JotCast | Notre Dame Live Chat March 17, 2021

Notre Dame Live Chat March 17, 2021

Eric Hansen

3:05

That's going to have to do it for today. Thanks for all the great questions. I'll be back to do it all again next Wednesday at noon EDT.

3:04

Phil, Notre Dame made the playoff because it beat the No. 1 team in the country, which was on its independent schedule before the pandemic shift. I do not favor a full-time move to the ACC for a number of reasons.

Phil (Chicago)

3:03

I am in the minority in that I think Notre Dame should join the ACC. The one year test run showed what an easier schedule can do. Do you have an opinion one way or another on the subject?

Eric Hansen

3:03

Matt, I'll round up all the injuries next weekend when I get a chance to ask on the record about them. ... to your O-line question, I don't think Patterson will be available for contact drills. My sense is he'll end up at left tackle in the fall.

Matt from LA

3:01

Hi Eric, any word on the status of some of the injured players (Patterson, Austin, Lenzy, Nana, Lacey, Clark, etc) for spring practice? If Patterson gets reps this spring do you expect he’ll play LT, OC, or split time between both? Thanks.

Eric Hansen

3:01

I think Brian Polian's next coaching move will be to be a head coach, and I think he'll do a good with that. I do not think that move will be the head coach at Notre Dame. I've been pretty consistent in that I believe Notre Dame should and will hire a head coach after Brian Kelly who has head coaching experience elsewhere.

Michael from Chicago

2:59

True/False: Brian Polian is a legitimate candidate to be the next HC of ND? Recent promotion, previous HC job, experience recruiting/representing/selling ND, strong football family background. I am not advocating for the move, just wondering out loud as I would presume ND would want a succession plan in place if they know when BK will retire (and if Freeman is already gone).

Eric Hansen

2:58

The answer to both questions could be no. I don't think it's theater. Notre Dame is aiming high and they have had some success in luring famous athletes' sons (Corey Robinson, Torii Hunter and the Atkinson twins, to name a few). But there are very strong ties to Ole Miss, to Tennessee, etc., that are going to be difficult to overcome.

Whitey

Is the Arch Manning offer just theater? Or would ND have a legit shot?

2:55

Whitey. South Philly

Eric Hansen

2:54

Luther. a lot of that depends on how successful ND's defenses are the next 2-3 years. However long it turns out to be, I'd expect him to make the best of his time here.

Luther, PA

2:53

Hi Eric, Thanks for doing these chats; love the Irish. The energy in the program with Freeman coming on staff has been amazing to see on the recruiting trail. What’s your best guess as to how long we can hold on to him before he leaves for a head coaching gig? Will it be long enough to get a championship?

Eric Hansen

2:52

I think everyone theoretically does. The intrigue for me in that regard is the Liufau/Simon/Kiser groups at weakside linebacker (no longer called the Buck), the rovers (don't count out freshman Prince Collie) the safety opposite Kyle Hamilton and whoever pairs at corner with Clarence Lewis. I think it will also be interesting to see of ND plays some three-down looks under Freeman.

Steve from Las Vegas

2:49

With the change on defense from Lea to Freeman, are there any players you think are ready to breakout in the new scheme with a clean slate and new opportunities?

Eric Hansen

2:49

Michael, you did a lot of homework there and there's a lot of math in your question. I'll try to boil it down to this. I don't think it matters how much ND runs next year as much as how EFFECTIVE the Irish run and whether they bring the physicality to the running game as they did last year, which is a credit in part to Tommy Rees. I understand you put "problem" in quotes, implying that it's not. And I agree. I think Austin, Davis and Lenzy if healthy are your top 3. But my expectations are for Johnson, Watts and Styles to compete to be in the rotation. That puts some pressure on Keys and Wilkins to surge. Colzie won't be here until June. I would anticipate it might be harder for him to find a sizeable role in 2021 more so than 2022 and moving forward.

Michael from Chicago

2:44

Question regarding playing time/ball distribution: Per UND.com ND had 867 O snaps last year, 505 (58%) were running and 362 (42%) were passing attempts. For 12 games that's an average of 42 rushing and 30 passing attempts. So ND was splitting those rushing attempts between Kyren, Tyree, CBo and for 2021 now potentially 2 FR that might earn carries. Do you see the O leaning even more to the run with a potentially loaded RB room (albeit an inexperienced OL)? And to the point of "not playing young players" three of the most impactful O skill players last year were Kyren (So), Tyree (Fr) and Mayer (FR) so this somewhat seems like a challenge at WR. Will the same "problem" persist for the So and Fr WR's to overtake another crowded upper class of Austin, Davis, Keys, Lenzy and Wilkins? There only seems to be room for 1 or 2 to make a move (presumably from Colzie, Johnson, Styles and/or Watts), does that sound about right to you?

Eric Hansen

2:41

Matt, I did see what you did there, and thank you for your creativity AND your kindness. You deserve a stimulus beer.

Matt from Rockville Centre

2:39

Eric, No question. Just wanted to say you’re a terrific journalist and that I really enjoy and appreciate your work. I appreciate your reporting, your writing, your judgement, your news sense and your equanimity (see what I did with that last word there?) Take care and stay safe.

Eric Hansen

2:38

Jay, thank you. If Notre Dame baseball continues to surge and the interest is there, we'll bring you more baseball stories. Personally, I love baseball and I think there are a lot of interesting story lines in the program worth teasing out and writing about. ... But again success and interest will drive how much time we can spend on coverage.

Jay from Chicago

2:34

Hi Eric, I hope you and your family are well. While I completely understand that this is a non-football related question, I am hopeful you will entertain it. I have noticed you have written an article or two lately on the surging ND baseball team under Link Jarrett. As an avid ND baseball fan yearning for a return of the glory years under Paul Mainieri, I am curious a.) if we could begin to see more extended coverage of the ND baseball team and b.) if baseball, and ND baseball in particular, is something that you have a passion watching and writing about? Thanks and be well!

Eric Hansen

2:32

Tyler, I probably am misunderstanding your question. Terry Joseph is at Texas and Chris O'Leary is the new safeties coach. I didn't sense that Brian wanted to push him out there door if that's what you're asking. I do think there's a lot of optimism internally as to what O'Leary can accomplish on the field and on the recruiting trail. The latter is something we'll tackle in the Inside Recruiting roundtable once there's a little larger sample size with O'Leary.

Tyler - Cleveland OH

2:27

Thanks for the chats Eric! My question regards Del Alexander. Seems other pundits think this is a make or break year for him from a coaching and recruiting stand point. Appears similar to thoughts surrounding terry joseph. Did well with starters but failed to coach up younger player/non-starters. What’s your thoughts on him?Any indications if BK feels the same way or that there needs to be a change? I personally can’t say one way or the other as he has seen players under him get drafted but just seems there could be another gear to kick in too. Thanks!

Eric Hansen

2:24

Jim, thanks. I don't see a question here, but I'll take the compliments. ... and I'll push back a little bit on your assertions. Be careful getting too stuck in absolutes when it comes to quarterbacks. Let it play out (and it likely will be Coan), But who would have expected Tommy Rees to overtake five-star Dayne Crist in 2011? Ian Book overtaking Brandon Wimbush in 2018? Everett Golson to emerge in 2012? I am intrigued by Coan, I just want to see with my own eyes how he fits in ND's offense. I don't disagree with your keys. I just think there are more than two.

Jim Tal, Valley Center, CA.

2:19

Hi Eric, wishing you well and here's hoping that the upcoming season is played in a much more normal setting. Though there are plenty of questions to wonder about, I believe the two absolute keys to the Irish once again winning 10 regular season games in 2021 are; can Marcus Freeman get the defense to play in a consistently aggressive and dependable manner, and does Jack Coan become a true-difference maker and show a lot more than he did at Wisconsin, even though his play as a Badger was solid. Without those two scenarios taking place, it's hard to imagine the Irish reaching double digits once again. And by the way, all that I've read and gleaned would indicate that anyone else has little chance of beating out Coan, at least to start the season. Again, very appreciative of all your splendid work.

Eric Hansen

2:18

Nor that anyone is willing to acknowledge and share publicly. I would say to expect a start up no sooner than Saturday, the 27th and expect a very condensed practice schedule.

David Columbus OH

2:16

Hello Eric, Have any dates been set yet for spring practice?

Eric Hansen

2:16

Mike, I will have to check into whether there's some kind of formal channel, but I am certainly not aware of one. I think if there was one, it might get a little overwhelming wading through a lot of unhelpful tips to get to the rare helpful ones. With such expansive recruiting staffs these days, it's difficult to miss hearing about legit prospects as may have been the case when Gary Brown played three decades ago.

Mike McFadden, Williamsport, PA

Eric, FYI - I ask my question as many sports have AAU to be noticed but I don't think HS football has AAU to be noticed.

2:07

Hi Eric, Regarding recruiting, does UND have an outlet or method or forum to have Irish fans able to inform coaches (of any sport) about an up and coming player so the kid can be recruited ASAP in high school which is really important? IE. I go back to Gerry McNamera in basketball who went to Syracuse and won an NCAA championship. He and his family (I am told) were vocally huge Notre Dame fans. But Jimmy Boeheim was all over this kid from Scranton, PA early as my brother sat next to him for a playoff game when Gerry was just a junior. You could tell this kid was going to be another Pistol Pete Maravich very early. In football a few years ago a player from Williamsport was an awesome RB, Gary Brown who ended up at psU and I don't know if ND picked up on him. Thanks Eric.

Eric Hansen

2:06

Caleb, I think it's all the above, and that's not to say Brian Polian wouldn't have aligned with the Brian Kelly top five class mantra and goal. This will come up in this week's Inside Recruiting roundtable, but don't underestimate the effect of two playoff berths in three years is having.

Caleb from Charlotte

2:03

Hi Eric, it seems to me that the Irish are in contention for more 4 and 5 star players. Is this a result of Mike Elston being named recruiting coordinator and Marcus Freeman joining the staff or is this just a reflection of BK's recent change in recruiting philosophy, i.e. that ND should be in the top 5 in recruiting?

Eric Hansen

2:03

Happy SPD back. I think Brady would be open to that. But with NBC's commitment to Drew Brees, I'm not sure how soon or if that would happen.

Gabriel Weiss from North Liberty

1:58

Happy St. Patrick's day! Do you think ND gets lucky and has Brady Quinn ever enter the booth?

Eric Hansen

1:57

John, thanks ,,, and it's hard to nail down the timing ... this season, next season. Lance Taylor has more responsibilities than just being the running backs coach, and he has the ambition to be even more than he is now. So at some point soon, if he continues to be successful, he's going to get other opportunities to weight against staying at ND. That's part of the price of success ... other people will want to interview and hire your assistant coaches.

John from Jackson, MS

1:53

Hi Eric, love the chats. My question is a little speculative, but I wanted to ask about Lance Taylor. Given ND's success with running back development of late and particularly recruiting, is it likely he is on his way out to bigger things at the end of this season? I guess I am really asking two things (1) is Taylor someone that other programs are interested in and (2) do you think there is a desire on his part to jump to any full fledged OC or HC gig

Eric Hansen

1:51

Lawrence, how can I be da man when you da man? I think there's too much talent in the offensive line options for them to be below average collectively, and too many new pieces for them to be elite in 2021. I think 2022, we'll see a big jump. For Buchner, it will surprise me if he's not at least No. 2. It would also surprise me if he ascended to be No. 1 this year, but I think he has that kind of talent. My expectation, to be clear, is that he is ND's No. 2 QB this season.

Lawrence from San Diego

1:45

YDM, Eric. You da man. What are the floor and ceiling for our reloaded offensive line next year? Same question for Tyler Buchner?

Eric Hansen

But I think there's a chance to the Irish to finish strong on offense in the 2022 cycle. Maybe not as strong as the defense, but still a very good offensive class.

1:44

HI Marie. Thanks for the feedback on Inside Recruiting. We'll have another edition on the web Thursday and in print Friday morning. I think the good news in terms of your question is the Pot of Gold recruiting tactic Notre Dame unveiled on St. Patrick's Day. The staff connected with more than 60 players in the 2023 cycle, extending new offers to a good number of those players who didn't previously hold an offer from the Irish. They dominated social media for a day, too. There were phone calls and Zooms. And when you look at who was offered, there seemed to be some symmetry in the caliber of offensive players vs. defensive players. As far as the 2022 class, I believe your perception is shared by other observers, particularly among recruiting analysts. I don't think this ties into the perception (right or wrong) of BK not playing young players on offense. I think it's more a product of how aggressive you want to be in terms of numbers of offers who gets them. Clearly there's been a shift for 2023. (more)

Marie Atlanta

1:28

Hi Eric, Love the recruiting round table feature, great idea! To get top 5 classes the experts agree you have to go after top players and be prepared to lose battles. While the ND defensive recruiters are doing this, it does not seem to be so for the offensive recruiters. In fact, in general the excitement about recruiting seems centered on the defense. Why do you think this is? Do you think the offensive ND has played the last several years, and that BK has a reputation ( whether earned or not) for not playing young players, hurts the offense's ability to recruit top skill players. There are several top West Coast WR this year, Wasn't Del Alexander supposed to provide an upgrade with West coast recruiting? CJ Williams is a top Recruit , from a Catholic school, who I read initially was very interested in ND, but now ND has fallen way off with him, what went wrong there? If the offensive recruiting is subpar this year, do you think there could be staff changes? Thanks for hosting the chat!

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