JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Aug. 13, 2025

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Aug. 13, 2025

Eric Hansen

3:15

Ok. I am out of time and on to my next assignment. Thanks for all the great questions. We'll be back to do it all again next Wednesday at noon ET.

3:13

Oh, Tom, I bet your a math teacher, aren't you?

Tom from Warsaw

3:13

Hey Eric! Any predictions on how many yards that our top receiver (Whoever it may be) will have this year?

Eric Hansen

3:09

Bill, we have people with those resources at On3. I don't have time to use a lifeline to do that this week, but I'll try to get the info for you if you can email me.

Bill fromSt Joe, MI

3:09

Hi Eric! I read online over the weekend that last year the OSU roster received $20 million in NIL money according to Athlon Sports. The article did not distinguish between transfers and the high school recruited roster. I’m not being critical of OSU, instead they should be applauded for raising that amount of money. Just wondering how that compares with how much NIL funds the ND roster attracted.

Eric Hansen

3:08

Hah. Dave, I did not know you were from Battel Creek. I have friends up there. And I am Ok with your violating rule No. 5. Thanks for the compliments. Now to your question. Most of the battles are for rotational spots, not starting with the exception of the safety spot opposite Adon Shuler. And this is one reason why I am bullish on the Irish. It is because of surrging players ... at WR, at D-line, etc. The exception would be tight end, where an injury diluted the competition.

Dave (Dnett), Battle Creek, MI

3:05

Fair warning - I am violating rule #5. Anywho, with most people focused on who will be the starting QB, what other position battles are taking place and are those battles a byproduct of a player "A" surging or player "B" regressing? BTW, thanks for the great insight over the QB battle this morning!!!!!!!!

Eric Hansen

3:05

Hi Mark. I've written about this a lot. To oversimplify the answers. Marcus Freeman. His staff. The administration's commitment to football. Mike Miller as the GM. ND's ability to compete in the new economic structure. Facilities. Recruiting.

marc from Perrysburg OH

3:04

I am a worrier what about this upcoming season gives you the most hope that Notre Dame can finally win a championship again?

Eric Hansen

3:03

I've always thought it was Carr and still do, but I admit I underestimated what I thought Minchey's could be, and I think it's pretty high too.

Jeremy From Goshen, IN

3:03

you made a good point that MF tuck with Riley Leonard ven after the norther illinois game due to his hi Ceiling. Who do you believe has the higher celing overall? Minchey or Carr?

Eric Hansen

3:02

Hi Len!!!?? That's a lot to unpack. And what if all but one of those is true or all but two? My head hurts, and it's me not you. That exceeds my bandwidth. Let me try to bring this down to a level that I can understand. Who starts is not just who was best in August, but who you think will be best in November/December and beyond. That decision would not preclude a change at some point, but that would not be something you'd want to have happen. The No. 2 QB always gets a decent amount of reps. And that's true no matter who the No. 1 and 2 are. So that doesn't change in this season. I hope I came close to answering that sufficiently. That was a calculus problem for me.

Len from the Jersey Shore

2:57

Hello Eric! I think this will be my first QB question. Assume all aretrue. KM is ahead of CJ at this time. The gap is clear, but close. CJ has the higher ceiling. The potential gap is clear and not as close as the current gap. Even as coaches who are closest to the competition you are not sure when CJ will pass KM. The beginning part of the schedule on paper is the toughest part of the schedule. Whoever starts the first game will need the lion share of the reps to be ready and give the team the best chance to win. Whoever has the higher potential will need reps to develop, potentially taking reps from the game one starter. Planning for a change in starters, although it worked when Book replace Wimbush, is not always desirable. KM is a better passer but not quite the runner as BW. CJ is a much better passer than IB, not as good a runner, but better pocket presence. Who does this staff start game 1 if these are all true? Is this staff okay with a change of QB after that? How are reps split?

Eric Hansen

2:55

Yes, 24-17.

Dave Tons River NJ

2:55

Do we beat Miami?

Eric Hansen

2:55

I'm happy both ways, It's been a fun storyline.

Dave Tons River NJ

2:55

How happy will you guys be after a starting QB is named?

Eric Hansen

2:55

I'm sure they will be monitoring the situation as will the ACC, because Notre Dame and Miami want to play each other.

Bill fromSt Joe, MI

2:54

Hi Eric! When ND last played Miami at Hard Rock, I believe in 2017, Miami rolled over the Irish. I remember that when the ND team buses arrived at the stadium, more than a couple Miami fans threw bottles at the buses. Hopefully the security in and around the stadium will be much better. This was not a one time occurrence as I attended several games in the past when Miami hosted games at the Orange Bowl, where both inside and outside the stadium, security was much to be desired. If this occurs again, if I were the administration and the AD, I would refuse to play them again in or around Miami.

Eric Hansen

2:54

Hi Shane, I feel good about who and what ND's starting QB will eventually be, just as I did last year with Riley Leonard. To me, the concern would be a first-world concern and the two position groups with the most to prove now would be TE and interior defensive line. But both have quite a few potentially strong answers.

Shane , White Deer Tx

2:52

Hey Eric, Other than the QB, what other position would you put a question mark on? I guess I should not assume you have a question about the QB come to think of it. Or do you? Thanks for the chat. Go Irish.

Eric Hansen

2:51

Hi Ed, remember, O-Line coach Joe Rudolph puts the best five on the field, not a battle between right tackles. So if Lambert is No. 6, as I have assessed, he's knocking on the door somewhere. I ADAMANTLY don't think he'd replace Aamil Wagner, though, if he did move into the top five.

Ed, Sayville NY

2:50

Hi Eric. Have you heard anything regarding a potential opportunity for Guerby Lambert to open the season at right guard?

Eric Hansen

2:49

2:47

Hi Johngipp: I like Tim and didn't hear the podcast and not sure you heard him correctly, but it's nine of the last 16 were first-year starters, not two. And of your two scenarios, it's the good one, not the default one.

johngipp Lititz, PA

2:46

Hey Eric I was just listening to a podcast where Tim Hyde stated that in the last 16 champion teams, only 2 were qb'ed by guys making their 1st starts that year. (Winston and Lawrence, rarified air indeed). Since the word on the street is that the battle between Carr and Minchey is still to be decided, is that fuel for elation because they are both so good that it is difficult to determine the best, or concern that the battle is to determine who's worse. The latter would certainly lower the season projection.

Eric Hansen

2:45

Hey USAF, I will include the PFF stats with a warning label ... Skewed by small sample sizes from some, by playing through injuries with others and not being on those rankings because they were in high school. With that out of the way, the ranking went 1. Absher, 2. Wagner, 3. Lambert, 4. Jagusah, 5. Schrauth, 6. Knapp and 7 Otting. Now the Eric Hansen 1-7. Going to leave Jagusah out since he's injured: 1. Billy Schrauth (this is predictive not on past performance), 2. Aamil Wagner, 3. Ashton Craig, 4. Anthonie Knapp, 5. Sullivan Absher, 6. Guerby Lambert, 7. Will Black. I don't see a weak spot either.

USAF Irish

2:38

Can you please rank the offensive line from 1-7ish based on PFF and potential? I see multiple lineman highlighted in the media, and I don’t see a weak spot.

Eric Hansen

2:38

Hi Tom, I got lost in the compliments for a second and stopped reading. Thank you. I have now recovered. Vegas says Notre Dame will be favored in every game this year, including the first two. I voted the Irish No. 4 in my preseason poll for a reason (well actually several), and so I am picking the Irish to win those two games. And if they drop one, I'm still confident this is a team no one wants to see in the playoff. But those are two very good teams with small margin for error. As far as the kickers, I'll let you know more Friday when I get more info. Thanks for the hype.

Tom F, Kennesaw, GA

2:34

Hey Eric, between the Chats and FNS shows we appreciate the healthy dose of ND football you give us. It seems the closer we get to the 31st the more nervous I am getting. We will be playing a good team in a hot and humid environment. The fact that neither of the QBs has separated themselves is a little unsettling. I want someone to win the job not start because the other QB struggled badly. We seem to have a lot of good pieces on O and I would hate to drop the first game because we could not take advantage of those players. Please tell us what gives you confidence in this team for the first two games?? Also, have the FG kickers been more consistent lately. These first games could come down to a key FG. Go Irish!!!!!

Eric Hansen

2:34

Hi John. How cool is that? Congrats to them and glad you could be a part of the celebration. Keep in mind it's not revenue share and NIL money going to players. I can't see a scenario with either where that would come into play unless/until there is collective bargaining. And thank you for loving the chats. It's my favorite part of the week leading up to the games.

John from Champaign

2:32

I was blessed to be with my parents on their 60th wedding anniversary August 7th in Bridgman, Michigan. My Dad, Jim Baker, a 1960 Naval Academy graduate asked me a question. If a player gets hurt will that affect his NIL payout. I thought to pass that question on to you. I don’t think so unless behavior was egregious (per stipulations in contract). Thanks for your hard work and insight Eric. We love your chats!

Eric Hansen

2:29

Does that make the QB a game manager? Well kind of. With the defense that ND has and the desire to keep the turnovers down, the Irish don't have to be as risky and daring in Aug/Sept as they might have to be in a playoff when the QB would theoretically be ready for that. So if Miami is loading the box, for instance, I do not expect Mike Denbrock to just run three plays into it and then punt. You'd see QB runs. You'd see some deep throws downfield or even some shorter throws. If Miami is loading the box, where on the field does that create a mismatch in ND's favor. That'll be what Denbrock will be looking to do. Don't confuse lack of experience for lack of talent with either of these guys, Minchey and Carr.

2:25

Hi Kevin. Great and busy summer and no complaints about that. Thanks for asking. I addressed the first part of your line of questioning earlier, but there are some parts in the latter questions I wanted to get to. Whether a starter was named on April 12 or will be on Aug. 17, how Mike Denbrock approaches a season with regard to the playbook would have been the same. There are plays he and the QB are most comfortable with, and those are the players they'll leverage to start out with. Then with each succeeding week, as they learn a little more about what's working and what' snot, they'll add a little more. (more)

Kevin from Calgary

2:21

Eric, hope you’ve had a wonderful summer and are ready for another (hopefully successful) season for the Irish! I’m sure I’m not alone among ND fans concerned that no one has emerged yet as the number one QB. Is Carr just not standing out, or has Minchey just shone so much the staff can’t pick between the two? And Will the delay in declaring the starter mean whoever is under center when they play Miami won’t be able to utilize the full playbook and have to rely on the run game much more, giving the Hurricanes the chance to load up the box and neutralize Love and company? I’m worried the starter might play the first few games “managing” the offence, which could be a recipe for a slow start to the season.

Eric Hansen

2:20

Hi Ryan. You have been a long-time proponent of Donovan Hinish, and that has proven to show you strong football acumen. He is definitely a big part of that interior D-line rotation and will play a lot, along with Jared Dawson, Gabe Rubio and Jason Onye. He is having a very good camp. ... And your captains candidates are strong too. Thanks for jumping into the chat today.

Ryan Frankfort Illinois

2:16

Good afternoon Eric what do you Think About Donavan Hinish i saw the other day he lined up with the number one Defense Also when will the captains me named im thinking Love Greathouse Shuler and Bowen will be Named the captains GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈

Eric Hansen

2:15

Notre Dame is committed to playing a four-man rotation of Drayk Bowen, Jaylen Sneed, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Jaiden Ausberry. Last year the Irish played five, and freshman Madden Faraimo is working hard to push it back to five this year. More often that not, ND will have only two linebackers, because they play a lot of nickel. BUT they will play a base three-linebacker look against certain teams, and I would expect to see a third linebacker on the field at times as a pass rusher lined up as a defensive end -- KVA or Sneed most likely. I hope that helps your tea leaves.

2:12

Hi Ron, you are missing something reading the team leaves. I'll link this story in case you have more than explain it, hopefully in an abbreviated, clear form here:

Notebook: Can freshman Madden Faraimo eventually crack the Notre Dame LB rotation?

Ron, Dover

2:08

Hi Eric hope your summer besides being busy you had some fun. I am been busy so been following from afar. Looking at the depth projections at LB it seems the the ND is committed to playing only two LB which surprises me because KVA’s talent. Am I missing something reading the tea leaves. !!!!!!!

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