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Eric Hansen

2:59

OK, that's going to do it for today. Thanks for all the great questions. I picked six winners at random for free copies for the 2019 ND Insider Notre Dame Football Preview: Scott from Muskegon, Mich.; Mike from Saratoga; Matt from Lombard, Ill., Jake from Seal Beachn Calif.; Jeff B from Oklahoma City and John from Glenview, Ill. If you're one of those people, please email me your address (ehansen@sbtinfo.com). we'll be back to do it all over again next Thursday at noon ET.

2:50

My sense is Michael Young and Kevin Austin, once Austin's "punishment" ends. Keep in mind, i think you'll see the tight ends very much involved in the passing game as well as the RBs.

Jake from Seal Beach, CA

2:49

Who steps up to be the no. 3 and 4 WR?

Eric Hansen

2:49

If the game was held this spring, that's exactly what would have happened. I do like that Clark Lea is the coordinator and the position coach for the linebackers. That gives me more confidence that this is an area that will evolved. Now how quickly and to what extent?

Matt from Lombard, IL

2:48

Eric - with great safeties and defensive ends on this defense, ND's weakness would seem to be up the middle. Is there a concern that Georgia will simply run the ball through the middle of ND's defense? Will be interesting to see what Clark Lea comes up with for this

Eric Hansen

2:48

The media has access to five full practices and parts of three others. I don't think it has a thing to do with ticket sales. We're going to write about the team whether we're in the practices or not. Adding exposures makes for better reporting, and I think Brian Kelly viewed that as a positive after opening things up in the spring.

Joe from Georgia

2:45

Why is there more access to camp this year? Is it partly a function of fewer and fewer fannies in NDS seats? Publicity would help, yes?

Eric Hansen

2:41

You have 13 players for three spots Ten of them are freshman or sophomore eligibility, so ... it makes sense to put them at the position that they have the best chance to help the team. Either or both could eventually grow into an inside linebacker.

Matt in Augusta ,NJ

2:38

I think we have a lot of young talented linebackers on the roster but not enough spots to have them all play. Are you surprised they are stating Liufau at rover. With Kiser coming back, why start 2 freshmen at the same position to start their careers

Eric Hansen

2:36

The thing(s) that would move the needle for me: 1. A collective surge in linebacker play across the board; 2. Strong answers at the field CB position opposite Troy Pride and at nickel; 3) No significant injuries to the interior defensive line; better than average special teams, particularly at the two specialist positions.

Chris from Newmarket, NH

2:34

Hi Eric, welcome back. I heard on Sportsbeat the other day that right now you are predicting a 9-3 record. What would be one thing that, if I told you it would definitely happen, would move the needle for you to predict an 11-1 or 12-0 regular season?

Eric Hansen

2:33

Not sure your definition of "top" DB commitment, but ND adding a DB from someone else's class later in the cycle is a possibility. It's certainly not imminent. The plan is to add more than one DB to the 17 players already in the 2020 class, and there's been a recalibration of the DB board recently. It's doubtful that the additions will be of a five-star caliber. ND is already recruiting for all positions in the 2021 class, so it's not an either/or proposition when it comes to adding DBs. Now with other positions, there is not an urgency to add players in the 2020 class.

2:29

What are the chances that ND flips a top DB commit? If not, will the Irish wait until 2021 to try to lure 5⭐️ DB talent?

Eric Hansen

2:29

I do think there's good depth on this team, perhaps the best across the board, but that doesn't mean you have answers at the top of the depth chart at every position. That's kind of the nature of college football, period. The fewer misses you have in recruiting, the more margin for error you have. And certainly having an very good strength and conditioning program helps prevent an mitigate injuries.

2:21

I do think there'

ernesto from Altoona, pa

2:21

Hey Erick - do you think this is one of Kelly's deeper team if not what might you consider the deepest team as far as depth goes in your tenure? It seems as a lot of effort has gone into building more depth so that one injury does not prove to be the downfall of the entire season. Thanks and keep up the great work appreciate all the info.

Eric Hansen

2:21

Thanks john. I wrote about that earlier in the summer. It was a free preview of a story in our magazine: https://www.ndinsider.com/football/notre-dame-s-lance-taylor-on-the-fa...

John from Glenview, Illinois

2:19

Eric, Lance Taylor has really seemed to make a huge difference in our recruitment of running backs given the commitment of Chris Tyree. What has he done in such a short amount of time to be able to land a player of Tyree's ability? Do you expect him to have an equally big impact on our current group of running backs? Thanks and keep up the great work. Really glad your back on weekday sportsbeat!

Eric Hansen

2:19

Georgia -ND in 2017 was a great game. Georgia-ND in 2018 would have been a great game. Georgia in 2019 has more talent. They've recruited better. ND has done a good job of developing its talent. Part of the equation of closing the game on the very elite teams is recruiting. With the exception of the defensive back position, ND is trending in the right direction in the current cycle.

Jeff from Canton, MI

2:16

I think Georgia is the biggest and toughest game on ND's schedule this year. Interestingly, the Louisville game helps prepare ND for that road game... both games on the road, at night, hot muggy conditions, hostile crowd and a team with red and black colors. Obviously UL is not anywhere near UGA from a personnel standpoint. What do you see Notre Dame doing to better compete against top competition this year? I really don't want to see a 30-3 score in Athens.

Eric Hansen

2:13

Bob, I really liked Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah the last week or so of spring. Training camp is a different animal. Based on spring, I'd say Jack Lamb, but by the middle of training camp, it could be someone completely different. The hard part is you're not breaking in one new starter, you'll be breaking in three news ones, with only Asmar Bilal having played much in 2018 and at a different position.

Bob from NYC

2:10

Hey Eric, with all the talent at the LB position, it seems likely to me that at least one will have a breakout year, even if they aren’t as reliable of a unit as they were last year. Who would your pick be to be that breakout player from the linebacker group?

Eric Hansen

2:10

I plan on getting to it Saturday or Sunday. So I'm not sure where I'd have the Irish ranked. My sense is somewhere between 11 and 15. Same goes with Michigan. Still gathering information.

Matt in Augusta ,NJ

2:09

Have you thought about your personal pre season top 25. Where does ND rank? And where do you have Michigan ranked. I see preseason#7, which is high as usual. Is Michigan over ranked again?

Eric Hansen

2:06

Center Jarrett Patterson on offense. Rover Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on defense.

Jake from Seal Beach, CA

2:05

What is one player on offense and one player on defense that will emerge from the relatively unknown to make people open their eyes? Somewhat like Jafar Armstrong and Jalen Elliot did last year

Eric Hansen

2:05

Assistant coaches can watch prospects at their school working out and also playing during designated times of the year. They can not orchestrate a "tryout" per se.

2:04

Franz, if you can include your hometown the next time you submit a question, I'd appreciate it. ... There are a whole bunch of questions here, so let me try to distill this a bit in my answer. The evaluation starts with Bill Rees, ND's director of scouting. Brian Kelly says the elder Rees is the best talent evaluator in the country. There are other people and layers involved, but this is where it starts. Rees only evaluates the physical traits. The coaches must evaluate "fit." Let's look at the case of recruiting Chase Claypool, who came from Canada. Kelly received a tip from a friend who coaches and worked in Canada. Mike Denbrock initially got some film of Claypool playing basketball. Kelly wanted to see more, specifically football tape. Once they had that, they needed verifiable numbers in terms of 40 times, etc., to keep the interest flowing. Once they did, then ND was ready to invest the resources to determine fit. Certainly high school coaches help, particularly ones you have a history with.

Franz

1:53

I am curious as to how coaches evaluate potential recruits particularly the measurables. Grades can be verified with a long distance phone call but how is athletic ability evaluated over long distances? With the video of Colin Gamble running a 40 yd dash apparently sparking an offer from ND after a long line of communication I thought this was a good time to ask. A player can go along way to earning an offer through drill at ND camps but that is not always possible for recruits to travel to ND. When coaches visit high schools are they allowed to set up individual work outs? Are there places they get vertical jumps, 40 times and 3 cone times they feel are reliable? How much are high school coaches relied on?

Eric Hansen

1:52

Roger, as you know, anytime you have an elite pass rush, you have a chance to be really good on third down and cover up some flaws elsewhere in the defense. The question is, can you get to third down? If you struggle at inside linebacker and/or interior defensive line, it's hard to pretty that up with scheme. Those players have to develop and stay healthy. Again, this is not a long-term talent equation as much as it is a short-term experience equation.

Roger from DHS CA

1:49

Great seasons are defined by great defenses and defenses need to be able to stop the running game or will never get off the field. With the losses/graduations in the middle of the defensive line and linebackers, can those losses be covered by defensive scheme changes or do they have to rely on development by the replacement players for those positions?

Eric Hansen

1:48

I have not spoken to John or coach Brian Kelly about that, and really haven't looked into it. I'm sure that'll come up sometime during camp. If it is true, it's quite likely he just wants to get on with his life after getting his degree.

Rick Sanfilippo

1:47

I read that john shannon probably will leave after this year, giving up his redshirt year, why?

Eric Hansen

1:47

The next "Rocket" is a high, high bar, but there is a potential for better speed options in the return game in 2019. I would say 2020, when Chris Tyree is on campus, is a year potentially when the Rocket comparisons get a little more serious.

Rich from Mine Hill, NJ

1:45

Special teams question!!!! Will this finally be the year ND finds another "Rocket" to fuel our kick return game? Seems like we have several speedsters now on the roster who should get a chance at the job. Who do you see or think will be "the guy"?

Eric Hansen

1:45

They could have landed linebackers had they chosen to pursue them -- and certainly could double back later in the cycle if they changed their minds. ... But they like the 13 they have, 10 of whom have freshman or sophomore eligibility. ... The concern for 2019 isn't a lack of talent of lack of options, it's the collective lack of experience.

Nick Blacklick, OH

1:42

Are you surprised that Notre Dame didn't land any linebackers in their current recruiting class, especially considering this was an area of concern on the current roster?

Eric Hansen

1:38

Joe, I'm not sure all what you've heard and read, so this is a little tough for me to qualify. I always prefer to see a couple of practices, and usually what that tells me is about 60 percent of what I heard about over the summer was actually true.

Joe from Georgia

1:36

Of all the party-line intel this Summer, which bit(s) are you most buying? What is most "real?"

Eric Hansen

1:36

Rick, I'm not sure if this matchup is about the big stage as much as it is personnel vs. personnel. Both teams figure to have elite offenses. The big question is how will ND's defense stack up against what Georgia will bring defensively. The Bulldogs have questions to answer on defense in their training camp to, but I think they have a greater margin for error at this point. I also think Ian Book has to show he can be good against a really good defense. He doesn't have much experience with that, but he had a tremendous spring. Now if you pair this ND offense with last year's Irish defense against this Georgia team? I think it would be an amazing matchup.

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