Eric Hansen: Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, Stanford week.
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 remain in our normal Monday at 7 ET time slot. Remember, if you miss the live show, you can catch up anytime on YouTube. We’ll also be back on our YouTube channel with our Postgame Takeaways show late Saturday night after the Stanford game.
Related Content
► Transcripts: HC Marcus Freeman | DC Al Golden | OC Mike Denbrock
► Data Dump: Advanced stats on Notre Dame's offense from Pro Football Focus
► Notre Dame football depth chart projection for home game with Stanford
► Notre Dame in the picture for four-star SMU commit Jalen Cooper
► The Inside ND Sports Podcast will drop later today, on Wednesday evening. On the most recent Inside ND Sports Podcast, we invited former Notre Dame quarterback Joe Theismann to join Tyler James and me. Theismann (1968-70) will be honored by the Knute Rockne Memorial Society on Friday with the Knute Rockne Spirit of Sports Living Legend Award. Theismann's recognition will come during the 100 Years of Notre Dame Quarterbacks event at the Embassy Suites at Notre Dame. Click here to reserve tickets to attend.
Theismann discussed on the podcast ND's start to the season, what Riley Leonard's been and can become as ND's quarterback, a comparison of Leonard and Jayden Daniels, the difference coaching makes at the position, the pressure of playing QB at ND, how he got the attention of ND's coaching staff as a freshman, playing for assistant coach Wally Moore, what he thinks of Marcus Freeman, his dislike for NIL, what receiving the Knute Rockne Spirit of Sports Living Legend Award means to him 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 focusing on the resumption of the Irish football schedule Saturday vs. Stanford at WSBT Sports Radio 96.1. Darin Pritchett and I are together this week, as we are every 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 the pregame show that runs on Saturdays before every game. This week’s show kicks off at noon ET. You can download all episodes, including the pregame shows, as podcasts.
As far as this week's chat …
PLEASE include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question, or at least your home planet.
Here are the rules:
Eric Hansen: I rescinded all of them last week during the bye, and we didn't go off the rails. SO, everything but the "no spitting" rule is still relaxed this week.
OK, off we go ...
Nathan from Franklin, Ohio: Hi, it’s me again, and now I’m beyond worried about these injuries, now I’m frantic and wondering how Notre Dame’s lines on both sides of the ball are going to be able to get the production or even hold up from depth issues ? What do you believe they can do about vyper spot and overall O-line consistency? Anything positive would help. Thank you, Eric.
Eric Hansen: Hi Nathan. I think it feels more dire than it is, because of how hard the vyper end position got hit, and that is the major concern, going forward. But big picture, Notre Dame is starting to get key people back on both lines. Offensive guard Billy Schrauth is listed as questionable, which means maybe next week at the latest coming back from the ankle injury he sustained at Purdue. NG Gabe Rubio (foot), out since the first day of training camp (July 31) is also close. And Josh Burnham, who played four snaps vs. Louisville on Sept. 28, is listed as probable coming back from a Sept. 7 ankle injury.
Burnham is a big key here. Potential-wise, he's probably the best option at both defensive end spots, and he'll swing and play both spots moving forward, but how good will he be out of the chute coming back from an ankle injury and how much is too much as he works his way back?
Mark Czar from Grand Rapids, MIch.: Eric - I look forward to the chat transcript every week. I recall Jack Coan made a big step forward after his first bye week at ND. Riley Leonard has another year of eligibility after this season. Is he a draft pick currently? Has there been any discussion of him returning to ND next year or staying in college elsewhere to refine his passing skill to become a draft pick? NIL $ compared to undrafted rookie QB $ is likely better? Is Tim Tebow a fair comparison to Riley Leonard? I look forward to your valuable opinion.
Eric Hansen: Thanks, Mark. I had a chance with the rest of the media last night to chat with offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock after practice. Let's start there. Here's what he said about Riley Leonard's bye week and practice so far this week:
“I think what's most exciting to me is the continued growth of confidence and understanding of what we're doing. I think we've seen kind of glimpses of what it can really kind of turn into and become here. And we're at about the point in the season where it's time for that to kind of kick into gear. And I've seen that progress over the last couple games, and now that's continued into last week, continued into this week. And hoping that that translates to the way we play on Saturday.”
And this ...
Q: Why do you think Riley Leonard has a chance to take a significant step in improvement?“
Because of what I've seen him do out there on the practice field. I mean, it's got to start there. It's got to start somewhere. And that's been as good as I've seen. Last week and the week before, the way he practiced and threw the ball with confidence and the way people kind of like went, ‘Wow, that's a dude.’ You know what I mean? That whole aura that's surrounding him right now is really positive, and I think everybody's kind of feeding off that.”
Eric Hansen: Now, Denbrock wasn't here when Coan was playing, but the vibe is kind of similar, when I think back to 2021, that there seemed to be optimism about a step up in play, and it indeed happened. We'll soon see if that follows with Leonard. ... As far as the NFL stuff, he was on their radar going into last season. Joe Theismann had some interesting thoughts about Riley Leonard's present AND future on our most recent podcast. Give it a listen, if you haven't already. He came up with a current NFL comp, and it wasn't Tebow. ... And he does not have a year of college eligibility left after this one, so he cannot come back.
Patrick from Los Angeles: Looking down the road, it appears as though both Army and Navy will be challenging outs. It was somewhat surprising to see that USC's lines are average, at best. At this juncture, which three future opponents do you believe will be the toughest to beat. Thank you.
Eric Hansen: Hi Patrick, interesting way to phrase that ... because if you had just said which three are the three best, that's different than the three toughest to beat, because of matchups, sequence, timing, home/road etc. I'm still going to put USC in LA with everything that could be at stake at No. 1, with Navy No. 2 and Georgia Tech No. 3.
Jim from Virginia: Eric thank you for everything you do for the Irish community. I need you to explain something. For the life of me I can’t understand if a team can run and block for the qb, how can that same line, and not be able to open a hole for price and or love on a more consistent basis? I know sometime the back blocks for RL but darn help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eric Hansen: Hi Jim. I will give you an oversimplified version of the answer, so I don't put everyone to sleep with all the ifs, and or buts. Defenses like to bring a safety into the box, meaning the defense now has more defenders than you can block as an offense. There are some different way to unload the box, and one is the things you can do with a QB who is a better-than-average runner. You're basically doing RPOs or basing those runs on reads, and it evens back the numbers in the box, because now you have to account for the QB as a runner. So even in those circumstances, defenses will stack their defenses to stop the traditional running game and take their chances with the QB at times.
But I do need to point out that Jeremiyah Love is averaging 6.5 yards a carry this season and Jadarian Price is averaging 7.3, and ND, as a team, is sixth nationally in yards per carry at 6.18.
Manny from San Pedro: Eric!!!!!! Ready to get into Stanford week! With so many injuries. Where can we least afford another injury? DL? OL?
Eric Hansen: Manny!!!!!!!!! Yes I am ready too! I'd say the stress points with injuries at this point are vyper end, cornerback and offensive tackle.
Len from the Jersey Shore: Hello Eric!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My biggest disappointment this season was ND not being ready to play NIU, and the second qtr. on lack of running plays for the QB. Can ND win without running the QB a lot? Can Riley Leonard"s body hold up to the pounding? My second biggest disappointment has been Tight End blocking. Although good at times it has been sporadic. Do you agree TE blocking needs to improve drastically?
Eric Hansen: Len!!!!!!!! You are giving Manny a run for his money with the exclamation points ... and good questions too. The answer to your first question is no for the early part of the season and theoretically less so toward the end of the season. What changes? Presumably the offensive line gets better as the season goes along and the passing game evolves as the season goes along. As those two things improve, there's not as much need for RL to run to unload the box on defense. But why would you not want him to run at least some? He's averaging 6.3 yards a carry, and that's with sack yardage added in? Remember, Leonard didn't get hurt last year running the ball. He got hurt on a sack. Same thing with the NIU game this year. (he got rid of the ball before he got sacked against the Huskies).
I absolutely agree with you about the tight end blocking, both pass protection and run blocking. It's been subpar so far this year. Look for Mitchell Evans to make a jump in that area post-bye week and the others to follow. It's not like those guys haven't been good blockers in the past.
Dave from Ponte Vedra, Fla.: Good afternoon, Eric. If we don’t lose power here, I’ll look forward to your answer. Am I the only one who thinks we have severely underutilized Love and Price? I know Leonard runs well, but we have two horses who aren’t seeing the ball often enough.
Eric Hansen: Dave, I was watching YouTube videos of the hurricane this morning and feeling for those in the storm's path. I hope you are safe. .... I'd agree to some extent on those RBs needing more touches, but some of that is based on reads of the defense and weather to give or pull. The fact that ND A) needs to evolve its passing game, B) is averaging 6.18 yards per rush and the QB is exceeding that makes me see this as more of a First World problem. If A comes to fruition and B stays the course, then ND will be in the playoff and this won't be an issue.
Scott from Greenville, S.C.: Eric, or should we call "DJ LLCool E at the ND"? Great FNS with Tyler on Monday. Love that opportunity to hear you share thoughts and information. Speaking of that, could you share your thoughts on both offensive and defensive lines going forward? While I am concerned with RL, I really think 11-1 happens if both lines can gel better; stop the run, help RL have a little time to throw, and open lanes for the RBs to run for more than a couple yards on 1st and 2nd down. 3rd down is killing us. Sorry, but shoes are off and it's 5 o'clock Somewhere.
Eric Hansen: LOL Scott. I think we better stick to Eric, and thanks for the compliments on Football Never Sleeps. The guy who wrote and sings the theme music is coming to the ND game this weekend, by the way. ... I think run defense and the offensive line are huge factors in GETTING INTO the playoff. But Riley Leonard will have to be playing at the level that Mike Denbrock envisions for him the Irish to make some noise in the playoff. ... Shoes off today is all good.
Denny from Beaverton, Ore.: Hi Eric; Your recent article on injuries was food for thought. I remember asking a question about the new Strength and Conditioning coach in August and you mentioned he was receiving high marks from most everyone and Coach Freeman seemed to back that feeling up by noting the reduction in concussions and other injuries as a result of how they practice. Now the recent injuries particularly to Traore and Botelho, who were dynamic players at the same position, really seems to focus the question of training on injuries. I wonder if a direct connection can even be made. Perhaps these injuries to these two players were just unfortunate and unusual at the same position. I don't know where the responsibility lies , if anywhere. Coach Freemen believes they have taken steps to effectively limit this problem but will continue to evaluate. I wonder how this year's injury rates compare to ND teams over the past ten years. Are there statistics out there that compare the rate of significant injuries for all teams?
Eric Hansen: Denny, not without some digging that I can't do without pausing the chat for hours. And even then, you need context. And I'm sure Notre Dame is doing this themselves. When I say context, not everyone is equally injury-prone. Some are contact injuries and some are non-contact injuries. Notre Dame invests a lot in recovery, a lot in sports science, a lot in injury prevention. It is in their best interest to get to the bottom of these things. But we've seen injuries across college football and to some headline players and to former ND players at other schools. Tobias Merriweather hasn't played a down for Cal yet. Logan Diggs has offseason knee surgery and hasn't played a down for Ole Miss yet. I know you want answers, but I don't think numbers will tell you the whole story.
Joe H from Williams Bay Wis. Hi Eric. Thanks again for keeping us engaged during the bye week. I think we can all agree that the bye week was great for the Irish with all the upsets but seeing what Vanderbilt and Texas A&M did I have to wonder did Notre Dame hire the right former assistant coach. Love so many things that Coach Freeman brings to the school but really am starting to wonder if we wouldn’t have been better off hiring Clark Lea or Mike Elko.
Eric Hansen: Joe, all three of those guys are coaches I think highly of, so I'm not going to disparage any of them to make an argument on Marcus' behalf. I'm curious why you would say that. Notre Dame is the highest ranked of those teams. Marcus is 23-9 and beat Elko head to head twice. Elko is 21-10. Clark is 12-29. Mike is 47 and Clark is 42, so they've been coaching longer. I think it's fair to wonder, but I'm not sure what prompted your wondering.
Mike (aka Mo) from Maumee Ohio: Hey Eric! Who would you consider the most improved player from the first game to the last game on each side of the ball? I'll give you my extra-credit suggestion for special teams- James Rendell, who after switching to American-style punting after the first few games, has boomed the ones he's supposed to, and has dropped the ones inside the 20 that he's supposed to.
Eric Hansen: Hey Mike/Mo. Lots of candidates on both sides and for different circumstances. But off the top of my head, I'll go with Pat Coogan at center on offense and Drayk Bowen at linebacker on defense.
Marie from Atlanta: Hi Eric, I hope you’re having a great week. Only one more week until the Georgia Tech game and I know we all hope you will be in Atlanta. In the meantime, the following teams left on the schedule are clearly going to know to rush the quarterback against Notre Dame. What over the last two weeks do you think Mike Denbrock has done/implemented to counter this? Also, I saw that Notre Dame has one of the lowest third down conversion rates in the country. What do you think they need to do to fix that problem? Do you think Jeremiah Love needs to be in more on third down? Finally, what are one or two areas where Stanford could give the Irish some trouble this week? As always, thanks for all your great insights. Look forward to seeing you down south next week.
Eric Hansen: Hi Marie. I am having a great but busy week. Women's basketball duties are double-teaming me this week, but they're fun to cover too. ... Marie, I am probably not caffeinated enough to understand your first question. Doesn't every team want to rush the opposing team's QB? The question is how successful are they when they do? Here are the national rankings for ND's future opponents out of 133 FBS teams in terms of how successful they are in getting sacks. Stanford is 98th, Ga Tech 116th, Navy 49th, Fla St 18th (but bad everywhere else on D), Va 59th, Army 106th, USC 108th.
Notre Dame does have a lousy third-down rate (102nd), and Mike Denbrock and Marcus Freeman were both asked about it, and a big part of the solution is being better on first and second downs, so you're not facing so many 3rd-and-9s. And more Love on third down isn't a silly idea. He is not as good in pass pro, but he is really good at a lot of other things on third down. I do think Aneyas Williams is proving to be a step up from some other options, though.
As far as Stanford, the Cardinal is much better when Ashton Daniels is at QB over Justin Lamson, even though Daniel threw a bunch of interceptions against Syracuse and Clemson. His dual threat is real. Stanford has been stout against the run -- 12th nationally -- and has had some big plays in the pass game, though sporadic, will Elic Ayomanor a deep threat.
Shane from White Deer, Texas: Hey Eric. Quick question. Do you think after this past weekend there could be a scenario where Notre Dame could make the playoffs at 10-2, or will the NIU game haunt them for the rest of the season and 11-1 has to be the floor? 11-1 is doable, but I sure would love a cushion. Thanks for the chats. Go Irish!!
Eric Hansen: Hi Shane. Even with the upsets, it's hard to see a scenario in which a 10-2 Irish team makes the playoff, given the lack of octane now that wins over Florida State and to some extent USC might have given them in November.
Chris (son-of-Dad) from Bloomingdale, Ill.: Hi Pops!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just wanted to check in with you and let you know I am fine. I am sure you and Mom were terribly worried about me since we haven't chatted for awhile. What's the deal with "Dad and Uncle Bob's High-flying, Death-Defying, Spook-tacular, Musical Jamboree, showtime at the apollo, late night, variety, happy fun-time hour extravaganza with Bob and Dad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" aka into The eNDzone?
It seems to be on only after away games. What's up with that?????? Also in light of my newfound discovery that Tyler Mom is also a Chicago Bears fan (I assume I inherited that from him), are there any other mental illnesses, or history of diabetes, heart disease etc...that I should know about on either side of the family? Also, Also, how tall is Mom Tyler? He seems a lot taller than he looks when he is sitting down. Hopefully I also inherited some height from him and can expect my post mid-life growth spurt anytime now. I think I mostly inherited my beard from you (not the white part though).
Eric Hansen: OK, maybe suspending the "no drinking" rule for two weeks in a row wasn't such a great idea after all.
LOL, I will try to answer these. … Yes, the YouTube Show Into The eNDzone with former Irish offensive lineman Bob Morton is only after games played away from Notre Dame Stadium. So the next two are after Georgia Tech (Oct. 19) and Navy (Oct. 26), and we have two in November. And they were well-received. There are several factors in just doing away games, and two of them were home games and the timing of the press conferences just didn't allow for it, and Bob sometimes has commitments right after home games, so we're all about the road games.
Chris (son-of-Dad) from Bloomingdale, Ill.: Oops, pressed the wrong button. Forgot some of these!!!!! And some ❤❤❤
Eric Hansen: By the way, Bob Morton is our podcast guest this week, and that'll drop Thursday, so you can get your fix then. .... Tyler, I think, is 6-4. ... and if you have kids of your own, your beard will soon be white.
OK, moving right along ...
Lorne from Reno, Nev. Thanks as always for the chats. I understand the thinking behind benching Price after his fumble against Louisville, but thought keeping him out for the rest of the game was excessive. Your thoughts?
Eric Hansen: Lorne, thanks. I think when the other running backs are handling things with him out, you can make those choices. He was given the opportunity to redeem himself since then and has. I think that's fair.
Richie D. from Melbourne, Fla.: Eric, Love all that you bring us especially the "spoken" words on FNS and with Darrin on WSBT...I need an EH deep dive on Oben, Mills, and Cross...I feel like the eye test says we're not getting our NIL worth from these guys. How is Pff, TFL, Sacks, hurries,etc.?? Nationally..or versus last year....Maybe too deep for a chat but they seem to be coming up short.Thanks as always.
Eric Hansen: Well thanks for taking all that in, Richie. I appreciate that. I think your eye test is pretty accurate. And I'm not going to use NIL money as part of my calculus, if that's OK with you. But none of them have played up to All-America consideration yet, which was the standard for at least the two interior guys and the hope for Oben on the edge, or something approaching that. ... BUT, let's look at each individually. Oben's progress has been flat all season and now freshman Bryce Young is surging. Oben's film grade from Pro Football Focus against Louisville was his worst of the season.
PFF is just one evaluative tool, and not necessarily the defining one, but it's helpful in questions such as these. Mills has played better the past two games, his best two games of the season, which is a good sign. And Cross has gotten a better grade with each game. He even won a national defensive player of the week award for his play in the Louisville game. And his 55 snaps are a season high. He had a preseason hamstring injury and I think he's getting closer to being 100% and that factors in. So good news on two of three fronts.
Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Hi Eric, hope you are doing well and things are going well in preparation for the rest of the season after the Bye week. Many people feel that R J Oben has not played up to expectations so far. If I remember correctly, the DE from THE OSU did not start off strong last year either. What do you see that might indicate the RJ can have the type of second half that the OSU kid had last year?? We need him to step up and contribute so that we can concentrate on finding the best players for the depleted vyper position. What type of game this week would make you say that ND got a lot out of the Bye week? Thanks for everything you do on so many of the programs you are on to keep us informed!! Go Irish!!!!
Eric Hansen: Hi Tom, and thank you. Javontae Jean-Baptiste started to come to life at the end of September last season at the field end position, the same position RJ Oben plays, and really was at his best from November onward. What encourages the coaches is Oben has worked hard and is embracing being an all-around defensive end, but the window of opportunity is starting to close and would have likely closed faster had Josh Burnham been healthy this whole time. ... And your point about the vyper position is well-taken. ... I think some good signs out of the bye week this Saturday would be, an improved passing game, improved rush defense and cleaning up the gaffes on special teams.
Rick from Santa Fe, N.M.: Thoughts on ND employing wildcat formation? I'd love to see JD Price receive direct snap since he seems to be a more assertive runner than J. Love and gets to line of scrimmage and through holes quicker.
Eric Hansen: Hi Rick. If Steve Angeli were the quarterback. I'd probably be more open to this. With Riley Leonard as the QB, I'm not sure what you gain by putting Price back there, but I like the thought of looking for not-so-obvious ways to improve the offense.
Ryan from Frankfort, Ill.: Good afternoon Eric what do you think About The play or Jordan Clark and Donavan Hinish Jordan has looked Good and Hinish made that good tackle with watts against Louisville my prediction is 42-10 Irish GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈
Eric Hansen: Hi Ryan, nice to hear from you. Other than the penalty, Jordan Clark had an amazing game, especially when he had to move out to outside cornerback when Ben Morrison left the game for a series or two. He's been really good all year, a very impactful transfer. Donovan has played much better the past two weeks after a rough patch vs. N. Illinois and Purdue. Thanks for the score prediction. I need to figure one out for me.
Sean from Portland, Ore.: ERIC!!! Rapid fire off topic questions 1) Why wasn't the media enamored with covering Taylor Swift attending ND games in 2010? 2) What's the latest on Stanfords starting QB? Is he going to play, or not? 3) Am I right to be worried about Army/Navy? It feels like ND is guaranteed to have a few "dud" series on offense per game. You may only have 7 or 8 possessions against Army/Navy. Also depends how quickly Al Goldens young defense picks up the triple option. Plus, Army/Navy just flat out look pretty good. High risk games, IMO.
Eric Hansen: Sean!!! Ok, here I go. 1) Because Tyler James wasn't yet covering Notre Dame. 2) He is available and has been practicing. If all goes well, I would expect him to start. Ashton Daniels is a much better option for Stanford. 3) Yes and hell yes.
Patrick from Fort Wayne, Ind.: Good Afternoon Eric, Looking at the defense depth chart, I can't help but think about a quote Tom Lemming made about the 2022 LB recruit class that featured Sneed, Burnham, Tuihalamaka and Ziegler. Lemming said it was the best ND LB class in 30 years. Here we are in 2024 and only Sneed is playing LB and he is not starting. What is your take on this evolution. Was the class overrated?
Eric Hansen: Hi Patrick. It's a fair question, but Notre Dame has continued to recruit and develop at a very high level at linebacker. And when analysts say that, I think it speaks to perceptual wins as well. But Ziegler is working his way back to college football away from ND after a very scary health episode. I think Burnham has a chance to be a standout defensive end. And Junior has played a lot, though not at an elite level. So yes, overrated isn't inaccurate, and yet it was the start of ND upgrading the position, which continues with really good recruiting at that position group.
Patrick from Rochester, N.Y.: I would like to know whether or not the administration is going to consider a grass field given the numerous ACL injuries.
Eric Hansen: Hi Patrick. The Ashton Craig ACL tear happened on a grass field at Purdue. And so did Jordan Botelho's patella (non-ACL) knee injury. Notre Dame did those studies before they flipped to turf during the Brian Kelly Era. And they will continue to do studies. That's the best I can give you.
Jeff from Phoenix: Hey Eric. Was wondering how you see this odd situation, since you are a poll voter. The playoff selection committee will be meeting the week before the Army-Navy game. Both of those teams are currently undefeated and ND opponents, so there is the (small) possibility that they could be in the playoff discussion as an at-large team or conference champ, without a full season considered. Is this just a inconsequential bar discussion for this year or a legit problem? Would you be in favor of ever eliminating that great traditional game or moving the date to earlier in the season, or ? Thanks !
Eric Hansen: Hi Jeff. I'm not sure this situation will ever happen again, at least not in our lifetimes. The last time Army and Navy were both unbeaten this deep into the season was 1945, and I'm not even old enough to have been alive then. I don't have a strong opinion on this, but off the top of my head, since they are both now in a conference and the same conference, it would seem fairly easy to schedule that game before the AAC title game and before Selection Sunday.
Matt from Salem, Ore.: How do you think the Bama loss compares to NDs loss? Does it validate that playoff teams have off weeks? As Marcus Freeman is viewed and the team. Does it seem ND is now under rated given the a&m win? Does it seem the "it" teams and the SEC are overrated? Thanks for your expertise.
Eric Hansen: Hi Matt, wow you jammed a lot of tangents into very few words. I'm impressed and stalling for time for a good answer ... Here are my thoughts as they labor to work their way from my brain to my fingers ... 1) NEVER overreact to a singular weekend. 2) Even in a weekend like the last one, take the whole season into account. 3) The teams that lost last weekend have a chance to redeem themselves. 4) As long as ND keeps winning, the better Texas A&M turns out to be, the better it is for the Irish. 5) Any teams losing to an unranked team gives them less margin for error with many big games still ahead for most of them.
Jonathan from Hideaway, Texas: Greetings, Eric! After the NIU loss, Coach Thomas Hammock offered to clue Coach Freeman in on what they’d picked up in scouting the Irish. Or something like that. You or Tyler reported on it, if memory serves. Can you drop any hints about the subject of that conversation? Was it schematic? Did the Irish have tells giving away what kind of play the offense had called?
Eric Hansen: Hi Jonathan! I'm very certain Marcus Freeman will NEVER confirm what they talked about publicly. And as Marcus mentioned, it's not uncommon for coaches to talk ... now this situation was a bit different because they did not have a longstanding relationship.
Larry from Topton, Pa.: A few (but less than 17) quarterback-related questions please. 1) My sense is that in today’s NIL/transfer-happy football world, having 4 scholarship QB’s on the roster is pretty rare. Do you know, is my sense correct? How common is it for a program to have 4 scholarship quarterbacks nowadays? 2) On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely is it that ND will sign a 2025 QB prospect? 3) During warmups for the Louisville game, I made a point to be on the lookout for CJ Carr, and I noticed that he was throwing the ball softly with his left hand. I have since heard that after returning to the locker room, he did not fully dress for the game due to an elbow injury. Are your sources providing any specifics about Carr’s injury? How much practice time has he missed? Any long term implications of this injury? Thanks for keeping us informed and entertained during the bye week Eric!
Eric Hansen: Hi Larry. and thanks for your restraint! 1) I could pause the chat and go to all 133/134 FBS websites, but I would get a lot of people upset with me. And it's not just four scholarship QBs, it’s the quality of the four scholarship QBs ND has. Kenny Minchey as a No. 3 and CJ Carr as No. 4? Wow. 2) I'd say a 9. 3) It didn't sound serious. If he were out for the year, he would be listed on ND's weekly availability chart. And given the new injury policy, which helps in some aspects and hurts in our reporting in others, getting a deep dive of info for a player not in the two-deeps is tough. At least on the record.
DomerReef70: Eric, hope you are rested after holding Bye Week U scoreless, no yards gained and 0:00 time of possession. Question pertains to 2025 recruiting. For almost 12 months ND had the #1 ranked class but in the last several months has plummeted out of the top 10 far far behind (in Rivals points) the top 5-and this pretty much happened prior to the decommitment of the faux D Knight "commitment" (glad he's gone). In your opinion what does this portend for ND, are we filling the position needs in that class with quality players with which HCMF can continue to sustain an elite program? Hope to see you in Atlanta next week-Go Irish!!!!!!!!!!
Eric Hansen: Hi DomerReef. I get the curiosity here. But one of the reasons Rivals offers traditional high school rankings and combined high school/portal rankings is that it better reflects the quality of incoming talent. Think about Jordan Clark, for instance. What high school kid would be playing at that level at nickel this season? And so we'll have to wait until the portal season is through to FULLY evaluate fairly. Having said that, I do think ND is recruiting at a high level at a lot of position groups, but needs to step it up in others, such as WR in this cycle, and finish strong by reeling in the two stud linebacker prospects. And yes, sign a quality 2025 QB.
The Beave from Grand Rapids, MIch.: Hi Eric. It seems that Mitchell Evans got most of his recent looks on the perimeter in tight end screens or flares. Guessing and offense was looking to attack the edges of the Louisville defense. is there opportunity to for ND to use Evans to attack the middle of the Stanford defense?
Eric Hansen: Yes, and he really recalibrated during the bye week, lots of film study. Lots of changing his mindset and believing he is healthy enough to do everything asked of him now. More Mitchell Evans and better Mitchell Evans moving forward.
Ed from Sayville, N.Y.: Hello Eric. I just heard that the National Letter of Intent is going away. Do you know if this was an expected next step in college sports and what might it mean? What else maybe coming as there have been more changes than a David Bowie album.
Eric Hansen: Hi Ed (I did get the David Bowie reference, well-played). I had a full plate away from that news heading into the chat and now I'm in it, so I haven't had time to fully tease this out. But it's a GREAT question, and one that deserves an answer, even if it's not fully baked. ... So the elimination of the National Letter of Intent, with national signing (Dec. 4-6) less than two months away leaves a lot of gray area. The hope/intention is replacing one form of binding agreement with another. The new one would be a combination of financial aid agreement and revenue-sharing contract. Could some imperfections arise in this first go-around? I would say count on it, but again, the intent is that the new agreement would do some of the same things as the old National Letter, just with different details attached to it for the players.
Tim from St. Louis: Hey Eric - Thanks for keeping us informed. The hardest working reporter in the business. Has anyone heard from Matt Balis? How is he? What is he up to ? In my opinion he was a huge loss for ND in terms of instilling toughness, preparation and motivation. Also enjoyed Joe "Heisman" Podcast. What did you think of his comments about student athletes in 2024?
Eric Hansen: Hi Tim, and thank you. Let me start with Joe Theismann. I really enjoyed that one, if you couldn't tell. I thought Joe's comments about college sports in 2024 reflect those largely of people who have been college sports fans a long time and are worried about changing the fabric of what makes college sports great. He may be right about that, but there's no going back, and so I look for ways for it to work and to embrace it, and I think he's trying to do that too. And I think ND is lucky to have a head football coach and AD who are up to that challenge, it appears. ... Matt Balis has been pretty quiet since leaving the program. And yes, he was a very popular and effective leader for ND.
Matt from Austin: Eric, hello!!!! Give us your opinion on the Knight overall conclusion. You have insights that we can never match. You are the best. NIL, jealousy, fear of QB room, flattery? I just don't know, but I feel we are better off knowing that he was never truly committed. Thank you. Matt
Eric Hansen: Hi Matt, if he got the compliments you threw at me, I guarantee he would not have been able to leave. Thank you. ... Tyler James is deeper in the weeds on this than I am. But here's my impression: Multiple factors, including ... a clear path to early playing time, geography, the allure of the SEC, and people in his ear who he trusts that pushed him toward Auburn. And there could be a good ending for both sides without each other. We'll see.
John from Scottsdale: Eric. What offensive and defensive players’ performance has been the most disappointing to you this year? Who on both sides of the ball has performed furthest from your expectations entering the year (either good or bad)?
Eric Hansen: I had higher expectations for Kris Mitchell on offense and Rylie Mills/RJ Oben on defense. And there's still time for redemption. Who's played well above my expectations? I think I had a similar question earlier, though it was more about who improved from the start of the season the most. ... so I'll still go with Pat Coogan on offense. On defense, I'm going to go with Jordan Clark. I thought he'd be good. He's been much better than good.
Dave from DC: Are signs pointing to Josh Burnham playing on Saturday?
Eric Hansen: At this point yes, just not sure how much ... and again, I can't predict injury setbacks. Above my pay grade. Heck this chat is probably above my pay grade, but I love it.
Patrick from Boulder: Eric!!!!!!!!! Greetings from sunny Boulder. Two questions for you this week. With Stanford's stout run defense, do you expect ND to do anything creative to create opportunities for our run-first offense (like leaning into the screen game or lots of passes to TEs/RB wheel routes? What are the top 3 things you're looking for out of ND after its first bye week? Thanks for all you do and go Irish!
Eric Hansen: Hi Patrick. Thank you. ... I'm going to put you up in the booth and have you talk to Mike Denbrock on the headset down on the sideline with all your good ideas. Actually, Stanford has been pretty vulnerable to all kinds of passes and all kinds of depths. They've allowed a 68% completion rate, and about half of the 1,342 yards they've given up were after the catch. ... I think I'm repeating myself on the second part of your question, but ... run defense, passing game and no special teams gaffes.
Jason from Grand Rapids, Mich.: Hey Eric, maybe not a question for this week, but I've been curious about transfers that got snaps while here. Would we be better with NaNa vs RJ? Or Clarence Lewis vs Jordan Clark, etc. Or are these not either or situations and these guys were looking to leave anyway. Thanks for everything and really enjoyed the article on the commits ND lost to other teams.
Eric Hansen: Jason, I'm at the end, so let's do that one next week. I can get the stats to compare.
Eric Hansen: OK, that's going to do it for today. I have a hard out at 3. Thanks for all the great questions. We'll be back to do it all over again next Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET.
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