JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Feb. 28, 2025

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Feb. 28, 2025

Eric Hansen

2:42

OK that's going to do it for today. Not sure about next week, but if I do one it'll be earlier than Friday as I have ACC WBB Tournament duty next weekend. Keep an eye on my social media. If we don't do one next week, I will definitely do one the week of March 10, likely Wednesday the 12th, ahead of the start of spring practice. Thanks again for all the great questions and exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND for not making me regret suspending the "no drinking" rule.

2:39

The Cliffs Notes version of the 14-team playoff format that seems to be gaining the most traction is that if ND is ranked 14th or higher, they're in. 15th or lower, they're out. That's a good concession. Now can they get a bye? Can they get a top 2 or 4 seed? TBD, along with a whole bunch of other things.

Rui from Ossining, NY

2:37

Can you please share with us in a "cliff notes edition" the pros and cons for Notre Dame football with this new playoff format that is being discussed where SEC and Big10 get 4 automatic bids and so on?

Eric Hansen

2:37

Tom, the tight end room does have a lot of questions and very few healthy scholarship players this spring. I see James Flanigan getting a real opportunity to move up once he arrives in June. And if Ty Washington, another June arrival, isn't as good as advertised, if Jack Larsen and/or Kevin Bauman don't rise to the occasion in the spring, the Irish can add from the spring transfer portal. That is an option, but there could be some good surprises this spring, so let's see how those play out first.

Tom F, Kennesaw, GA

2:35

Eric, the TE room concerns me for this season. It is very possible Cooper Flanigan could miss most of the season because his injury came so late in 2024. Larsen hardly played in '24. Eli has had some injury problems although he played all 16 games in '24. I have high hopes for freshman Flanagan but if Eli gets hurt and the Arkansas transfer is not up to speed, do you see formations with NO TE's and extra WRs??? Thanks and have a great weekend.

Eric Hansen

2:34

Tyler James is covering the NFL Combine for us and talked to Evans down there. Here is his STORY.

2:33

Hey Tom, yes epic lacrosse matchup in Atlanta on Saturday. No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Maryland in a rematch of last year's national title game. I had such a great time in Atlanta in January, wish I could come down for that. ... As far as football, I'm not sure he or anyone else believes ND has a better chance to win a title in 2025 than Penn State does. The Nittany Lions are No. 1 in a lot of the way-too-early Top 25s. But long term, I do think there's a belief by a lot of coaches in where Marcus Freeman is headed as a head coach and ND as a program, irrespective of James Franklin. Evans is going to test. Will be interested to see his numbers. The projections I've seen are rounds 4-5. I think he's better than that. (more)

Tom F, Kennesaw, GA

2:24

Hi Eric, hope all is well in SB. Ash Wednesday is next week and I am giving up worrying about the portal or anything else I have no control over! While the new RB coach had a lot of nice things to say about PSU coach Franklin and that ND was that special opportunity that he couldn't pass up I still think that he believes he has a better chance of winning a National Championship with Freeman than with Franklin. I know you don't like to speculate but I am interested on your thoughts on this!!! Where do you think TE Evans is drafted? Anything after Rd #3 will be a great pick for someone. Great Hands, good blocker and great team guy. Hope it is a good team that picks him. Go Irish!!!! Lax team is here in Atlanta 3/1/25.

Eric Hansen

2:23

Mark, with the second part of your question, I am going to guess you switched to football and am not asking about the WBB program? If that's the case, assistant coaches moving on and evolving is part of business as usual. Every successful program goes through that, so it's nothing that's unique as far as challenges.

2:21

Hi Mark, glad you followed up on the great greeting with a strong couple of questions. IF AND IT'S AN IF, the WBB team can learn from these losses, then it's a good thing. But they could have learned from the NC State loss. They didn't need a clunker on Senior Night. But I remember when they hit a similar bump last season -- a brutal 59-43 home loss to NC State in mid-Feb., and then they ran off 10 straight wins -- including a win over NC State in the ACC Tourney finals -- before losing to Oregon State in the Sweet 16. So that kind of transformation is possible, but we need to see more than a hint of it Sunday against a Louisville team that is playing well. (more)

Mark from T-ville NJ

2:16

Hi Eric!! Thanks for all your insights appreciate your honest fedback. Bit nervous about the girl b-ballers maybe a blessing prior the tournament? Do you agree? Do you think all the new hires will handicap the progress made over the past few years and if so how long will it take to get everyone on the same page? Thanks for your knowledge.

Eric Hansen

2:16

Ced, I'm not going to answer your question about someone else's depth chart. We have our own. Ask them about theirs on their chat. C'mon now.

2:15

I think Charles Jagusah will win that job this spring and keep it from that point forward.

2:14

Guest, you lively minx. What a creative name your parents gave you. Since, we're getting to the bottom of the queue of questions I can actually take, I'll humor you this time.

Guest

2:14

Who is going to start at LT, and what will be the spillover (very positive spillover) from there?

Eric Hansen

2:13

Hi Rui, I do think there's room for improvement in that area and I think there are some positives that could help the Irish trend more positively there. 1) The hiring of Mike Martin ... now who's hired around him matters. 2) ND can and will play the money game well. 3) The national title game run matters. It's not an overriding factor, but it opens doors and minds. But remember, it's still about fit. it's still about signing five-stars and RETAINING them. And that shrinks the pool a bit.

Rui from Ossining, NY

2:11

ND can now pay players + ND one of the best institutions in the country + we played in the national championship game last year + we have an amazing coaching staff led by one of the best HC in the country BUT YET, we cant secure multiple 5-star rated players( other than Will Black )...if we cant do it now, what has to change for it to be done?

Eric Hansen

2:11

Frank, if you are expecting that level of psychic ability, I'm going to charge for the chats. Do you remember how many players were injured in the spring, in the summer and in training camp?

Frank from Royse City,Texas

2:10

Eric, any updates of the injured ND players? Who do you expect to be ready for the season opener?

Eric Hansen

2:09

Mark!!!! I hope there's a question coming. If not, I appreciate the enthusiastic hello!!!!

Mark from T-ville NJ

2:09

Hi Eric!!!!

Eric Hansen

2:09

Players are prioritized by position. And Marcus is not a closer but someone who's involved pretty much once an offer becomes serious. So, he is the early word and the final word on which recruits he'll have relationships with. (sorry for ending a sentence with a preposition.)

2:07

Roger!!!!! You are not from "Chance" this week, nor are you masquerading as Chance The Rapper. Very proud of you and thanks for your three-part email. Roger, yes the defense really has struggled the past two games, and I went into greater detail for the other things in Jack's question re WBB, so you can refer to that. ... But let me get to your football question. ... The oversimplified answer to is there is a staff that sifts through and evaluates players and then brings them to the staff and Marcus to decide whether to offer those players scholarships. And again not all offers are created equal. Some come with the green light to commit right away and the other end of that spectrum is, hey why don't you come to our camp and see if we still like you. (more)

Roger from Peoriaa

2:02

Eric!! Wow what was the chance one week ago we would be looking at the Lady Irish losing two games before the next Live Chat? Pretty slim I would have thought but that is where we are. My observation is the defense seems to have disappeared. Your thoughts as to what happened? A #1 seed appears to be slipping away. Argh!! Speaking of slipping away, the entire 2024 ND football recruiting staff is now gone with Caleb Davis off to San Diego State. Relationship building seems to be a critical element of successful recruiting for the Irish and the relationships of the three departures went with them. Of course, today, NIL is really important, but it seems to me ND really needs to create important recruit relationships most importantly with Marcus. But, by whom or how is it initially determined which potential recruits will be pursued to create those relationships?

Eric Hansen

2:02

Hi Tom. Let me start with the WBB question first. I think the worst-case scenario is a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament if the Irish win Sunday vs. Louisville. But they may have to win out to get a No. 1. That at least would put their destiny in their own hands, Lose in the ACC Tourney, and they'd need help. ... Tom, I don't think there will ever be an appetite to go to 10 or 11 conference games. It's too difficult to make the math work in terms of having more home games than road games and bringing in the kind of revenue you need/want as a power conference school. Now, the SEC could go to nine games as some others have ... or not.

Tom F, Kennesaw, GA

1:52

Hi Eric, thanks for the Friday Chat. Great way to start the weekend and an early Happy Hour!!! With the Big 10 (haha) and SEC each having so many teams, do you possibly see them limiting their teams to only 1 or maybe 2 non-conference games??? This would severely limit ND's strength of schedule possibilities and thus hurt their chances to be included in the Playoffs and thus open the discussion to join a conference. Your thoughts on this. Thanks and have a great weekend. Hope the WBB team can utilize rotations that might give their big 3 some rest and get ready for the Tournament. Do you think these last 2 losses could cost them a #1 Seed?? Go Irish!!!

Eric Hansen

1:52

Jules, thanks for the compliments. Now you can take them all back, because I'd rather get the most up-to-date info from Marcus Freeman in the record in a couple of weeks that speculate and do the anonymous source route. That does me no good with the next game six months away. We do have some info from our time in Atlanta covering the national title game and interviews we did their with injured players, and those are reflected in our early look at the spring depth chart, which you can find HERE. But we'll fine-tune that in a couple of weeks.

Jules, Joliet, Ill

1:46

Eric: Based on knowledge or your best guesstimate, can your project approximate return dates for the players that finished the 2024 season injured? Specifically, who will be healthy for spring practice? Thank you for your great content on FNS and chats.

Eric Hansen

1:46

Haha. Very, very random.

Ed from Sayville

1:45

Hello again Eric. What do you hear what do you say? Quick tongue in cheek query for you today. The picture included with notification of the chat shows the 3 ND QB’s and Coach Gino. CJ Carr is a step ahead of Steve Angelli with Kenny Minchey somewhat behind. Intentional subliminal placement of this photo or merely coincidence? Inquiring minds want to know ☘️

Eric Hansen

1:45

Hi Rui, let me put it out there first that I believe Jordan Clark should have been invited based on his play this season. Having said that, this is business. So if a player is better served by not participating in drills and that's the best business decision, should he go ahead and make a bad one because someone else didn't get invited to the Combine? It's not about being a prima donna. Dop you consider Xavier Watts to be one? He and some others are deferring to pro day to do the testing because of ND's long run of the season and lack of time to prepare adequately to give it his best. Some players are injured and don't participate and they shouldn't try. This isn't T-ball, where everyone gets an at-bat and a snack. And a lot more goes on at the combine than testing -- measurements, interviews, medicals, all important stuff. And those who don't get an invite can work out at their pro days and still chase their dreams.

Rui from Ossining, NY

1:39

One question, but more of venting...you have players like Jordan Clark that didnt get a combine visit but would do anything and everything possible to be inside the building and test in front of NFL personnel, but yet, you have multiple "prima donnas" whom dont test, and take spots from others that are trying to reach their goal of playing in the NFL...how do we stop this from happening and accommodate those that would do anything for an invite?

Eric Hansen

1:39

Hi Milton, if you're a subscriber, you know I have stuff intermittently on our board, including five-star guard Jacy Abii's visit. Things really will start to heat up re visits and the 2026 class in April, so let's revisit this question at that time.

Milton from Oswego

1:36

Eric, any updates on 2026 WBB recruiting? Do you have any predictions on whom they might land? They can certainly offer immediate playing time for transfers next year and recruits/transfers the following year.

Eric Hansen

1:35

The post defense and offense (outside of Liatu King) is also backsliding. ND has hit these inflection points before and has responded. Again, I think the world of Hannah and think this is a normal part of evolving into a player who can have sustained success. Sunday is going to be a welcome test to see what ND has learned and has applied.

1:34

Hannah is smart and maturing and will get through this, but that process needs to start now. In her last five games, she is shooting .318 from the field and .200 from 3. And she's taking a ton of shots ... more than 17 a game in that five-game stretch and that doesn't include the times she's getting to the FT line. Her shot selection is questionable. And she's not even looking for open teammates. She didn't get her first assist until 1:52 remained in the game. FSU's Ta'Niya Latson, the nation's leading scorer, found her touch late after struggling early but had NINE assists. (more)

1:30

Hi Jack., coach Niele Ivey would never say that publicly, but if she's not saying it privately and doing something about it, she is not living in reality. And I believe Ivey is on top of it and working to fix it behind the scenes. I was sitting next to Tom Noie, my former cohort at the SB Tribune, last night at the game in the press area. We both noticed, not only is Hannah pressing too much hurting the offense, it's hurting the defense. She had a 4-on-1 fastbreak and elected to force a tough shot with the only defender in her face. She missed, FSU rebounds and has numbers going the other way. (more)

Jack, Strongsville,Ohio

1:21

Hi Eric. I watched the NC State and FSU WBB losses. Read your column about last night's game. Seems to me the star, Hannah Hidalgo, is in a slump and it is affecting the rest of the team, Olivia Miles is a very good player and as a senior I would have thought she would have put the team on her back and carry them more. Neile Ivey talked about an identity crisis. What does that really mean and what is your opinion on what's the issue(s)? Thanks for all your great work on all sports.

Eric Hansen

1:20

Hey Fredzee. It has in terms of how those are structured and when they started. We've even seen it affect that players who are not coming back and are at the NFL Combine this week. Most are deferring doing physical testing until Pro Day rather than at the combine itself. So ND, as it did during the season, is leaning big into sports science to help navigate this new timeline.

Guest

1:18

Fredzee, Scottsdale, AZ. How has the extended season affected winter conditioning and impact on spring practice if at all?

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