it anymore. That's come up during every one of the games so far, where he should slide into the pocket a little bit more than try to escape around it. But it's natural instincts we're working with, you know what I mean?”
Q: He generally gets away — that’s the issue, right?
“It doesn't help me when he makes plays when he gets out of the pocket, whether that's around it or up through it. But I think he's aware of that and working hard to do a better job of making sure that he doesn't cause pressure by the way he moves in the pocket.”
Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga: Hi Eric. Hope that you are having a good week after the PU game. ND scored a lot of points and looked good in doing so, BUT Purdue looked terrible on defense. Poor angles to the runner, missed tackles and just an overall poor game. So my question to you is how much did ND really improve on offense?? It looks like Riley is more comfortable and a better passer on the run. True or False?? It looks like Evans is ready to contribute like the All-American that he is if we look for him more. T or F?? Finally, what improvement do you want to see this week from the O-line?? Prediction? As always, love all your work and Go Irish!!!
Eric Hansen: Hi Tom. When you score the second-most points EVER in a road game in Notre Dame history and especially if you're not playing St. Viator or Chicago Physicians & Surgeons, you have to acknowledge some improvement. To your true or false questions. True on the first. True on No. 2. Consistency across the board but especially in run blocking on question 3. Prediction. Haven't formulated a score yet, but I think ND will win. And thanks for the kind words.
Eric Hansen: OK, I'm out of time and due for my next assignment. Thanks for all the great questions. And there were some really good ones that I just didn't have time to get to. But we'll be back next week to do it all over again. At noon ET on Wednesday. Cheers.
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