JotCast | Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 21, 2026

Notre Dame Football Live Chat Oct. 21, 2026

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Eric Hansen

3:33

On that note, grazie/thanks for all the great questions and for some restraint on the frustrations. And for not making me regret keeping the no drinking rule rescinded. We'll be back next week to do it all over again, Wednesday at noon ET.

3:32

Grazie.

Paul from Knoxville

3:32

Eric: Ho dimenticato. Buon compleanno e tanti auguri!!**^^**!! La mia memoria non e molto buona questi giorni....

Eric Hansen

3:31

1) The column I did will do more justice here than a lightning round answer, but it starts with getting CJ Carr right and the pass rush/coverage right. 2) It's time to collaborate and find solutions to make the defense better. 3) He played 35 out of 69. It's fair to assume an injury the kept him out of the previous game played a part. 4) Nothing against doing that. You just can't make a living on it, but some sprinkled in is not a bad idea. 5) I don't think the element of surprise is something you want to make or break you. Again, in moderation, it can work, but I would work on getting good at the plays I know I can create mismatches with. 6) I think there were some dink and dunks that would have been the smarter play. Not to address confidence, but to move the ball more effectively. I think I hit the others elsewhere in the chat. I aplogize if I didn't get the depth on those questions.

3:24

Hi Marie. I will try to do a lightning round on the ones I haven't touched on before I need to get to my next assignment.

Marie from Atlanta

do you feel like the offense should’ve had one play in their back pocket that had never been on tape that they had been practicing all year for the very situation that occurred at the end of the game? Also, it was clear from the first drive when Carr overthrew Faison that he was not settled in and very hyped up. Do you think it would’ve been a good idea in the next series to do some dink and dunk so he could get his confidence and accuracy going? Also, can you give her thoughts on player rotation. Why did Jonaz Walton play so little and why did the three receivers play so much. It’s pretty telling when Faison has to take himself out of the game on the last drive because he’s gassed. Why can’t Mike Brown get someone else out there even if it’s just as a decoy? Finally, what is the most important thing for the offense in the defense to focus on in the next two weeks for Notre Dame to have a chance to beat Miami? As always thanks for the chat and all your great insights.

3:22

hi Eric, apologies in advance as I will likely be breaking the 17 part question rule after a frustrating Saturday night. If you are Marcus Freeman, what are you focusing on most in the next two weeks to try and get ready for Miami? I felt like Ash’s game plan was a failure on Saturday night, he is now zero for three in his biggest games and in all of them the defense has played horribly. People will argue they were better in the second half of Miami and BYU, but part of that was also because Miami and BYU got more conservative, and BYU tried that fake punt. Is it time for Marcus Freeman to take over the defense or at the very least have Ash on a very short leash? is it time to start thinking about a new defensive coordinator? Was kVA physically limited if not, why did he place so few snaps? at halftime, Freeman mentioned how the defense was being burned by misdirection, why can’t Denbrock’s offense use some misdirection some jet sweeps some flea flickers and have a little more pre-snap motion?

Eric Hansen

3:21

Hi Ed. You can't ingnore Navy. That's the problem. Fortunately, in most cases in recent years, with the 2024 USC game being an exception, ND has handled the Navy hangover back to a traditional offense fairly well. The bad news, Miami isn't the run of the mill traditional offense.

Ed from Sayville NY

3:20

Sorry I got cut off before asking my question, but how do you see the staff approaching planning in preparation for two very different styles of play all the while knowing how important the Miami game will be?

Eric Hansen

3:19

This has got to be GSmooth from Walkerton, even though your name doesn't appear this week. Unless Marie from Atlanta is calling me E-Train now. And thanks for the birthday love. You were right on it. In any event, I think it ND lost a close game to Miami and finishes 10-2, it will be squarely on the bubble and at the mercy of the committee and how other teams stack up with similar resumes. In other word, leaving doubt.

Guest

3:17

Hi Eric, aka E-Train!! Happy Birthday sometime in late October!! I saw some highly ranked teams play Sat. afternoon and all are flawed and did not scare me. Then I watched ND vs BYU and had to adjust my opinion. 1) How do we play up to our talent level against top opponents?? 2) I believe that even if we lose a tight game vs Miami we will still make the playoffs because we should be viewed on the same level as two Top 5 teams. To me that is more indicative of who we are than the poor records of our other opponents. Do you agree???!!!! Go Irish!!!! Get It together!!!!

Eric Hansen

3:17

Ciao Paul. That's a little bit what seems off about the understandable frustration is the sky is falling aspect, given Marcus Freeman's record of bouncing back. That doesn't guaranteee a repeat performance, but I kind of like the pattern, don't you? I think you do by the wording of your question. I noticed the deflections too, big time. I think some of that had to do with the low snaps andsome of it not. Definitely something I plan to dig into. I don't think the loss changes the prep approach, but I think some things that contributed to the loss require a deeper self scout and better solutions.

Paul from Knoxville

3:08

Ciao Eric: Che cosa si puo dire? Forse mannaggia e porca miseria!!!!! As disappointing as the BYU loss is, I don’t think it’s disastrous, and as inconsistent as both our O and D played, we still came within 1-2 plays (or 1 second?) of pulling out a victory. I expect this team can and will rebound. Your thoughts? One thing that particularly surprised me was the number of deflected passes both at the line and down field: Credit to BYU’s D, but was CJ also not executing proper technique on those throws? Lastly, do you think the loss changes how the team will prepare for Navy, and maybe Miami, during the bye week?

Eric Hansen

We're into overtime, so I am going to try to get to a few more.

3:07

So even if the lineman admits to the fake call, handling that snap and putting two hands to push it down for the spike needed to be the response, right? The three-and-out was ugly, big time. Probably Walton time there. Not sure that would have fixed it, but I would want that home run threat in there if BYU was taking chances on D. Yes, allowing the go-ahead drive was something the nation's No. 1 team in total defense is expected to stop. I hope I hit on all the angles you asked about.

3:03

Hi John. I am happy to go back over those, but my mind pretty quikcky spins forward into are these things fixable and if so, how to fix them. If it were the ifnal game of the season, I'd spend more time ruminating on these. But they are great questions, so let me try to give you my perspective. I think if ND scores at the end of the game and wins 31-28, they sit at No. 1 in the polls this week and people would feel very different about this team. But there sill would be fixes that had to be made for a team aspiring to beat Miami and make a deep playoff run. (more)

John from Chatham, NJ

3:00

Hey Eric, as usual, you set the pace for all things related to ND football and we all thank you for that! No doubt you have been inundated with thoughts related to the game vs BYU....one second left, pass interference, the BYU D-lineman yelling "hutt" at the end of the first half, etc. After all of those obstacles, ND still could have won the game. WE HAD THE LEAD WITH 8 MINUTES TO PLAY!!!! WE HAD THE BALL!!!! Whether it was playcalling, execution, personnel....it was an ugly 3 and out. So we punt. WE STILL HAVE THE LEAD WITH 5 MINUTES TO PLAY AND CANNOT GET A STOP!!!! Those are the most dissapointing things in my opinion is that neither side of the ball put put the game away when we had the chance. I would love to hear your views related to those specific possessions. Thanks.

Eric Hansen

3:00

Well, there's been two different injuries. A torn ACL, which he came back from way ahead of schedule and a thumb injury that caused him to miss a game. I'm all for KVA playing lots of reps, but I wouldn't dismiss the second injury as a factor on Saturday night. I also think Chris Ash could have made better use of him in the snaps he did play, so maybe we agree there.

Jeff - Cape Coral, FL

2:58

Jaylon Smith was a freak; the most explosive, talented and athletic LB ND had in a long time. He had a very good career at ND, but I thought it was nowhere near what it could have been due to the high school level DCs he had and overall misuse of him and his talents. Why do I feel like we're approaching that with KVA in sense? I'm over the Pop Warner "everyone plays" approach with the linebacking group. He's a game-wrecker and a player of his ability should be on the field for 75% of the snaps, minimum. I don't think this is "easing him back" from injury either, as he's well into the year now and this was the approach last year with all these guys too. Why?

Eric Hansen

2:57

Hi Brian!!! Believe me, the enter key gets all of us. There was an amendment to the rule this year, although it wouldn't have affacted Traore's ejection. Previously, players flagged in the second half of a game had to sit out the first half of the next game as well. That's no longer the case. The American Football Coaches Association has been pushing for a two-tiered penalty system, kind of like a yellow card/rad card in soccer. An unintentional target would not carry an ejection. But you're asking officials to determine intent. That was not successful. But there was nothing about Traore's hit that looked unintentional. I hope I answered your question.

Brian K, South Bend

2:52

Hi Eric!!!! (The Enter Key got another Chat member). Boubacar Traore's Targeting ejection set a bad tone early and likely shifted their DE rotation and possibly parts of the game plan. Nobody who watched the game thinks the call was incorrect, and Traore should know better than that. With that said, WHY does the NCAA still Eject players for Targeting? A 15 yard penalty is more than sufficient and punishes both the player and team appropriately. The NFL does not eject players for targeting , so I've wondered this for many years why there has not been a push from college teams and conferences to amend this rule? Curious what thought you may have on this. Thank you!

Eric Hansen

2:51

Hi Don. Since it's a bye week, there was no opportunity to get official word on injuries. From my observatins, Leonard Moore looked tentative at times, very uncharacteristic of him and maybe the result of just being careful after a concusssion. KVA only took a week off with the thumb injury. Shuler did not look injured, but all will be good questions to ask next week when we have access.

Don from LA

2:49

I can't help but notice that KVA, Moore and Shuler seemed to be playing hurt last week. Just not seeing the violence Marcus preaches on D. Any updates on injuries?

Eric Hansen

2:48

I don't think one game should define a quarterback, especially with lots of season left to play. If we did that, we would have never given a chance for redemptin to guys like Joe Montana and Tony Rice and Brady Quinn. And Kenny Minchey deserves respect for what he did as a backup at ND and now as a starter at UK.

Augie, St Louis

2:47

Is the CJ Carr who played against BYU the one who was battling Kenny Minchey for QB1 last year? Is that why it took so long for Freeman & the coaches to make a decision?

Eric Hansen

2:45

Jonathan!!!! Thanks for the effort. I'm not sure there's a scale where you could justify playing the teams currently No. 1 and 2 in the country as well as a ranked SMU team as an embarrassment. That's actually kind of embarassing. Now, is it a gauntlet of a schedule? No, it's not. I think the strength of schedule is always better to evaluate at or near season's end. Remember when beating Texas A&M and Michigan and Penn State seemed like a big deal?

Jonathan from Hideaway, TX

2:40

Eric!!! The exclamation points require extra effort this week. I’m wondering whether you agree with national pundits who believe ND’s schedule is an embarrassment. The highest ranked team they play is, who, Miami? Are they even ranked this week? And who is the next best after that? Weak sauce, that schedule, isn’t it?

Eric Hansen

2:39

Hi Tom, and thanks for the text yesterday. Good memory. You were one day early. ... Nick Marsh is doing an outstanding job for Indiana after transferring from Michigan State. It's interesting, coming out of high school, he was the No. 29 WR in that class. In that same 2024 class, Mylan Graham was No. 9 and Cam Williams was No. 11. I think Notre Dame felt Quincy Porter gave the Irish a little more size in the boundary, a very high ceiling and an extra year of eligiblity. The knee injury does not allow us to make that comparison yet. But yes I think a lot of teams would love to have Nick Marsh.

Tom F, Kennesaw, GA

2:32

Eric, I forgot to ask you how much better do you think Marsh from IU would have made us if he had chosen ND?? Sure looks like a key missing part of the offense to me.......

Eric Hansen

2:31

Stanley great to hear from you, and I am happy you are still churning out your famous Stancakes even in your still relatively new married life. Thanks for the birthday love.

Stanley B from Glen Allen

2:30

Just "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" AND EAT STANCAKES!!!! Otherwise i always get much from what you have to say. Thanks.

Eric Hansen

2:29

Hi Gilberto, that came up a little earlier, but I want to revisit it, because it is so surprising for a veteran center to have that issue. Yes, it very much needs to be addressed. It really throws off timing, vision, so much.

Gilberto

2:28

Gil from San Juan. I have noticed that the snaps from the center are too low forcing Carr to look down and bend to catch the ball. He loses time to scan the field and go through his progressions. Is this an issue?

Eric Hansen

2:28

The guy who I have a good but feeling about is Bettis. He has made himself into a viable option and he didn't walk in the door that way. Just love the way he works to get better and not an ounce of entitlement in that kid's mind.

2:26

Now I'll answer your question specifically. The answer to who might help you in 2026 and/or 2027 may be different than who has the highest ceiling. To me, the three who have the highest ceiling are all grouped together Bubba Frazier, Devin Fitzgerald and Kaydon Finley. That Finley hasn't been more of a factor ealry surprises me. Finley, because of his maturity, very good size and speed, proven production before ND against very good competition, mental toughness. Position flexibility. Fitzgerald is wired for greatness, just an amazing attititude to fuel his size and strength and really good route running. Bubba has elite speed a is very, very smart. I wouldn't write any of them off. (more)

2:21

Mike/Mo !!!^^^!!! Thanks for not adding a frowny face to our secret punctuation handshake! Great question, let's list all of them first, and we will not include transfers ... Nor will be include Scrap Richardson, who transferred. So that knocks that number down to seven. Here is how they rank by Rivals' rankings: 1. Kaydon Finley, 2. Devin Fitzgerlad, 3. Bubba Frazier, 4. Elijah Burress, 5. Brayden Robinson, 6. Jerome Bettis Jr., 7. Dylan Faison. (more)

Mike AKA "MO" from Maumee OH

2:08

Hi Eric !!!^^^!!! From the limited glimpses of what I've seen of the wide receivers from the classes of 2025 & 2026 playing on offense (not just special teams), the Irish look like there is plenty of talent there, not to mention the NFL pedigrees of several of their dads. Out of the '25 & '26 groups, which player do you believe has the highest ceiling, and what sets them apart from the others? Thanks!!

Eric Hansen

2:07

Hi Jim!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Love the exclamation points, especially today. But if you think the work eases after a loss LOL ... I appreciate the good intentions in that question. ... 1) No explanation given. Those press conferences on the road are very short, and I thought the questions asked were the ones that needed to be prioritized. Normally that would be a Monday question, but we did not have any access to players or coaches this week, being a bye week. 2) I don't think the coaches waited until halftime to adjust, but I think a lot of the things that were tried in the flow of the game in the first half did not work. The iPads on the sideline theoretically make those adjustments easier to do in the flow of a game. And thanks for the nice words.

Jim from Oakwood, OH

2:03

Hey Eric!!!!!! I hope you are well and the vigorous pace of work has eased a bit for you this bye week. Two quick questions for your insights please: 1) What was the explanation given for the minimal carries by Walton who was so red hot recently? 2) The adjustments made by the coaches at halftime significantly improved the performance of both the offense and defense in the second half … was there any evidence of adjustments made or attempted during the first half? Thank you for all of your work with the chats and your journalism excellence throughout the year. Be well.

Eric Hansen

2:00

I think this question is rhetorical, so I will let it stand on its own.

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