Chat Transcript: Five Players who could enhance a College Football Playoff run for Notre Dame

Eric Hansen: Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, NC State week!

Before I forget, next Wednesday I have a coverage conflict, but we’ll still have the chat. We’re just going to start and finish earlier … so 10:30 a.m. to about 1:30 p.m. ET next Wednesday.

Some additional quick programming notes:

► On July 1, Tyler James and I made the move to the On3 network and blueandgold.com and joined some amazing teammates. It’s proven to be a great move for us and, I believe, for our subscribers as well. And if you’re a potential first-time subscriber, you can take a one-week test drive for $1. That’s  seven days of our premium content, plus all the value you get from a national team of writers and content creators, as well as access to every team site in the On3 network.► If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps, what are you doing with your life? Seriously, the show keeps its shelf life long after the live presentation, so you can catch up now or later on our YouTube channel.  We’ll be back next week and every week, Monday at 7 p.m. ET, for another presentation of Football Never Sleeps with Tyler James co-hosting with me. We’ll also have our Postgame Takeaways show for you to have with your Sunday morning coffee. And check out some great shows on the Blue & Gold YouTube channel as well.

► The Inside ND Sports Podcast has been rebranded as the Third & Gold Podcast. Going forward the pod will be available on all the podcast places you found us before as well as our YouTube Channel. On our most recent episode, we caught up with Lamar Mickey, the father of former Notre Dame cornerback Jaden Mickey. We talked about Jaden’s harrowing injury the week before the ND game, his decision to enter the transfer portal and his decision to turn down a big-money offer from USC to transfer there. We also talked with Lamar about how the family is honoring Jaden’s mom.Lamar’s wife, Nilka, since she passed away from colon cancer in December of 2023. This week’s podcast drops Thursday with special guest former Irish All-American Tom Zbikowski.

► Finally at WSBT Sports Radio 960, I’m part of the Notre Dame Football pregame shows with Tim Grauel, Jim Irizarry and Blue & Gold teammate Tyler Horka. The new expanded show kicks off with 3 1/2 hours of news, analysis and special guests live from the iconic Linebacker Lounge in South Bend on Saturday ahead of the NC State game. We’ll start our coverage at 11 a.m. ET. You can listen locally at WSBT-AM 960, Sunny 101.5 FM and 106.1 FM in Southwest Michigan. And it will be live streaming on wsbtradio.com.

As far as this week’s chat …

PLEASE include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question(s). I’m a stickler for this.

You can use as many exclamation points as you’d like if you follow that request.

Here are our original rules:

Eric Hansen: The no drinking rule applies only to me. The no fighting rule applies to everyone. Everything else is rolled back this week.

Off we go …

MikeD from Rochester, N.Y.: Hi, Eric!!!!!! I was sorry to hear Bob Morton had to step away from his analysis activities with you, Tyler, and the rest of the blue and gold gang. Hopefully he’ll be allowed to be a guest occasionally. My question, who are the five players who need to show significant improvement over the next several games for the Irish to make the playoffs?

Eric Hansen: MikeD!!!!!!!! Coming in hot with the punctuation and a really fun question to start with. Here are my five players who need to show significant improvement over the next several games for Notre Dame to make the playoff AND make noise if/when the Irish get there!!! The first one is just shaking the rust and that’s Cooper Flanagan. He is listed as No. 5 on our extended depth chart this week, but when he’s healthy, he’ll be No. 2. And he’s Notre Dame’s best blocking tight end. He was listed as questionable on Monday, which is an upgrade, and has recently resumed practicing. He gives the offense potentially a whole ‘nother gear on short-yardage, goal line, even if you just want to power/bully in the run game and bleed clock.

Next up is offensive tackle and captain Aamil Wagner. The offensive line has made some significant strides since the first couple of games, but Wagner is lagging at more than 30 points below his film grades from last season. This is a guy who garnered some preseason All-America mention. He needs to take the step up to that level. He has it in him. Next is defensive end Bryce Young. You could do an either/or here with Jordan Botelho. Both have played well opposite Boubacar Traore against the run, but there’s a lot more out there for them when it comes to pass rush. ND needs a burst from the right side. Next up is freshman nickel Dallas Golden.

One of my favorite players on the roster in terms of watching him grow into his potential. Starting nickel DeVonta Smith (calf) is out this week and missed virtually the entire Boise State game. Even if/when he returns, Golden will have to play and play well in a rotation. And given the run of elite pass offenses and slot receivers coming at ND in the coming weeks, including and especially USC’s, Golden will have to minimize the growing pains. He has the athletic ability, smarts and work ethic to pull that off.

Finally, linebacker Drayk Bowen. He looked like an All-American at times late last season, especially against Ohio State in the title game. He has struggled in this new scheme, but seemed to break through a bit against Boise State. If that upward trend continues, the Irish defensive surge will be for real and sustainable.

Scott from Greenville, S.C.: Eric!!!! Thanks for the culinary advice last week! Great food and great fun with the family. Culminated by watching NDs defense take another step forward. Do you see the defense continuing to move forward against NC State? Equally important, how do you see the kicking game performing on Saturday? My hope is the offense looks more like they did against Arkansas or Purdue and won’t need the field goals. But they may need it against USC. Can you give the status of Burnette? Finally, celebrated my 65th over the weekend. My family got me the subscription to Blue and Gold and I read it everyday. Great insight from some exceptional writers. All the best from sunny South Carolina Eric!

Eric Hansen: Scott!!!!!! Really great to hear the lightning-delay green beans were a hit with the fettucini alfredo if I remember that right. And thank your family for thinking of the subscription for your Bday. Happy Birthday. Those people born in October are special. … To your questions … NC State is one of 11 teams ND plays in the regular season that’s ranked in the top half of the FBS in total offense (Stanford is the outlier), and one of seven ranked 31st or higher. So, the good news is we will be able to tell if the improvement is real week after week AND it gets them ready for the good offenses they’d see in the playoff. And I do think the improvement is real, but it needs to keep coming. Plugging Leonard Moore back in is huge.

Kicker Noah Burnette was listed as questionable on Monday, and we’ll get an update on Thursday. But the troubling part of this is the coaches and medical staff still can’t pinpoint what’s causing the intermittent hip injury. What I think Marcus Freeman will do is settle on Plan B and flex it Saturday, whether Burnette is ready or not, just to get that guy ready and comfortable kicking in the big moments. That’ll be either Erik Schmidt or Marcello Diomede.

Jack from Strongsville, Ohio: Hi Eric. One of my favorite pieces you do each week is Behind The Ballot article. As a voter for over 30 years what is the most challenging part of doing a weekly top 25 poll? How has it changed for you during that time? As always, thanks for your great writing.

Eric Hansen: Hi Jack. Thanks for reading it and the compliments. I really enjoy putting that together on Sundays. The challenges differ from season to season and from week to week during the season. This week was a bucket of teams that were very similar in the 20s, and which ones to include and which ones not. Early in the season, you just don’t have a lot of data. When s top 10 team loses to an unranked team but has some good wins, that’s a headache. Now, with Texas and Penn State, for instance, and Iowa State, it wasn’t as hard, because they didn’t have quality wins. How has it changed? People were a lot madder when I didn’t include their favorite teams back when polls alone determine national titles and also during the BCS Era when it was initially part of that formula. There was no social media then, but anonymous letters found their way to me on a regular basis. The funniest one was an assertion from one person that my poll acumen was lacking because my mother drove a beer truck. Which she doesn’t, but I wouldn’t object to if she did. Thanks for the compliments!

Kevin from Sleepy Eye, Minn.: Hansen’s wisdom we seek!! Our defense finally looks like we expect. We see what’s happening at Clemson and Oklahoma. I feel it’s safe to say Clemson is not the same since Venables left; Oklahoma is surging. Changing coordinators never seemed to affect Saban’s teams but it has others like Dabo or even Brian Kelly.  I really like how MF would not point the finger after A&M game. What can MF learn from past great coaches or perhaps he has learned this year to make sure his teams perform on same level no matter who his coordinators are?

Eric Hansen: Kevin!!! The way that started out, I thought it was going to end in you asking to borrow money, so I am happy to answer your question not involving that transaction. Marcus Freeman’s philosophy includes these principles. Pay good assistants to stay, knowing you ARE going to lose some, because they aspire to chase the opportunities they earn. So, don’t be bitter, be happy for them. And then try to upgrade when someone leaves. For instance, let’s take a position coach. It was hard to imagine that ND could do better than Deland McCullough. But Ja’Juan Seider at RBs coach has REALLY impressed me.

Tony from Katy, Texas: Er!c, the defense seems to be making meaningful strides since simplifying the scheme as well as players getting healthier. Where do you see the next step of defensive development coming?

Eric Hansen: Hi Tony. I wrote about this week (Linebackers’ surge, Jaylen Sneed’s reawakening spark evolution for the Notre Dame defense), and I think it’s the linebackers. That’s not to say there isn’t work to do at the other levels of the defense, but the linebackers SHOULD be elite, and seem  to be moving in that direction. Jaylen Sneed played a modest 24 snaps, but had his best film grade of the season and second-best of his career against Boise State. Drayk Bowen surged as well. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa has been impactful all season and freshman Madden Faraimo has made the most of his cameos. Playing with more consistency should be the next and expected step for Jaiden Ausberry. So what would that look like as far as improving the entire defense?

More of the kind of impact they made in the pass rush. The LBs had 3 1/2 of the 4 sacks last week, and 4 different guys. The run defense will get better and coverage of tight ends and running backs will improve. And speaking of tight ends, NC State has a very good one in Justin Joly, So, keep an eye on that matchup.

Manny from San Pedro: Eric!!!!!!!!! This team might have the best offense since the Jimmy Clausen days.  With Penn st losing, we keep climbing and I love it!!  With exception of usc.  Will any team left on our schedule give us a game if we play like we did last 3 games? Or is it USC and making sure we don’t have a N Ill game in us

Eric Hansen: Manny^**(Y&^^%!!! Good call on the Jimmy Clausen comparison. ND is sitting at No. 23 nationally in total offense, which is total yards per game. The last time they finished with a higher ranking than that was 2009 (8th), and the quarterback was indeed Jimmy Clausen. I think ND will be favored in every game the rest of the regular season, but losing the turnover margin can turn a game that seemingly could be lopsided into a competitive game or even an upset. Because of the deluge of better-than-average and great offenses on the schedule, the defense must continue to improve for this team to finish 10-2. And that’s doable. Schedule sequencing is important, and I still think the Pitt game, coming after Navy, would be tricky.

Bo Johnson from Michiana-North Continental Divide: With the incoming talent we have coming in at DB, does any of our current DB’s run out of eligibility, or transfer.  I’m thinking of J. Sneed!!!!  Especially with Golden and Zackery showing up on the depth chart as true freshmen along with those that look to end up redshirting!!

Eric Hansen: Hi Bo. I love the Continental Divide reference. For those unfamiliar. There is a sign that appears on the US 20 bypass in South Bend that announces a Continental Divide, for some reason. And it confuses visitors of mine, who see when I pick them up at the airport and want to know the backstory.

OK, now to your real question. So you are throwing me a curve by asking about DBs and then throwing linebacker Jaylen Sneed in the conversation. Let me start by saying the only players in that back seven with expiring eligibility after 2025 are starting nickel DeVonta Smith, rotational safety Jalen Stroman and backup cornerback Chance Tucker. I don’t like to speculate on individuals hitting the portal unless they’ve put that move in motion. There is so much that can affect those decisions, including now financial ones. And remember now, Notre Dame isn’t limited to 85 scholarships anymore. They can go up to 105 and aim for 95. So there are business decisions to be made for players that don’t have a clear path to playing time. One other thing to note, Leonard Moore won’t be draft-eligible until after the 2026 season.

Marie from Atlanta: Hi Eric, I hope you’re having an amazing week. The offense has been such a pleasant surprise this year, however, one area of concern is fourth  and short, what do you think they need to do to improve their fourth and short conversion rate? What are your thoughts on the wildcat? Do you think it is being overused?, Do you think they should use a different variant of it where there is an additional blocker not named  Carr?   I know you didn’t get to see much in practice, but you saw more than any of us did, on a scale of one to 10, how worried should we all be about the kicking game? As always, thanks for doing a great job hosting for chats and for all your wonderful insights.

Eric Hansen: Hi Marie. Busy, busy, busy week, but fun. OK, I’ll cop to amazing, Thank you. The fourth-down conversion rate period is problematic, especially given the dodgy place kicking situation. The Irish were 8th in conversion rate last year. They are in the bottom 25% now. … Not loving the Wildcat — and there are some other questions in the queue about that, so I’ll go into greater detail why in a bit. I do think once Cooper Flanagan starts playing (soon) that opens up some more options in the playbook in short yardage. He is a key. On a scale of 1 to 10 worry scale. With 10 being ledge status? I’d say a 5. I think Erik Schmidt is going to break the longest field goal record … someday. But ND just needs accuracy and reliability this year. And Burnette’s recurring injury is an enigma for now. Thanks for being part of the chats!!!

Bo Johnson, Michiana-North Continental Divide: Lived in the same area my entire life, the North South Continental Divide is based on the watersheds of water; water north of the divide go to ocean via Great Lakes and water south of divide sheds Gulf via the Mississippi Waterway…….South Bend!!!!!!!!  …  My bad on throwing in Sneed, started with my afternoon drink!

Eric Hansen: Bo, thank you for the tutorial! … And well, you are not breaking any rules here. And I love accountability, so you are forgiven!

Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Hey Eric, hope you did OK with the heat wave from last weekend.  Hopefully, this week will be more fall-like.  How is this year’s team doing so far with the 5 Key Metrics that you always refer to when looking at Championship caliber teams?  With the good game that Jaylen Sneed had last week do you think the DC is finally learning how to use his great talents?? Thanks, and as always Go Irish!!!!!!!!

Eric Hansen: Hi Tom, I’m telling you what. We NEVER complain about the heat up here, because we know what’s coming, but just walking from The Linebacker to the stadium after our pregame show, I needed a new shirt. Ok probably too much detail. .. to your question. Fortunately, I just wrote a bunch about this on Sunday in my Behind The Ballot column, which has all kinds of statistical tidbits as well. In that story, I compared how Notre Dame stands in comparison to the three teams currently in the 1-2-3 spots in the poll and to the preseason top 5 teams that have fallen completely out of the poll — Texas, Penn State and Clemson.

So here are the five metrics and where ND stands:
Pass Efficiency 7
Rushing offense: 48
Rushing defense: 43
Total defense: 78
Turnover margin:16
The great news is ND is trending upwards in all five, including the two that are already in the playoff-worthy range — pass efficiency and turnover margin. The total defense number may not get up to the preferred 25 or better. But given the inordinate number of really good offenses ND faces, getting to about 35 may be enough. But very encouraging given what all five looked like three games ago. … And yes, I think that was a really good sign to see Sneed surge last week. That needs to be a consistent trend.

Matt from Austin: Hi Eric and thank you as always for your insight. I know the score differential wasn’t as large last week, but I thought, without question, the Boise State game was our most complete and efficient game to date. Assuming we clean up some penalties and the kicking game, how did you view it and what do you see as areas of improvement needed against NC State? Cheers, Matt

Eric Hansen: Hey Matt, thank you! Yes, cleaning up the penalties, kicking game and fourth-down conversions would make it a template for a team on a trajectory to make the playoff. ND needs to keep coming with the defense. And cash in its offensive opportunities. NC State is going to be a tough team to coax four turnovers out of.

2581/Tony from Bluegrass Country (central Kentucky): Howdy, Eric ! The last time that NC State played at Notre Dame Stadium – on October 28, 2017 (I was there) – ND kicked undefeated and #14-ranked NC State’s ass 35-14. ND had 318 yards rushing, including 202 by Josh Adams (one TD). Brandon Wimbush threw two TD passes (to Smythe & Stepherson). On defense, Te’von Coney had 9 tackles (he was awarded the game ball) and Julian Love had 3 pass breakups & a 69-yard INT. ND had 422 yards of total offense, while NC State had 263. Nonetheless, in his post-game press conference NC State’s delusional coach, Dave Doeren, insisted that the Wolfpack had played the Irish evenly… 😆 If we trounce NC State again in Saturday – which I suspect we will – do you think that Doeren will claim that NC State played just as well as ND? In other words, has Doeren become any wiser in the past 8 years? ☘🏈☘

Eric Hansen: Hi Tony. Dave Doeren has bigger issues than framing a loss these days. He needs to avoid them if he plans on being back for a 14th season. The schedule doesn’t let up after the Irish either, with a finishing stretch that included Miami, Ga Tech and Florida State, They do have a really good offensive team, but massive problems on defense.

Larry from Topton, Pa.: Eric the man!!! With Southern Cal on the horizon, NC State appears to me to be the ultimate trap game. Can you give us three reasons why we should worry about the Wolfpack, and three reasons why ND fans should be confident the team can avoid the trap? Thanks Eric. Can’t wait until the next podcast!!!

Eric Hansen: Hi Larry, I never recommend worrying, but for your checklist of concerns, I would include 1) Quarterback CJ Bailey, a 6-6, 213-pound sophomore who is great at extending plays and who ranks in the top 20 nationally in both pass efficiency and total offense. 2) Hollywood Smothers, sophomore running back. Yep, he’s as good as that name makes him sound. Sixth in the nation in rushing. 3) Big play personnel at tight end in Justin Joly and in wide receiver Terrell Anderson. Three reasons to toast to … ND is going to light up the NC State defense. 2) The defensive improvement is real. 3) Notre Dame is better than Campbell, which was NC State’s “get wall” game last week to break a two-game losing streak. And thanks for listening to the podcasts. Just got done texting with Tom Zbikowski. He’ll be our guest this week!

Len from the Jersey Shore: Hello Eric$$$  Now that the O line is 5 games into the season who looks like an NFL draft pick in any round the season they opt for the draft?  Any good enough to be First three rounds?

Eric Hansen: Len!!! You^^^ Lively%%% Minx$$$$ And good question. During the bye week, I’m planning on touching base with a draft analyst to get an update. In the preseason, Aamil Wagner was getting some buzz. He may have played his way out of that, for now. Billy Schrauth remains someone firmly on the radar. Charles Jagusah would be if he were playing. I think Ashton Craig has had five strong games. I’ll be curious to see how that has raised his profile, Guerby Lambert and Anthonie Knapp are not draft-eligible. I would think Schrauth would go in the first three rounds.

Pat from Bordentown, N.J.: Should we be worried that Greathouse’s “injury” popped up right before game 5 and he is actually redshirting and transferring?

Eric Hansen: Only if you also believe there’s a monster under your bed.

Bob from Oxnard Calif.: Hi Eric, do you think our field goal kicker will be back for USC?  Thx.

Eric Hansen: I will have to get the Ouija board out for that one, because he doesn’t even know. I would NOT count on it, Bob. Just the nature of that hip injury and not being able to pin down what’s causing it. I know Marcus Freeman, and Monday sounded determined to figure out who was the better option moving forward, Erik Schmidt or Marcello Diomede, and ride with that. And I endorse that.

Ed from Sayville, N.Y.: Hello Eric. What do you hear/ what do you say? The run/pass balance  seems to make the offense more dynamic and challenging to defend. Do you get the sense that Coach Denbrock will show some new looks and wrinkles at opposing defenses as the season progresses?

Eric Hansen: Ed, you are a smarty pants. EXACTLY how offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock wanted to build this offense, with balance, with gears, with the ability to play different styles and tempos to maximize exploiting defensive mismatches. And you betcha, there is more coming in the second half of the season. The imminent Cooper Flanagan return and what that will bring is just one of those additions.

Paul from Knoxville: Ciao Eric: You were right about the D — not surprising! — and I’m more convinced of the progress after this weekend. My question is about the wildcat formation. Could you please help me understand its advantages and why it is used in certain short-yardage situations and not others? To me it appears to telegraph, at least in part, what the O is going to do, and even more so if a QB lines up wide and cannot check out of a call if the opposing D is in a formation that may stop it.  Although my question is not specific to the 4th and goal play that ND ran on its initial drive against BSU, that play is the context.  Thanks, and buona giornata!!!

Eric Hansen: Ciao Paul. Come va? Ah the Wildcat. I’m not sure explaining it in English will make it any more palatable than doing so in Italiano. I think it can work when it’s a surprise or if you see a weakness in the opposing team’s scheme that lends itself to being exploited. What made Arkansas’ so good roughly 20 years ago with Heisman finalist Darren McFadden running it is that McFadden was a high school QB who could also pass. And you had to defend it, because he attempted 22 career passes and completed 14 of them. Seven of those 14 resulted in touchdowns. So wouldn’t ND be better off with a Kenny Minchey package or even a Jordan Faison one? I think maybe so. .. and just for you:
Quindi non sarebbe meglio per ND avere un pacchetto Kenny Minchey o addirittura Jordan Faison? Credo di sì.

Andy from Wilmette via South Bend: Blue khakis and I ran the 40 in 8.8 (40 years ago).  Hello Eric.  A little flashback info.  Watching back the tape on the BS game, I see that #6 on defense seemed to play less.  Is that a trend that we will see in the future?  Is Gray going to play less and less as the youngsters get better and better?  Thanks for all you do.

Eric Hansen: Andy, I appreciate the 40 time. I bet it’s faster when it’s time for another beer? And as far as what you’re wearing? That’s probably a different kind of chat. But I love your question, so let’s get to it. … Now, Andy, were you multitasking when you were watching the game? ND played 78 defensive snaps and Christian Gray played 77 of them. For the season he’s played 342 — most of any defensive player, and it’s not even close. What you might be seeing is him playing better, so you don’t notice mistakes being made? The good news is freshman Mark Zackery is getting to a point where the coaching staff trusts to put him in a little bit of a rotation when needed. And it will be needed against USC next weekend. Thank you for the question and the other info!

Ryan Frankfort illinois: Good afternoon Eric what do you think about the play of Tae Johnson i think he has looked good i think the Irish win 42-21 or something like that this weekend GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈

Eric Hansen: Hey Ryan. Tae Johnson is crushing it, and so are you with your score predictions, at least the margin part. I think Johnson has a chance to be a future All-American. Not this year, but eventually. He’s THAT good.

Bill from St Joe, Mich.: Hi Eric!!! Enjoyed your first question to HC Freeman this past Monday. It might be my favorite moment at a Monday presser, overtaking the surprised look of Brian Kelly when you were maybe the first reporter to raise their hand when BK asked if anyone had heard of Zomba exercise classes that his wife was taking. I also have to commend you for bringing up the recent history of first year defensive coordinators difficulties in games 1 & 2 which were similarly a bit shaky or underwhelming. Many Irish fans have now settled down especially after the performance of the defense the last 10 quarters. You have certainly not been a Somnambulist thanks to your beloved Keurig machine!

Eric Hansen: Bill, thank you, and there’s no question there, but I laughed very hard at the last line, enough to want to include it. Thanks. And you’re right about the Keurig machine. If it’s possible to be in love with a kitchen appliance, it’s moved past mere infatuation.

Palm Beach Irish: The media covering ND buried Ash after 3 games…no one is immune…Did the media overlook the process of breaking in a new coach?…Have you changed your stance now that defense seems to be off the back foot….thanks for your response….

Eric Hansen: Not sure what you’re looking for here, Palm Beach. An explanation? A mass apology? I think I’ve been fair in pointing out the problems, that it’s happened with other coordinators — even have a story on the site about that today — and what the possible solutions were. Very confused by this question, Here’s the story if you want to read it: Breaking down past and present Notre Dame defensive turnarounds

Berk: Hitting you up from the dirty South, Memphis, TN!!!!!! My quick question is, How and where will Charles J fit into the offense line when he returns. The OL is starting to turn the corner and stacking up quality performances but at the same time how can you leave possibly your best lineman on the sidelines? LETS GO IRISH!

Eric Hansen: Hi Berk. I mentioned this in last week’s chat and in an intel piece I did a couple of weeks ago, but you’re not the only one who asked about it and I like your style. So, let’s review. Charles Jagusah had a setback in his recovery from his July UTV accident that will elongate the recovery timeline. He has not been ruled out for the season, and yet I would not be surprised if he did not try to return until 2026. So, when he resumes practicing, I’d be happy to assess where he’d plug back in.

Fred from Phoenix Ariz.: Do players now sign an actual contract instead of a letter of intent? If they sign contracts, are they for a four year period or a two year period.Thank you

Eric Hansen: Hi Fred. I’m a little late in the chat do use a phone-a-friend and this might be better to tease out into an actual story around signing date time. Here’s what I can tell you off the top of my own head. Players no longer sign national letters-of-intent. Instead they are athletic grants-in-aid. As far as contracts, most are one year when it comes to rev share, with less common two-year deals.

ced walker from Saginaw Michigan aka sagnasty saginaw pride:  finally im glad someone ask Marcus Freeman  about the wildcat formation I believe j.love scored a touchdown when we run it vs a&m the play vs Boise st all love had to do was hit the outside how many more times do u think he run this play this year God Bless This Football Team here come the irish trust the process the golden standard rally we are nd god country go irish love thee notre dame our mother pray for us

Eric Hansen: Ced, how many more times? I think you’re hoping the answer is zero. And I am not going to fight you on that.

Jordan, from Seattle: Eric!!!!!… thank you for your always funny, insightful, and objective ND coverage. 2 questions:  1) How does a healthy #12 DL affect our pass rush success the last two weeks?; he himself is getting after the QB, but does his presence/play/success help the DL overall?  Your assessment please?

Oh poop – i hit return, sorry. My second question is …. 2) is NIL/Settlement money enough to keep players around for another season when in years past they would’ve jumped to the NFL?  If you can make the same or more money by staying college for another year, are there some players that may do just that?  If so, what are some candidates for 2026 that could come back that otherwise may have left in years past?

Eric Hansen: Jordan!!!! I’m glad I didn’t ban the word “poop” from the chat. And Lord knows with eight grandkids, I hear that word more than the average person in my age group. To your questions. 1) If Jordan Botelho can get to where he was in September of 2024 when he suffered the patella tendon injury, that changes the dynamic of the Irish pass rush big time. As it is, he’s done a remarkable job playing the run coming back from two major injuries and earlier than expected with both. 2)   I asked Marcus that question kind of in a backward way and then John Brice did again on Monday and he isn’t being real direct with his answer, and I get it. It depends. But let me put it this way, if there’s a player ND wants to bring back, it certainly makes it tempting for that player to do so. 3) The candidates to do so would be guys like Aamil Wagner, Ashton Craig and Billy Schrauth on the O-line. Jaylen Sneed, who’s a redshirt junior, and Drayk Bowen, who’s a true junior. Those would be the main ones off the top of my head.

Shane from White Deer, Tx: Hey Eric, I can’t believe how fast this season is going. As busy as you are, I bet it even goes faster for you.  Something I have been wondering, does an elite qb make a teams receiver room look better, or, can elite receivers make the qb position look better?  I know we got two good receivers from the portal, but it seems like our other receivers are now getting separation, where you heard a lot about not happening in years past. Is it a combination of both upgrades, or have the secondary’s faced not as good as some in the past?  Also, where is Cam Williams?  Is he still on the team?  If so, is this feeling like a bust?  I always thought he would be a game changer for ND.  Thanks for the chat and sorry for the excessive commas I seemed to have used today.  Go Irish!!!

Eric Hansen: Hi Shane. As relentlessly busy as it is, I really try to savor each week. I really mean that. 2020 really shook my perspective and I don’t take any of these seasons or weeks for granted. To your real question, I think it goes both ways, and an elite offensive coordinator raises the level of both of those position groups. I get the curiosity about Cam Williams and the concern. His window opens wide when Fields leaves after this season. He is very talented, but not everyone is on the same growth timetable and not everyone has the same windows of opportunity. Don’t give up on him just yet. Excessive commas are as welcome as excessive exclamation points!!! No worries,,,,,,,

Andy from Wilmette via South Bend: Thank you for the clarification as to the number of plays Gray played.  He is a good kid, so I hope he is indeed improving his game.  CJ Carr should be named Jet.

Eric Hansen: Thanks, Andy!

Jeff from Phoenix: It’s a Beautiful day in South Bend!!!

Eric Hansen: Jeff, you are in town! Will be wonderful to meet in person. And we’ll either make Tyler James pay for everything, or we’ll put it on the Underhills’ tab!

Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Hey Eric, from one October birthday guy (15) to another amazing October guy, I hope you have a great week and an even better weekend!!  What are a couple of things you think ND needs to pay close attention to so they are NOT on upset!!  I refuse to discuss anything about the Playoffs until after the Bye week.  What areas do you hope show the most improvement the Monday after the Bye week???  Mine are OL continuity and kicking game.  A healthy Greathouse and Jagusah would be nice too.  Go Irish!!!!!

Eric Hansen: Happy Birthday Tom. It’s my fourth-oldest grandson’s birthday today and mine, as you mentioned, is coming up. Thank you. To your questions: 1) Need to get a rush on CJ Bailey. He’s a handful in being able to buy time. Virginia Tech did a great job of that. They might be the only ones. And second, play with the lead and  minimize how much NC State will be able to lean into its running game and Hollywood Smothers, another Va Tech accomplishment. In their upset win, they outrushed the Wolfpack 222-59. I like your area of improvement, but I think the Charles Jagusah recovery request is ambitious.

Mike Burke from Milwaukee, Wis.: Hello Eric!!!!!!! Really enjoy your work. I have 3 questions for you. Looking to this weekend against NC State, where do you think ND’s biggest challenge will be and how do you think ND will try to counter it? What are the next steps in progression/improvement for CJ Carr you hope to see this Saturday? At the end of the regular season, where do you think ND will be ranked in total defense? Thanks again and GO IRISH!!!!!!!!

Eric Hansen: Mike, your enthusiastic punctuation got you in the door for the last question!! 1) Biggest challenge is CJ Bailey, and ND is going to have to be great with their blitzing, and the Irish were last week. 2) Next steps, no more intentional grounding lob throw that could be picked off, keep improving in his scrambling for positive yards, even more of a master at the line of scrimmage pre-snap. 3) I will be ambitious and say 40.

Eric Hansen: Ok, I have to move on to my next commitment. Thanks for all the great questions. REMEMBER, earlier time next Wednesday. We’ll start at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. See you all next week!