Eric Hansen: Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, pre-Ice Storm in South Bend Edition.
Some quick programming notes:
► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, the only thing missing from it was Tyler James and I gnawing on and waving around giant turkey legs as we talked about where Notre Dame Football is headed next and took questions live from viewers. Got a case of the FOMOs? FNS keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation, so you can catch up now or later on YouTube. We’ll bump out of our normal Monday at 7 ET time slot next week and likely present the live version Tuesday night.
More Content
► Notre Dame RB coach Deland McCullough headed to the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders
► Two-time Notre Dame MBB captain, All-American John Shumate dies at 72
► GM Chad Bowden speaks at USC press conference, discusses decision to leave ND
► Jalen Haralson can make future brighter for Notre Dame men's basketball
► Chat Transcript: Does tweaking Notre Dame's ACC FB commitment make sense?
► Finally, at WSBT Sports Radio 96.1, we’re rolling through a heavy news cycle following Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff run. Darin Pritchett is battling the flu and is off today (Wednesday). But typically we’ll be together on Wednesdays and Thursdays each week moving forward on Weekday SportsBeat (96.1 FM, 960 AM, live streaming at wsbtradio.com). The weekday shows run from 5-6 p.m. ET. You can download all episodes as podcasts.
As far as this week's chat …
PLEASE include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question(s).
"Guest" does not count unless you provide ID that Guest is indeed on your birth certificate.
Here are the rules:
Eric Hansen: The "No Drinking" rule only applies to me now.
We've got a very full queue, but keep 'em coming. Off we go ...
Bob from Oxnard, Calif.: Hi Eric, do you think we are going to play Clemson/Miami/FSU more (as J heard the ACC proposed)? If so, can we get anything in return (e.g., more say on where and when the games are played). Seems like we should get something we want in return for potentially saving the ACC.
Eric Hansen: Hi Bob. I do think things are moving in that direction to an unbalanced ACC schedule, and having spoken with Pete Bevacqua about this in Atlanta and some other scheduling stuff, this is something Notre Dame is on board with. In fact, he said he wouldn't mind playing Clemson every year. And I think ND and the ACC are willing partners who would work together on the dates/venues etc. As far as "saving" the ACC, I think it's mutually beneficial. ND gets to have full ACC membership in men's women's basketball and most of the Olympic sports without having to commit to a full football schedule. What might ND be able to negotiate in this scheduling agreement?
Perhaps that Stanford would count toward the five ACC games a year commitment instead of a standalone arrangement, which in turn would give ND more scheduling flexibility. It might also allow ND to not play Stanford EVERY year if it doesn't want to do that. But committing to those schools more often that are big brand names and USUALLY toward the top of the ACC, I think, puts ND in a better place when it comes to strength-of-schedule comparisons.
Michael from Chicagoine: if ND loses 1-2 QBs to the portal after the spring do you anticipate Buchner being moved back to a full-time QB? Also, any notable standouts from the early enrollees (wondering if Herbert looked good and it that might hasten a departure from the QB room if he did).
Eric Hansen: Hi Michael. If a player is such a snowflake that a freshman looking good in practice pushes him in the transfer portal, he should have never been at a place like Notre Dame in the first place. The Irish recruit competitive players, and the motto is "Choose Hard" not "Choose Until it gets TOO hard." I think Tyler Buchner being on the roster and being committed to playing football in 2025 (and lacrosse again this spring) is a nice safety net. Anthony Rezac is also on the roster and could provide some depth.
Brian from Massachusetts: Long time listener, first time caller. Seeing Oben getting a lot of hype after the senior bowl. Didn’t really see that production on the field consistently this season. Am I mis-remembering?
Eric Hansen: Hi Brian. I think most Irish fans are probably perplexed, as you are. A couple of things. There was a hope Oben would have a similar arc to what Javontae Jean-Baptiste did in his one year at field end the year before Oben arrived. Not close. And Oben had a quiet September, followed by a pretty rough October. But his film grades per PFF were very good in November and he had an elite game against Georgia during ND's playoff run. But we're not talking about a high draft pick. What we might be talking about is the difference between being drafted and being an undrafted free agent. But he is looked on as an ascending player, even though it was not obvious to most of us.
Len from the Jersey Shore: Hello Eric!!!!!!!!!! I am curious to see how the players, and to a lesser degree coaches, recover from the longest season in College Football history. I remember when ND did not go to bowl games and one poll picked the Natty before the bowl and one after. How things have changed. I hope you and Tyler have recovered from the playoff excitement and grind. Can you rank for me, based upon recruiting analysis, the top 10 offensive linemen going into the 2025 season. That would include this years recruits. Which player not on that list would get the Pat Coogan award for developing above their recruiting rating?
Eric Hansen: Len!!!!!!! Coming strong with the punctuation today. Love it. I am not basing this snapshot on today, but where I think they will be heading into training camp at the end of July, beginning of August. That way we can factor in five-star Will Blake who arrives in June and also account for some development by the others in spring. So here goes:
1. Billy Schrauth, 2. Charles Jagusah, 3. Aamil Wagner, 4. Ashton Craig, 5. Anthonie Knapp, 6. Guerby Lambert, 7. Sullivan Absher, 8. Will Black, 9. Chris Terek, 10. Owen Strebig. It will be really interesting to see if 6-7-8 can close the gap. But that's how I see it. Check back with me after spring.
Shane from White Deer, Texas: Hey Eric. Hope all is well. Quick question heading into Spring ball. Which position group do you think is in the best position? On the flip side, which group concerns you most? Thanks for the chat. Go Irish.
Eric Hansen: Hi Shane, thank you. I'll give you two, but there are several. I'll go offensive line and linebackers. I really like the corners as well, but two of the really good freshmen won't be here until June. Biggest concern? Interior defensive line.
Joe from Granger, Ind.: Is Marcus Freeman going to get any recruits today? You would think Notre Dame after having a great championship run would be able to maybe sway a couple of recruits that are available.
Eric Hansen: Hi Joe. ND is done with the 2025 recruiting cycle. They're working on the 2026 group and getting ready to offer scholarships to a tsunami of prospects next month in the 2027 class. If they're going to add to the 2025 roster, it would be after the spring transfer portal window opens (April 16-25).
Lorne from Reno, Nev.: Thanks as always for the chats. It seems that you have been referring to Jason Onye as though he is definitely returning to the team and will even be a key piece of the defensive line. Has anything been said publicly about this (if so, I apologize for missing it) and, if not, what is it that makes you seem somewhat sure that he will be back? Will he be involved this spring?
Eric Hansen: Hi Lorne. Notre Dame recently put out a spring roster, and I did a story on spring story lines and included notably who was on the roster and who was not (including Tosh Baker and two of the transfers, for instance). In checking around, Onye is in school and intends to rejoin the team. Could that go backwards, given how much time he missed last season? I think that's a reasonable question. But if he had no intention of returning to football or Notre Dame, he would not have been included. So we'll get an update once we get a little closer to spring.
TB from Ohio: Hello Eric, there seemed to be a ton of smoke with Freeman targeting James Blanchard from Texas Tech to replace Bowden. Reports were that he flew into South Bend on Saturday for a meeting with some type of decision to shortly follow. Many folks in the industry seemed to think this was the home run replacement of Chad Bowden. Now it's Wednesday, and we have heard nothing. What gives? Could this be another miss where we brought coaches on campus but can't seem to close the deal?
Eric Hansen: Hi TB. I want to be careful how I word this. How a hiring process of this magnitude plays out in reality may not align closely with what's being reported BY SOME. Tyler James is working on this story for us, and I know he has been frustrated by some misinformation that’s flowing out there. I want to make a point that there are plenty of people on our beat with reporting integrity. And there some who do not, or are not even doing their own reporting. And it's hard, as a reader, sometimes to know what and who you can trust. But think about it, if this guy is a home run hire, then why would Texas Tech let him go without a fight? Wouldn't you think there would be negotiations and counter-offers and soul searching and consulting with family? And as much as some may want to think working at ND is a no-brainer, not everyone sees it that way, and there are considerations to mull when it comes to making a major life decision.
Don in Scottsdale, Ariz.: Eric, OK, there's spring ball, B&G game, summer camp before Freeman's season 4 starts. What does ND need to be better in '25? … And, even if they are better, they may not be 1 or 2. Let's say they are a better team but lose to the eventual winner in the second or third round. Will the ND faithful see progress or failure? Thanks for doing this as we hit the empty time …
Eric Hansen: Hey Don, have I got a story for you to read if you want more depth: How Notre Dame football's 2024 numbers should impact its vision for 2025
Two areas top the list: Improving pass efficiency on offense and rush defense on defense. ... to part 2, I'm not sure how the fan base would process it. I think there's a hunger and belief ND is as close to winning a title as the Irish have been in a long time. It's kind of hard to tamp that down. We'll see. ... to Part 3, Empty time? What is this alien language you are speaking?
Joe H from Williams Bay, Wis.: Hi Eric thanks for all your reporting and insights on the longest season in Notre Dame history Looking back on the national championship game I was wondering if you thought that Al Golden was distracted with the Bengals job offer The defense looked confused and more out of position than they were all season and secondly what do you think the future holds for Jaylon Snead Does he stay at Notre Dame and if he does do you think he will be a starter next year?
Eric Hansen: Hi Joe H. Thanks for jumping on board today. No. Al Golden is a pro, and I don't think he was distracted by the Bengals job. I think he was challenged by a very difficult offense that executed at a very high level against a team that couldn't manufacture a pass rush. Is it a different challenge for Golden if Rylie Mills and Baubacar Traore or Jordan Botelho play? Yes, because having a pass rush takes away some of Ohio State's offensive versatility. ... As far Jaylen Sneed, I think he already hit that inflection point and recommitted himself to being the best he can be at ND. And if ND recommits to a four- or five-man linebacker rotation, I think Sneed will find a role where he can be productive and a better version of himself in 2025.
Beau Harvey from Rockwood, Tenn.: Hello Mr. Hansen, sir. My Question... Are we ever going to spend the cash like other teams or are we just going to recruit ND guys and develop? We just went to the championship and received a lot of cash! Why are we not spending it in recruiting? As long as everyone else is doing it, then we better as well or we will never win a championship in my opinion. Our assist. coaches leave year in and out, so it's hard to develop that way. Spend and win! Winning with 3 and 4 star guys is going to give me a heart attack bc of close games. Your thoughts? There are kids out there that will take the big bucks and go to a rigorous school surely! Go Irish!!
Eric Hansen: Hello Mr. Harvey, sir. I am returning the respect card, not mocking you, let me assure you. Now your questions, though, have some faulty assumptions baked into them. And this whole rapidly evolving college sports business model is very confusing and kind of makes it easy NOT to understand. So, let's at least try to get on the same page with that, so I can better answer your questions. We will know much more on April 7 at an important court hearing, but the revenue-sharing model is likely to be in place for 2025. Each school's spending will be capped at $20.5 million for the coming year. I am trying to oversimplify this so we both only need caffeine and not bourbon. (more)Eric Hansen: NIL will then supposedly be something outside of direct payments from the universities and will be true NIL deals, like car dealerships, clothing, etc. How teams spend their money is up to them, which is why the GM hiring (and support around that position) is so important. Do you spend more money on transfers/ On recruits? On retaining the players you already have? OK so we've got that established. Now let's get to your questions/concerns.
Notre Dame is going to build with high school recruiting and supplement with the transfer portal. That works in the short term and the long game for Notre Dame. It's easier to find the right fits when you have a culture in place, then trying to re-establish culture annually with high, high turnover. Like Florida State — that hit the portal lottery one year and was on portal skid row the next. Assistant coach turnover is prevalent across college football and has been at Notre Dame over the last 50 years. That's college football. But you have a better chance of developing players when you have a culture in place that works.
Notre Dame is and will remain competitive in this new era of college football. It may not prevent your heart from palpitating, but it is the way Notre Dame can build long-term success. Now let's have a coffee.
Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Hi Eric, sorry to jump in so late. With the long run of games in the playoffs, has there been any word of making adjustments in the way that spring practice may be run??? Maybe not as much hitting and one on one drills as in the past?? I realize that there are position battles to grade but this is a whole new area for the playoff teams. Thanks and Go Irish!!!!!!!!!
Eric Hansen: Hi Tom, there is no tardy bell here. Jump in and jump out as you wish. There used to be a young man who was a regular in here. who was asking questions from his college math class, while it was going on — so we're flexible. As long as you are wearing shoes, by God! Yes, there will be modifications to both winter workouts, which just started for many of the players earlier this week, and for spring practices. I was told we may have a chance to speak soon to director of football performance Loren Landow about those details, and I am hoping that becomes a reality.
Ced walker from saginaw michigan aka sagnasty Saginaw pride can you see Gi'Bran Payne also getting reps at wr can you see Dallas golden playing both ways at CB and wr very concern at depth at CB god bless this football 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: Hi Ced. Good call on possible depth-chart engineering possibly with Payne. It's something I would be thinking about as a coaching staff member or Payne himself. There are going to be six backs next year and it will be hard for Payne to push for much of a role. Not sure yet if he's going to be fully ready for spring. ... But where would he play? There are already 11 wide receivers. My sense is defense might be the path of least resistance. Again, this isn't me reporting this, this is just spit-balling here on an interesting question. Cornerback would seem to make the most sense in terms of numbers if there were to be a move.
Bill from St Joe, MI: Hi Eric!!! By now I should know this but looking to you for confirmation. Regarding the $20.5M in direct payments for 2025, is that amount the total for all sports, or is it limited to football?
Eric Hansen: All sports, but football is going to get most of that. Let me see if I can find the Bevacqua quote from our interview in Atlanta ...
I found the quote. It was a question that is going to complicate what you are looking for, but was asked about Title X considerations. So, let me give you the full quote and then translate a bit:
"What might change between now and April 7, should the house settlement get approved as it goes into effect in July, I think there’s going to be so much change, so much material change, in terms of identifying and dictating the rules of the road between now and then, we’re kind of sitting back and doing a little bit of just absorbing that information and making sure we’re up to speed on everything. So when the rules of engagement are finalized, we’re ready to move as smartly and strategically as possible
"The first $2.5 mill come from the cap,. We intend to equal or surpass the $2.5 million number, but then you’re really left with a cap amount of money (from the original 20.5). And then universities will decide how they will distribute that money. Will you compensate football players differently? Men’s and women’s basketball? What sports generate revenue? No secret there, you have sports that generate more revenue than others. And then quite frankly, how do you factor in Title IX. What are the regulations and rules that make sure you have to do everything properly.
"I think everybody — certainly not just Notre Dame — is in the process right now of reading every bit of information available, keeping track of how the settlement is going, certainly keeping track of what Congress might or might not do. What the DOJ and the Department of Education is saying and then responding appropriately. But it’s still very much a work in progress."
Eric Hansen: OK, now the translation, so many moving parts, but whatever it spits out, football is going to get most of that money.
Ryan Frankfort illinois: Good afternoon Eric what do you think about The season Love Had he had a Good Year GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈
Eric Hansen: Ryan, I think Jeremiyah Love had an outstanding year, and if he can stay healthy, will have an even better one in 2025.
Jack from Strongsville, Ohio: Hi Eric. Since you have and still do cover college basketball, I have a fun question for you. Who is the better ND all time basketball backcourt. Austin Carr and Jack Meehan or Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles?
Eric Hansen: Hi Jack, I am not as old as you think I am, based on this question. I was literally a child when Austin Carr played, but I know he was good enough that if you paired you or me — or a houseplant — with him, he'd still be a formidable backcourt. Quite honestly, I didn't even know who Jack Meehan is/was. And his college stats are pretty modest. But I get to see Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo on a regular basis, and it's pretty special.
Skip from Houston: About offers during recruiting Al Golden was quoted as saying, “Offers have changed. There’s all kinds of qualifiers on offers in our business." ... Now, there’s a lot of offering and a lot of over-offering." Would you please discuss Notre Dame's "offers". Thank you.
Eric Hansen: Hi Skip. I will try to simplify this for you. This is more down Tyler James' alley, but I can approximate the math. Notre Dame will extend more than 100 offers to kids in each recruiting cycle. Now what if they all say yes? So, there's an art and a science to this. You have a board where you prioritize the players at each position. The players at the top of it may have a green light to commit any time. Some players may have an expiration date on their offer. If the position fills up, then the offer goes away. Some kids you slow-play. You may want to see them in a camp or see them in their senior season or they may need to do some academic work or recover from an injury. So, they do not have the green light to commit, and you usually try to put off an official visit. So, yes, not all offers are created equal.
Jeff from Phoenix: Hey Eric, I'm glad to be jumping back into the chat this off season. Great job with FNS year-round. So, about recruiting. ND has 7 commits for the coming year. Isn’t this on the low side for this time in the calendar? Could it be by design? Or due to other factors like the DC change, recruiting staff turnover, long season, etc? BTW, it is beautiful in Phoenix now so any of the other Valley of the Sun chatters should be barefoot and imbibing. Cheers-
Eric Hansen: Hi Jeff, thanks for the kind words ... and other things, so I let you slide on getting everyone stirred up about violating the "no bare feet" rule. I had to do some research, because this felt like a trick question AND IT IS! So on Feb. 5, 2025, the Irish have seven commits, as you mentioned in their current cycle. And in 2024, they had nine (or at least nine who eventually signed). But here are the numbers for the rest of the decade leading up to this cycle: 7-4-4-6-4-2-5-3-1. So seven is actually a little high, especially considering ND's long playoff run. They'll have kids in for unofficial visits during spring practice and official visits in June, so I think the timetable looks about right. For the record Kansas has the most commits with 11 and only two other teams are in double digits — Texas A&M and Oregon with 10 each.
Marie from Atlanta: Hi Eric, I hope you’re having a fantastic week, sounds like the weather in South Bend has actually pretty nice for this time of year. Looking towards spring practice, which players on offense and defense do you think most need to take a big step up in order for Notre Dame to continue to be successful in the fall? Last week we discussed a potential ACC deal where Notre Dame would play two games a year against either Florida State, Miami or Clemson. I see how this arrangement benefits these teams and the ACC, but with teams across college football talking about making their schedules easier so they can make the playoff, how is this beneficial for Notre Dame? In this era where it’s so important to get in on high school players early, do you find it concerning that Notre Dame has only offered three players in the 2027 class? As always, thanks for the great insights and hosting the chat.
Eric Hansen: Oh Marie, it was 55 this other day and it's back to, well, what the weather was like on the day of the National Championship Game Jan. 20 in Atlanta and then there is the whole thing with the groundhog and now a predicting sleet/ice storm tonight ... thank you for your questions. ... We hit part of your question in the opening, but I wanted to address your assertion that teams are talking about weakening their schedules, and I think that might be just posturing and a really stupid move if they carried that out. Let's look at the first two teams out of the playoff this year, Miami and Ole Miss.
In non-conference Miami played Florida, a good team by year's end but not a top 25 team, as well as FLorida A&M, USF and Ball State. In conference play, the Hurricanes didn't play SMU or Clemson, which means the ONLY ranked team they played was Syracuse —and the Hurricanes lost that game. ... Ole Miss did beat Georgia and So. Carolina, but lost to unranked Kentucky, LSU and Florida. Their non-conference schedule? Furman, Middle Tennessee, Ga Southern and Wake Forest. So, you could make an argument that the soft part of their schedule hurt when it came down to splitting hairs. So, I am in favor of more challenging schedules as long as that's within reason, and I know Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua feels the same way.
As to the 2027 recruit offer question, I would have to ask some other people about that. I am not in the weeds with recruiting the way Tyler James is. I know ND likes to make a big splash with Pot of Gold Day on St. Patrick's Day. The off-the-top-of-my-head response would be that it probably works as long you are getting those kids to visit before they have offers. Hope your weather is better than ours!
Roger from Peoria: Eric: While everyone knows "Football Never Sleeps", perhaps it is fair to say now is "Nap Time" for the fans until the first day of Irish practice this Spring. While there may be a verbal commitment or two and a possible de-commitment or two (Argh! unless mutual), we fans can take it easy unlike the Irish coaches, players, and staff and, of course, you and Tyler. So, can you give us some things to dream about until practice starts? Which offensive Portal addition will be the most impactful for the 2025 Irish? Which defensive Portal addition will be the most impactful for the 2025 Irish? Which Irish true freshman will be most impactful for the 2025 Irish, both offensively and defensively? Now, to keep me awake with worry, which Irish Portal do you wish had not occurred? Finally, just for the fun of it (and this may, indeed, be an impossible question to answer), if you could select any one player from another college team to be Irish for the 2025 season, who would you select? GO IRISH!!!!!!!!!!!
Eric Hansen: Roger, if only you had balanced the exclamation points at the end with more at the start, it would have been a work of art!!!! But I will take the colon and run with it. So projection time, per your request ... Most impactful offense transfer. There are only three and for me, it's WR Malachi Fields, who will be a June arrival. Defense? Nickel Devonta Smith. Impactful freshmen: I think TE James Flanigan is best positioned to impact the offense in 2025. Defense is not as clear cut. I'd say LB Madden Faraimo or S JaDon Blair. Which transfer do they wish they could have back? Probably Jayden Thomas. And finally, it's too easy to take a quarterback, so very much off the top of my head eliminating QBs, I think Jeremiah Smith would be a transformative player -- the WR from Ohio State.
Jack from Strongsville, Ohio: Eric. I was not implying you are old. I too was young when AC played for the Irish, but he was a great player averaging around 35ppg with no 3 point line. I don't remember his running mates at guard either, had to look it up. Thanks for all great work.
Eric Hansen: But I AM old, just not THAT old LOL. Thanks for your question.
Tony from Lexington, Ky.: Is Jeremiyah Love going to need off-season surgery on his knee? Or will he be fine with rest?
Eric Hansen: Tony, that's a question I would prefer to ask on the record to Marcus Freeman rather than do it through back channels. But unless there was something that occurred in the NCG that required a cleanup procedure, that wasn't the way it was trending before the Ohio State game. So, that would be a change if it were to move that way.
Jules from Joliet, Ill.: Eric: Notre Dame in the last recruiting class signed a nice DB group. Who,if any, would you expect to see playing time this season (beyond the four-game redshirt limit)? Thx.
Eric Hansen: Hi Jules. Dallas Golden and Mark Zackery are really talented but don't arrive until June. Well, that was also the case with Benjamin Morrison and Leonard Moore. I think each of them has a chance to be in a cornerback rotation in need of those kids of rotational players. Combining the finale with USC and the four playoff games, Christian Gray and Leonard Moore played all but one snap. At safety, I think JaDon Blair has the best chance of the freshmen safeties to get into a rotational role at that position.
Don from Los Angeles: Hi Eric, our go-to guy on all things Irish. Appreciate your insightful analysis each week — repeating your talking points to my ND buddies make me look like I actually know what I'm talking about! Question about RBs. Love, Price and Williams (the unsung hero of the playoffs, don't you agree?!) look like a three-headed monster next year but I wonder if Dembrock will find a role for Kedren Young? At 229, he gives a Bama sized back who we will certainly need once Love and Price leave after next season. Your thoughts about our RB room? Thanks.
Eric Hansen: Don, thanks for the hype! I just need walk-up music now. Can you provide that too? ... To your question, If Kedren Young is healthy -- and he was not last spring and in most of fall camp -- he has a very chance to carve out a niche, because his body type, combined with speed, is so intriguing and unique on this roster. It also helps that there will be more carries available for the running backs. QB Riley Leonard led the Irish in carries with 186 or about 11.5 a game. The next ND QB will not average 11.5 carries a game, whoever it is.
Bill from St Joe, Mich.: Eric, Jackie Meehan was a true point guard who took very few shots. He was a very smooth dribbler, so much so that you had to really pay attention to notice when he was dribbling between his legs. Also I would hazard a guess that you could supplement Austin’s point totals by 15 - 20% percent if he was playing in the 3 point line era. The current ND women’s backcourt is magical in talent and performance, and those fans who have yet to see this team in person should do so before the end of this season. And, yes I am this old!
Eric Hansen: Bill, thanks for outing yourself and for the great addendum to a question I couldn't properly answer because of my youth!
Matt from Austin: Hi Eric, I hope this finds you well. How do you envision that Coach Ash's defense will differ from Coach Golden's defense? Secondly, which players will be most affected by the change, positively or negatively? Thanks Eric.
Eric Hansen: Hi Matt. I have talked to folks about Chris Ash's philosophies and studied his history, and he has been and will be a 4-3 guy and will be aggressive. The unknown is the NFL influence he's had the past four seasons. And that was a HUGE evolution in Al Golden from his college days to the Al Golden that walked in the door at Notre Dame in February of 2022. So to me, that's what I hope to gather at the first press conference from Chris himself. And then watch the refining of it and tweaking of it in spring practice. I will share a link to a video from Greg McElroy that I think will give you some additional insight ... here. And given ND will stay in a 4-3 look and will have their same position coaches, a player who might not benefit from the change or vice versa would seem to be minimized.
Brendan from Pittsburgh: How surprised are you (if at all) that ND has only lost Al Golden of its primary assistant coaches? What do you attribute their retention to?
Eric Hansen: Hi Brendan. It's not that others weren't pursued. But Notre Dame is in a really good place right now in terms of commitment to football, in terms of its head coach, and a really promising 2025 roster, so it's hard to take some of those other opportunities.
Riley from South Bend: How will the defense use the big guy transfer Jared Dawkins out of Louisville ? We need more like him!
Eric Hansen: Riley. I am glad you hit the bold button, because you're right, that's an important position group. Assuming Jason Onye makes it all the way back and picks up where he left off, you'd have a nice core of Onye, Rubio, Hinish and Dawson at the top of your rotation. And then looking to fill in behind that with a couple of younger guys, including the USC transfer --- Elijah Hughes -- in that discussion.
Don from Cincinnati: With the loss of Coogan and Spindler do you feel there is enough experience in the offensive line for the offense to hit the ground running considering the early schedule and also the fact that the offense will take on a totally different look with the new QB no matter who it might be. Thanks for your insight. It is always appreciated.
Eric Hansen: Hi Don. I sure think there is enough experience. Way more than last year. The wild card is Ashton Craig and his recovery timeline. But in my conversation with him down in Atlanta, he felt good about being ready for the season. I expect the offensive line to be one of the best position groups on the team in 2025.
Matt (KC): Hi Eric, thanks as always for the job you do. One last question I have about the National title game. And it is not sour grapes or Monday morning quarterbacking, I am really proud of this team and their fight and drive. So much fun. If we were going to play man on man against Jeremiyah Smith, OSU's best WR, why did we not have our top CB Leonard Moore on him 1 v 1?
Eric Hansen: OK, I had to rewatch the play to make sure I was giving you the right answer ...Eric Hansen: Notre Dame's corners play boundary and field. Jeremiah Smith typically lines up into the boundary. He did not on that play. He lined up to Gray's side, to the field. ND brought all-out pressure putting the corners in peril if that pressure did not get home. It did not. It was a gamble that did not pay off.
The Beave from Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eric: Had to take my shoes off as my new space heater under my desk is cranking. 🥶🥶Manny and those South of the Mason Dixon line don’t understand what February feels like in the Great North—and why we need the prospect of Spring football to get us through the day. You talk a lot about ND’s culture and I couldn’t agree with you more. I thought ND players’ handling of the transfer portal—both in terms of timing of declarations and comments on the way out for those choosing another path—were exemplary. For an example of a different culture, watch the USC players on the two pick-sixes at the end of that game. Anything subtle come to mind that we haven’t talked about that exemplifies for you the culture Marcus Freeman has built and is building?
Eric Hansen: Beave, l will forgive the rules transgression based on your explanation and your well-worded question. I hit on a lot of these points in the runway to the title game and during it and just after it, and would need to revisit those as I'm sort of in lightning-round mode. So what does that mean ... great question and I need more time to give you an answer that matches, so I am going to save it for next time.
Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Eric, I agree with you that TE James Flanigan has a chance to be a sizable contributor in '25. My question for you is how does the return of Kevin Bauman impact the TE room?? Certainly his leadership and ST play are big contributions but what is your expert opinion??? Thanks and Go Irish!!!! PS. the WBB is really fun to watch!!!!!
Eric Hansen: Hi Tom. Kevin Bauman is a really difficult wild card to assess. Here's a guy whose toughness and raw talent are elite. And whose injury history is ugly and scary. He played 109 special teams snaps last season and 71 at tight end. But of those tight end snaps, there were only seven spread over the final eight games following Navy on Oct. 26. So even when Cooper Flanagan went down, Bauman didn't get the call. So, spring should inform us what is realistic, because there is opportunity there. And maybe a really good comeback story becomes a better one? … And yes, it's fun to be back on the WBB beat again. I think we're going to have Maddy Westbeld on a podcast next week at some point.
Eric Hansen: OK that's going to do it for this week. Thanks for all the great questions. I'm leaning toward doing this again next week, next Wednesday in fact, but need to see if we start getting some pre-spring availability with coaches and players. So I'll let you know on our message board and social media. Thanks again.
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