JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 1, 2023

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Nov. 1, 2023

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Eric Hansen

3:22

Ugh. The question queue is way too full and I have to move on to my next commitment. Thanks for all the great questions. Sorry I can't type/think faster. We'll back back next week, during the bye week, to do this all over again, Wednesday at noon ET.

3:21

Hey Matt. 1) Golden Tate. 2) Jeremiyah Love would be my best guess. 3) Still trying, still hitting a wall. 4) The way ND's defense is getting pressure and forcing turnovers and that the Smokin' Pig isn't open for breakfast. 5) Ben Morrison is ruining other people's stats on opposing teams. He's still elite and getting better.

Matt (KC)

3:18

Quickfire five: 1. If you could pluck one player off any Notre Dame team in the last 20 years and put him on this team and we would be undefeated, who would it be? 2. Is there a future Heisman trophy finalist on this team right now or coming in next year as a freshman? 3. It has been awhile since I have heard anything, but is Justin Scott a foregone conclusion to OSU or are we still trying to flip him? 4. Clemson scares me, wounded animal, disrespected, at their house, they are seeking revenge, all their losses have been winnable, what can I lean on to feel confident this week that we will go in and win? 5. Xavier Watts is playing out of his mind which is awesome, but Benjamin Morrison doesn't have the stats this year that scream out hey look how amazing I am playing, is it because defenses largely are intentionally avoiding Morrison's side of the field as much as possible (the Deion Sanders treatment)?

Eric Hansen

3:17

I think Dabo Swinney is an elite coach, and what he's brought to Clemson should be honored. But I also think he needs to be open to the notion that he needs to evolve with the game and not stand on his past accomplishments. Saban has. Other coaches have. Dabo has been stubborn about the portal and has missed on some of his recent hirings. So like Brian Kelly reinvented himself after the 2016 season, Dabo has the opportunity to use this season as a catalyst for change and growth.

3:15

HI Newt. Yes, I remember you on the chats way back when they first started. I think it was the Weis Era. I've kind of hit on the starters playing later, or at least Audric. ... Let me get to your Dabo question and CFP question. CFP first. I had Notre Dame 11th on my FWAA-CFP Super 16 ballot. I think you can make a case for ND being 15th, especially the way USC has played since losing at ND, but the committee didn't explain itself very well. They need the no drinking and no bare feet rules, I'm afraid. (more)

Newt in Midlothian, VA

3:11

Ive been with you since the beginning and have never, and I said NEVER, given you a manifesto but I got one today. Why were our starters in in the second half of a blowout? And now we lost our starting TE and leading receiver. Next, do you think the criticism of Dabo is warranted? I cant wrap my mind around talking bad to a coach who has made my program relevant and given me 2 national championships. Hopefully, it will be a distraction and we can get a win Saturday. Lastly, the CFP Top 25 poll dropped last night. What do you think about us being 15? And if we win out what bowl do you see us in? See ya in Death Valley Saturday! Thank you and as always, Go Irish!

Eric Hansen

3:10

We used to not change in Indiana ... stayed on standard time the whole year, and it confused everyone else in my life who did not live in Indiana. I can live with the changes. Don't look forward to it, but I can adjust to it.

Scubatvt56

3:09

The time change is this weekend. I hate it. I wish they'd leave it on daylight savings time. What say you?

Eric Hansen

3:09

HI Jim. and thank you! I like how you crafted that question, but I think you're putting too much weight on how defining this would be in the long play of Freeman's career. Yeah 9-3 would be disappointing, but what if that ended as 10-3 with a win over Brian Kelly and LSU in a bowl game? I do think it's an important game, just not a career-defining one.

Jim Tal, Valley Center CA.

3:06

Eric, so appreciative of all your efforts. A most sincere thank you for the tireless work that you do. In many ways, I truly believe that this upcoming game versus Clemson might be a career-defining game for Freeman. So much is at stake in terms of a high-profile bowl game appearance and keeping the program on a definite upward plane. Lose to the Tigers and objectively, this season must be considered a disappointment with not much real headway being made. In your opinion, where does this Saturday's game rank as far as importance during Freeman's tenure?

Eric Hansen

3:06

OK, Sean, the outgoing transfers we can all guess at, but that's not something I'm investing my time in until the portal opens. Too many other more-pressing storylines to chase and tease out on the moment. That time will come soon. ... I do think Hartman would play in a New Year's 6 game. He's not a first-round draft pick. ... I don't think Marcus made the comments to set up Mickens. He made them because I asked him a question in a press conference.

3:04

Bill, I would be surprised if ND passed on a portal quarterback, but you need depth and injuries happen, so the eventual No. 1 QB could be on the roster of at Saline (Mich.) High School. We'll know more about that in the spring. ... But I don't think taking portal QBs is screwing up anyone's QB recruiting. And I would say Angeli and Michey are thrilled with what Sam Hartman has done for their individual development.

3:00

I goofed up the order here. Let me take Bill, then Sean.

Bill from St Joe, MI

3:00

and yes, I’m better in geography than Cab Calloway and the movie’s script writers, but I love the line nonetheless!

Sean, Portland OR

2:59

CMF made comments recently about having open and honest dialogue with players about the transfer portal during the season. 1) Have you heard anything about potential outgoing transfers? 2) Do you think Hartman will play the bowl game if it happens to be a NY6? 3) Is he setting up Mickens to be Al Goldens successor with his recent comments?

Bill from St Joe, MI

2:59

Eric, back from my tour of Europe, Scandinavia and the Subcontinent (if you were wondering, a line spoken by Cab Calloway in the movie “The Blues Brothers”), do you believe that after last week’s performance in the 4th quarter, ND has next year’s QB on their current roster…and if they were to look for a QB in the portal, would it not detrimentally impact QB recruitment?

Eric Hansen

2:59

Thank you. ... Even with the year Clemson is having, I think that's still a quality win on the road. My thought with a portal QB in this cycle, I would not take an average one. I would not take someone with more than one year left. I think that maximizes the impact and minimizes the unwanted ripplles of taking one.

DomerReef70

2:56

Eric, All Souls Day greetings from the cold South. Seems like we have a no-win situation this weekend. The airwaves down here are hot with all of Dabo's rants on criticism. Clemson is clearly not the old Clemson this year but this would be a singular redemption for them if they were to win. We win and it is, well Clemson is down-not much traction for NY 6 Bowl with a win, unless a statement blowout type win. Also, your thoughts on Coach Freeman's comments on using the portal again for the QB position. Seems like that may give Minchey or Angeli reason to consider transferring with Carr coming in. My fear is that the need for instant success will, over the long term, devalue recruiting and developing at the position; the Bryce Youngs are few and far between out there. Unless you get someone like a Bo Nix or Caleb Williams who can give you two quality years. Thanks as always for your great work and props to Tyler as well.

Eric Hansen

2:56

If you do that at the expense of winning games, you'd be run out of town with torches and pitchforks. Now if you mean after games have been decided that's another thing. But if I'm understanding you're question, why then wouldn't the players who are going to the NFL simply opt out if you're going to bench Sam Hartman? Why would another portal QB ever come to ND if you're going to play the second- or third-best option.

jim zephyrhills,fl

2:53

If I'm MF I'm getting Angeli meaningful playing time the rest of the season since no playoff spot is possible. Your thoughts?

Eric Hansen

2:53

Hi Roger and thanks for following the no-manifesto manifesto. Here's the difference. Jordan Faison came to ND on a lacrosse scholarship. To keep teams from stashing good football players on other sports' rosters and using their scholarships, the NCAA has a hierarchy. Football is at the top of the hierarchy. So the moment he played, that lacrosse scholarship had to become a football scholarship, which now gives men's lacrosse coach Kevin Corrigan another one to play with. Those other players you mentioned are not on scholarship in another sport. ... I think Al Golden will have some very attractive offers and I think the likelihood he leaves is greater than him staying. An ND-LSU bowl? Yes please, and given LSU is No. 1 nationally in total offense and No. 88 in total defense (The Irish are 41st and 11th), I would pick the Irish to win by 2 in six overtimes.

Roger from Peoria

2:40

ERIC: Love the "Live Chats". Consistent with the "No Manifesto" and "No 17-Part Question" admonitions, I ask these. Much was said about Jordan Faison "going from 'walk-on' to football scholarship" after the Louisville TD catch per NCAA rules. At the time the reporting suggested (or was misread by me), that his participation triggered the change. But other walk-ons have participated without going on football scholarship. e.g. Luke Talich, Skip Velotta, Chase Ketterer. Can you clarify the difference? I am impressed with Golden as D-Coordinator. Even in the Louisville game, the D in the last 10 minutes kept the Irish in the game (albeit remotely) giving up only 3 FGs on three drives starting inside the Irish 35. What is the likelihood he will move on after this season? How "interesting" an Irish/LSU Bowl game this year would be! Let's say that happens. Assuming no players "opt-out" of the Bowl tilt, how would you predict the outcome of that game? GO IRISH!!!!

Eric Hansen

2:40

Haha, Drue, thanks. I think the Irish can and have to continue a resurgence on offense, not just for Saturday but if they're going to be able to be competitive in a New Year's Six game. Chris Tyree's surge is an important part of that. The O-line must continue to evolve. Jayden Thomas needs to be Jayden Thomas. And yeah, getting Eli Raridon going would help as well. Evans is a big loss, but there are good elements on which to build ... That Jaden Mickey and Christian Gray stepped up is NOT surprising. To the degree they did WAS, and it was impressive. And it's another reason Marcus Freeman and Al Golden are so high on Mike MIckens.

Drue from Springfield

2:36

No flattery with this question because every one of us thinks you are the best....but we won't tell you to your face!!

Can the Irish continue to improve their offensive performance with Raridon stepping into the mix? Evans was really showing up and making us forget about Mayer. On the other side of the LOS, was the play of the secondary without two starters at all surprising? I will hang up and listen.

Eric Hansen

2:36

When you look at the raw stat rankings of Clemson and ND, the biggest difference is turnover margin, ND is 8th. Clemson is 95th. Quarterback plays is a huge difference. ND is ninth in team passing efficiency and Clemson is 71st. Red Zone offense is another big gap. And missed field goals are huge for Clemson. So Clemson has been its own worst enemy, but their defense is good enough to keep them in every game. The Irish need to keep their edge in turnovers and QB play in Saturday's matchup.

2:33

Let's start with the CFP rankings. I don't get too wound up over the early reveals. These usually self-correct over time as games play out. HOWEVER, it seems like a very lazy set of ranking to me. Like they didn't want to have to explain why a two-loss team was ranked ahead of a one-loss team. So, basically, they ranked all the unbeaten teams, then all the one-loss teams, then all the two-loss teams, then stuck the two Group of 5 teams at the end. My 4-year-old granddaughter could have done that. That's fine if everyone played the same of similar schedules. So I am looking for some improvement next week. (more)

2:29

Sorry phone call and I'm back.

Marie from Atlanta

2:17

Hi Eric, I hope you’re having a great week. Which matchups favor Notre Dame this weekend and which matchups favor Clemson? For Notre Dame to win the game and control it from start to finish what are the most important things that need to happen? changing topics entirely, what are your thoughts on the first CFP rankings? Do you feel the committee is giving too much credence to the SEC? Thanks for hosting the chat and all your great insights.

Eric Hansen

2:17

Hi Dave. We had NFL analyst Mike Renner on our podcast during the first bye week a couple of weeks ago. For more depth, I'd consider putting that in your ears on your next jog through the neighborhood or walk on the beach. Keep in mind there are only seven players on the roster with expiring eligibility and only five of them non-kicking game specialists. So, he talked about early departures of Joe Alt, Rylie Mills, Howard Cross III, Audric Estimé and Cam Hart, most notably. If I recall correctly, he thought Watts should return to ND. Some others I think will move on are Jack Kiser, JD Bertrand, maybe Blake Fisher.

Dave PonteVedra, FL

2:11

With the season at the three quarter pole, what’s your best guess as to who might leave early for the NFL? I would love to see Xavier Watts stick around for another year.

Eric Hansen

2:11

Hi Mark. I had to work, so we visited post-Halloween on the phone for a little bit and I'll catch up with them on the bye week. Two of them have birthdays that week. I think each team's defensive front seven has the edge of the other team's offense line. But I think ND has the better QB, better speed on the perimeter and better running backs to deal with that. Yes, Marcus Freeman said #20 Ben Morrison, who had two picks last year vs. Clemson, is expected back in the lineup this week.

Mark, Orange County CA

2:07

Hi Eric, Hope you had a great Halloween and were able to enjoy your grand kids. How does ND's OL and DL match up with Clemsons? In what component of the game does Clemson present the biggest challenge to ND? Will #20 be able to play for ND as I read Clemson has had at least 1 turnover in every game this season?

Eric Hansen

2:07

If everybody stays and you have Angeli, Kenny Minchey, CJ Carr and Deuce Knight on the roster, then I think you can skip the portal that year ,,, and maybe get into a rhythm of not needing to take one.

2:06

I have been impressed with how far Steve Angeli has come since he first set foot on campus as an ND freshman. Was impressed having him on the podcast as a high school senior. I wish I was that mature at his age ... or even at my age now. And he may be someone I am selling short in terms of where his ceiling is. But keep in mind, when he's come into games, he's not a part of the opposing team's scouting report and focus on what to take away. Once he is, they will try to funnel him toward his flaws and he'll have to adjust and that's the moment of evolution for a QB, going through that stage. IF you can get a QB the caliber of Sam Hartman in 2024, isn't the giving your team the best chance to win? Yes, you may pay a price with someone transferring out. Now, if you're going to bring in a middling transfer guy, then no it's not worth it. (more)

2:01

OK, there's a lot of variations of this question in the queue this week and, hopefully, I can touch on most of the aspects of it with this one. Fred college football is changing and ND needs to be aware of that changing dynamic. So with the playoff expanding to 12 next year, is the goal to make that field in 2024 or write that goal off and shoot for 2025? Remember, ND opens next season AT Texas A&M. Can Steve Angeli win that game for you? (more)

Fred from Richmond

1:58

Eric, It's always a wonderful feeling after a thorough team effort in a win. I was impressed with all facets of the Irish on Saturday. I was very impressed with performance of Steve Angeli. My question to you is do the Irish really need to enter the transfer portal for a quarterback. It seems that at some point you have to trust your recruiting and development of your in-experienced players. I believe your losing players to the transfer portal if you don't give them a chance to be the quarterback at Notre Dame. I believe the young man has earned the right. You have tremendous talent coming in the next two years, so if not now than when for Angeli. Go Irish put the hammer on Clemson!!!

Eric Hansen

1:57

Against Clemson, on defense, I would lean into stopping the run and dare Clemson to beat my corners deep if I'm the d-coordinator. I'd mix my pressures to confuse Cade Klubnik. Miami and NC State both had success with this approach with defenses that aren't as good or deep as ND's (though NC State's scheme is impressive). Offensively, I'd do what the Irish did against Pitt, be ready to open up the run game with the pass, including some deep shots. And be ready for some in-game adjustments.

1:55

Len, you give me a lot to unpack here, and I just took a few swigs of my coffee to give your questions the caffeine boost they deserve. ND has and had the personnel to run some two-back looks and they have and likely will continue. It's more about matchups and taking advantage of an opponents' defensive flaws than anything else. So Evans or no Evans, it's in the playbook and ready to use. ... My thoughts on Marcus Freeman's preference to running a smaller set of plays at max efficiency over a larger set at mediocre efficiency makes sense. When you're Vanderbilt or Indiana in a tough Power 5 conference you don't have the personnel to match up, so trickery needs to be a part of your team's makeup. ND doesn't have that issue. They have better talent than Louisville. And you can still be unpredictable with a simpler/smaller package of plays. I completely buy into what Freeman says about that. (more)

Len from the Jersey Shore

1:48

Eric, With Evans out and Raridon just returning, and considering the issues at wide receiver, can Notre Dame scheme a series of 2 back offensive plays that can be both surprising, and successful against a good Clemson defense? And please included your thoughts on Coach Freeman's desired to run less plays, at a 10 execution clip, then add more plays executed at a 7 clip? In lieu of maybe having to mix things up a bit due to injuries, is this the time to run some different options and challenge the team to up their execution? Of will ND's game plan be to run less, a smaller game plan, and wait for Clemson to make offensive mistakes? Especially considering our defense's recent ability to generate turnovers.

Eric Hansen

1:48

The initial implications are that ND's average of five ACC opponents per season will continue, with the Stanford series remaining a standalone annual game that doesn't count as that requirement. The ACC opponents have been scheduled through 2037. Now could that be amended? Sure, but it's unlikely unless teams leave the ACC or Stanford and ND want to make some changes. ... Nothing new on the ND media rights package. Still runs with NBC thru 2025, so plenty of time for that to come together.

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