JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Jan. 7, 2026

Notre Dame Football Live Chat | Jan. 7, 2026

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Eric Hansen

3:24

I am so sorry, but I am out of time today. Thanks for all the great questions, Mike Singer and I will be live on YouTube tonight at 8 with the latest. And we'll be back to chat all over again next Wednesday at noon ET.

3:22

James was outstanding, Ryan. And the punter next year will either be Erik Schmidt or Australian recruit Jasper Scaife.

Ryan Frankfort Illinois

3:21

Eric what do you think about the season James Randell had i think he had a good season and Irish fans will miss him who will be the punter next year GO IRISH ☘️☘️🏈🏈

Eric Hansen

3:21

It's nuts. It's broken, But you still have to play the game until it's sane and fixed.

skip - Houston

3:21

Reading this morning about a transfer quarterback reportedly getting $5 million in NIL money, are there any limits/requirements on NIL payments per player or per team? I thought I had read that such agreements had to be approved by a Big 4 accounting firm - no? What are your thoughts about how the craziness of free transferability coupled with the buying players will eventually be controlled (because it has to be)? Thank you.

Eric Hansen

3:20

Ed, thank you ... and thanks for reading the D-line story and for the feedback. Those players you mentioned are strong special teams players, but I think Notre Dame has some young, athletic players who can fill those roles. And yes, I know ND is still looking at kickers and will likely sign one.

Ed from Sayville

3:19

Hello once again Eric. I’m certain that you will be fielding so many portal questions related to the D Line and WR’s today. Your seismic changes article was very informative and appreciated with respect to the needs on the D line and the strengths of Charlie Partridge. I hope he makes us happy! I sure sense he will be put to the test. My portal inquiry today is about the potential impact on special teams, which have been a great value add under Coach Freeman. How might the losses of players like Preston Zinter and Brodie Calhoun impact the equation? What are you hearing regarding a field goal kicker? Thank you and stay well!

Eric Hansen

3:18

Matt, you are on point that the sky hasn't fallen with portal football. We'll tackle WBB in a WBB chat soon. I am going to wait til after the UNC/Louisville/UConn stretch coming up after the BC game.

Matt from Austin

3:16

Hi Eric. I know that ND has been quiet in the transfer portal so far, and some pundits seem to think the sky is falling. I disagree. The staff has done a great job recruiting and our depth chart is very solid. I'm sure that we will pick up a half dozen impactful players going forward. Am I wrong in not viewing our portal activity to date as the end of the world??? On a totally different topic, what is going on with our women's BB team? (and men!!!) Are our coaches getting out coached or do we just not have the talent to win? Thanks Eric. Best wishes. Matt

Eric Hansen

3:16

Berk from Memphis!!!! Happy Holidays. 1) I do think he'll be back, but need to double check. 2) If I were coaching, from left tackle to right tackle: Jagusah, Black, Craig/Absher, Knapp and at RT Lambert. Augustine in the wings at tackle.

Berk

3:14

Hey there, Eric. It's Berk from, Memphis!!!!! I hope you had as great of a Christmas and New Year's vacation as I did. Full of way TOO much " LIQUID CHEER" and really bad bowl game football! I was glad to see Bama thoroughly exposed and crushed by Indiana! I have now found myself pulling for the Rebels to hopefully take down Miami! Anyways, I have 2 questions for you. 1) Is J Sneed coming back for his last year? I haven't seen anything on that. 2) I have a projected starting OL in mind (no order Jagasah, Lambert, Knapp, Craig (if healthy) and Black/Absher (whoever wins out) and was wondering what yours might be? With that line it doesn't matter who the tail back is and should be running through gapping holes! Thank for the time and GO IRISH, future '26 National Champs!

Eric Hansen

3:13

Joe!!!!!!!!!!!! Nice punctuation, buddy. I think Al is a pretty good developer. I think he's hit on some edge players. I think the long-term bugaboo for Notre Dame has been elite interior players in recruiting. That's the next level. And I wrote about that recently as well, if you'd like more depth on the topic: Why a Notre Dame D-line upgrade matters and why the Irish are well-positioned to surge there

Jim The Villages

3:11

Eric!!!!!! Al Washington has been a bit of an enigma, his lines seem solid but lack elite sack or TFL stats, and the fact ND keeps having almost a desperate need to go into the portal for D-Line help makes you question his recruiting and development chops. What say you?

Eric Hansen

3:10

Happy New Year, Joe. I am going to do some WBB chats here once we get past the football portal stuff. Thanks for your interest. Also have a q-and-a with GM Pat Garrity coming sooner than later.

Joe, Valparaiso, IN

3:09

Happy New Year Eric, I understand this is a football chat but I'm also aware you cover WBB. If you think this platform is inappropriate for my questions, I understand. What in the world is wrong with BOTH programs? MBB has shown zero signs of improvement during Shrewsbury's tenure. Last years WBB had final four talent and grossly underachieved. Is it time for a change for both?

Eric Hansen

3:09

OK we're in lightning round mode, because I can not go into a long overtime today. ... Mike/Mo !!!!!!^!! This is going to have to be a story I do after the portal closes. REALLY REALLY GREAT questions, but I'd be here for hours typing the answers. So I am going to copy and past this to remind me to hit this hard post-portal. ... But this Wild Wild West aspect SHOULD make your head hurt or that make your stomach feel like you just ate raw pork.

Mike AKA Mo from Maumee OH

3:06

Hi Eric !^! Could you explain a bit further ND's primary NIL funding engine? I've read that an ND collective called "RALLY" might be the prime method for bringing NIL deals to prospective portal guys. With the HUGE $$ apparently being offered to even marginal portal players, how much estimated total money does RALLY have to offer the 2026 portal class? Who is contributing these millions of dollars to RALLY? Assume ND staff, and not a RALLY representative, determines the dollar amount of the NIL offer to each portal guy? Any other NIL funding question that I should have asked? I wasn't a Finance major during my time at ND, but I'm pretty good at math, but this whole NIL "Wild West" is making my head hurt.

Thanks!

Eric Hansen

3:05

Hi Tanker. These pesky holidays! I wrote about that recently: Why the NFL looked at Marcus Freeman and vice versa, and why Notre Dame still fits and this long before the decision was announced: Irish Intel: Why Marcus Freeman’s future still points to Notre Dame So if you want more depth than this chat, I'd start there. But I will be happy to answer you succinctly here: I think Notre Dame has done everything it can to make him happy, and I think Marcus Freeman loves that, appreciates that. What ND can't control is college football spinning without guardrails to a model that is not sustainable and is way more unstable now or soon than the NFL. That is the unknown in this equation.

Tanker, Ducle NM

2:57

Eric! Happy New Year my friend, all the best to you. Wondering what your impression is of Marcus Freeman's lifespan at ND given how hot of a commodity he is in the marketplace. is it naive to think he finishes out his contract at ND or is it more likely that he only has a season or two more at ND. What are your thoughts/impressions here?

Eric Hansen

2:56

Hey Ray. It's not the numbers that are the issue. It's experience and proven production. Notre Dame has 16 defensive linemen on the roster without adding anyone from the portal -- nine of those are interior guys. And that 16 figure includes this afternoon's decision by Anthony Sacca to enter the portal. Sacca was recruited as a linebacker but was expected top move to defensive end. So if you moved an O-lineman, what do you gain? More numbers, yes, but another unproven project. As far as Sevillano and Dixon, there's no one on the roster that is quite built like them as a traditional Louis Nix-type nose guard. So there is opportunity. This will be a big spring for both of them. I wouldn't count out Sevillano, especially.

Ray from Chicago

2:51

Eric, With this large need at D-Line do you see ND asking any offensive lineman to consider switching to D-Line. I know Devan Houston moved to O-Line but could he move back knowing how well ND has recruited on O-Line. Also, are Sevillano and Dixon candidates to make a necessary leap to garner playing time in 2026?

Eric Hansen

2:50

Jon, it makes the pool smaller, because of transfer credits. Sometimes ND says no because of the number of non-transferrable credits. Sometimes the kid says no, because they don't want to redo that many classes at Notre Dame to recoup those lost credits. But ND knows this and vets this well in advance of negotiating a dollar figure or scheduling a visit. Happy New Year, Jon!

Jon C - Bellaire, OH

2:48

Happy New Year Eric. How much do you think academics are affecting the lack of non-grad student transfers into ND? Is ND limited to schools with similar educational prestige as it relates to Soph, Junior, Senior transfers? Thank you!

Eric Hansen

2:48

MikeD, thanks for the feedback and for sharing your Notre Dame story/

MikeD from Rochester NY

2:48

Eric, loved the article you posted on the passing of Nick Eddy, a great running back, and like so many ND football players, an even better man. I was 11 when Ara took over as coach, Dad was an ND fan so I had the proper influence, and have been an ND fan since. I followed the 1966 team intently and Nick Eddy was awesome. Thanks for sharing the insight into his life!

Eric Hansen

2:47

Hi Smitty. I wrote some about this recently if you'd like more depth on the topic.
Inside the twisted, morphing world of rev-share and NIL that Notre Dame football is living in

It also will be part of the story I am posting tomorrow afternoon. So how it is SUPPOSED to work. Let's just say ND is recruiting you. They said we can guarantee you $1 million in rev share money. And then the second number is what you can reasonably expect as a NIL value number. So let's say another $1 million. You may or may not get that second million, but it is likely to be pretty close to that. That comes from a collective or marketing agency that the school directs you to, but doesn't oversee, if that makes sense. ND budgets from both pots on recruits, retentions and portal players, but again it only has absolute control over the rev share part of it..

Smitty, Tempe

2:41

Eric - I know math is your specialty, so perhaps you could shed some light on how some teams seemingly have more money available for transfer portal players, especially if every team is bound by the ~$20m pool. Do schools have separate/outside NIL deals "in their pockets" that they can offer transfers? Or, with ND bringing in a large high school class, should we assume they've spent the majority of their $20m on high school recruits and retaining their own players?

Eric Hansen

2:40

Hey The Beave. I have not heard rumblings that he's leaving, but can check on it. I'm expecting him back. I know he is a big proponent of Tre Reader staying on and that's a big selling point for Sneed. I really like him too and believe in his upside as well.

The Beave. Grand Rapids

2:37

Question: are we safe to assume Jalen Snead is coming back for the 2026 season? No portal entry but no confirmation. I can see him being very marketable. And he could be convinced he is under utilized and Notre Dame’s linebacker rotation scheme if his head is not in the right place. Love him and continue to believe in his upside. Thanks. 🏈📈

Eric Hansen

2:37

What a story. I am going to pass this along to Terry, Thanks for sharing!

The Beave. Grand Rapids

2:37

Happy new year Eric. Love the Terry Hanratty story. Sometime after his ND playing career, my dad scheduled Terry Hanratty to speak at our local Catholic school booster dinner. I was a young boy and was too sick to attend. Devastated. After the dinner, Terry followed my dad home and visited with me in the basement. I am a fan for life and glad to see he continues to fight and keep his positive attitude.

Eric Hansen

2:36

Happy New Year, Doza! I think physicality will be a huge emphasis this offseason, and I also think you have to consider injuries in your assessment. In 2024, Aamil Wagner was the only offensive lineman who played in all 16 games for the Irish. In 2025, ND lost its best and most physical O-lineman before the season started, lost No. 2 best and most physical for almost half the season and a third, who was deemed better than Pat Coogan for half a season. Moving Guerby Lambert out to tackle in 2026 is going to help the overall line play in 2026. I mentioned Jagusah earlier, slow recovery with setbacks, but encouraging of late.

Doza New Bedford, MA

2:32

Happy New Year Eric! Seems like every season comes with the promise of the oline potentially being a strength and then not so much. ND seems to recruit the type of prospect to have a mauling line that can control the game, but it hasn't panned out that way since Hiestand was the coach. Is it coaching? Offensive philosophy? Both? Also any news on Jagusah? Can they bubble wrap him until game 1?

Eric Hansen

2:28

Where new D-linemen coming in from the portal can be challenged is learning a new system from the one they're used to. That's why you rarely see them shine in the spring and then heat up in September in most cases.

2:27

Ciao, Paul. And I am glad your cleared up at the end there in Italian just where and when you are a water-drinker. I think Notre Dame had its D-line board set long before Charlie Partridge was a sure thing, but he certainly can impact how the D-line portal acquisitions play out from this point forward. 2) Your chemistry question is more layered an with more tentacles than maybe you intended. Short answer (kind of). Not as important in the sense you can rotate D-linemen at will, where on offense, that would be a bad move. Important from an unselfishness standpoint and willing to be part of a rotation and to buy into that concept. To what affect Partridge might have ... you still have the same defense and you have a D-line coach who's out of the same soul group, if you will, as Chris Ash. I mean, those guys go way back, talk ball often. So there is a lot of commonality there. Plus with Washington staying on, there's great knowledge of players' strengths and weaknesses. (more)

Paul from Knoxville

2:18

Ciao Eric: I do appreciate your sticking up for me a few weeks back! Al from Vicenza is actually like a brother and is my son's godfather, but he can be a real birbone sometimes. I'm curious how much input the new DL coach will have in selecting DL recruits from the portal. Also, is "chemistry" on the D line as important as I've heard it is for the O line? If so, how does CMF and DC mitigate the impact of a new DL coach and his new instruction techniques along with new DL players from the portal on development of chemistry? I'm wondering whether the number of changes in the D line may delay their development as a cohesive unit. L'unica cosa: E la verita che bevo l'acqua a tavola qualche volte, ma sempre frizzante!

Eric Hansen

2:17

Hi Len. Who WOULD have been eliminated might be different than who should. But I think by both measures Alabama would and should have been excluded based on their full body of work. And sometimes these placements in the conference standings get diluted and distorted by the unbalanced conference schedules. Do we really think Duke or Virginia, which played for the ACC title, was better than Miami? Sometimes the leagues get it right and sometimes it's roulette.

Len from the Jersey Shore

2:11

Eric, just has a computer glitch so disregard anything you may of received from me before this. In your opinion if ND & Miami were kept or put ahead of Alabama and Oklahoma by the CFP committee, who would the CFP had eliminated? Consider that James Madison and Tulane had to make it because of the conference championship rule. Would it be the Oklahoma team that beat Alabama. Or Alabama who was first seed in the SEC championship game and was blown out but CFP heads feel should not be dropped just because of an extra game?

Eric Hansen

2:10

3) Progress TBA, ceiling is scary good, like future first-rounder good. 4) No, not without injuries or being abducted by aliens on their spaceship ... but I think several of them can be in the two-deeps. 5) Other than MiamI? .. Ok that was a trick question, right? I'll go with Rice, because it's the first home game and I can't wait for the season.

2:06

Matt. Thanks for the promotion to coach. I hope that comes with a pay bump or at least an NIL deal with Keurig! 1) Great read, but the portal buys you depth, proven production and margin for error. And yet Adon Shuler in 2024 beat out Rod Heard II, who was still a valuable rotation player. And again in 2025, when Tae Johnson beat out Jalen Stroman, again a strong contributor, nonetheless. 2) Mock drafts in January are not my strong suit and maybe not in April either. Having said that, I think he's going to be right around that spot, maybe 8 to New Orleans. Maybe someone trades up to get him. I don't think he will fall out of the top 10. (more)

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