Chat Transcript: Decoding the ups and downs of Notre Dame CB Christian Gray

Eric Hansen: Welcome to Notre Dame Football Live Chat, Boston College week.

And Halloween too.

First, some 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. Check it out at: https://www.on3.com/teams/notre-dame-fighting-irish/join/

► 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 after the Boston College game 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 Dane Brugler, NFL Draft analyst for The Athletic to talk about ND’s pro prospects. Our next rendition comes out Thursday this week with special guest Dalton Wasserman from Pro Football Focus.

► 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 GameDay show kicks off with 3 1/2 hours of news, analysis and special guests live on Saturday ahead of the Boston College 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). Otherwise, you go to the bottom of the queue.

Here are the usual rules:

Eric Hansen: You all have been amazing, so none of those are in play this week, but I do ask … no 17-part questions or manifestos.

OK, let’s get started.

Rich from Phoenixville Pa.: Hello Eric, and as always, thanks for doing these chats.  If I recall correctly, Christian Gray has one of the lowest, if not the lowest PFF grades on ND’s defense.  However he’s first in defensive snaps, missing only about two dozen defensive snaps.  What gives?  Is the CB cupboard that bare, or does his redemptive big plays often late in the game, give the coaches the confidence to stay with him? Thanks!

Eric Hansen: Rich, thank you. We had NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler, from The Athletic, on our Third & Gold Podcast last Friday. And I think it will surprise some Irish fans that Christian Gray is very much on the NFL’s radar. He has NFL traits, really good length, a great work ethic, resilience, speed. What he hasn’t had is consistency. He’s had two really tough games that have dragged down his score. And playing on the same field with Leonard Moore, the best CB in the nation, maybe makes Gray’s deficiencies stand out more. He does have a penchant for big plays, as you mentioned, and the coaching staff hasn’t lost faith in him. The freshman CBs are really coming along. And there’s more help coming next year at the position. So, eventually, there’s going to be an inflection point. But this coaching staff is quite confident Gray will be ready and meet that challenge when it comes.

Manny from San Pedro: Eric!!!! This season has been a lot of fun but now all I hear are Freeman leaving rumors. Is this just click bait or is there something to these rumors. I feel like NFL or OSU I would understand. But lsu!?!? My heart can’t take this!!!!!!

Eric Hansen: Manny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can definitely relax when it comes to Marcus Freeman and LSU. So no heart pills needed. Or yoga or Halloween candy or whatever your favorite remedy is. But I understand why fans get confused by this. There are legitimate articles where Freeman’ s name is mentioned for a specific job opening, because that school has an ambitious wish list and they’re willing to take a shot in the dark. But the good ones will also preface whether the interest has any chance of gaining traction. Then there’s what you call clickbait. I can think of less-flattering terms, where someone will put up a very misleading headline, followed by very misleading content. This happens in articles and on YouTube. It’s pure garbage. So two things, when people mention your coach for other openings, it’s a compliment. Means you have a really good one. So, you’ll have to get used to that part of it.

No. 2, situations can change over time, especially if there’s a change in ADs and/or presidents down the road again, but right now I couldn’t see Freeman considering any other job at this point in time. Now, maybe down the road Ohio State appeals to him or the NFL, You nailed that. But right now, he loves and appreciates what he has at Notre Dame.

Rocky from Waterloo, Ind.: Sorry if this question has already been asked. So here we go. Has anyone asked the HC or the OC about playing both J. Love & J. Price in the red zone? Just seems like there would be a lot of formations & plays they could run with them both in there to maybe give a spark in the red zone. Go Irish!!! BSG75

Eric Hansen: Hi Rocky. A form of that question has been asked to Marcus Freeman and OC Mike Denbrock earlier this season, but not red-zone specific as you have. In general, I expected to see a little bit more of two-back formations, in part because Jadarian Price and Jeremiyah Love are such good receivers, you could check out of a play where both are in the backfield and leak one of them into the slot, or go empty and have both line up at receiver. And maybe we’ll eventually see more of that in November and/or the postseason. Not a steady diet of it ever, but more.

The questions I have when people pose that question to me are: Who are you taking off the field to go two-back? A tight end? A wide receiver? And then what do you hope that alignment will do for you? Cause confusion for the defense? Provide a different kind of blocking? Create a mismatch with the defense? If it’s creating a mismatch for the defense, I’m all for that.

Mike AKA Mo from Maumee, Ohio: Hi Eric !^!  I was watching a bit of the Steelers game, and their “jumbo package” reminded me of former ND walk-on/then scholarship TE #38 Davis Sherwood, who sometimes blocked for short yardage situations. With O-line coach Rudolph proclaiming he’s looking for high school players who play multiple sports, I was wondering why ND doesn’t think outside the box & use a light-footed reserve O lineman or D lineman as a 300+ pound blocking “TE” for short yardage situations? The brain trust seems to have tried  almost everything else, including using a light 195 pound (“… 5 foot nothin’, 100 and nothin…”, to quote a great movie) WR Matt Jeffery as a lead blocker. Thanks!

Eric Hansen: Hey Mike/Mo ^^^!!. Thanks for your emails, by the way. As long as Cooper Flanagan doesn’t go backward in his recovery from his Achilles injury, I think you’re going to start to see both him and freshman James Flanigan more in November, in multiple-tight end sets. That not only puts two of the better blockers on the field with Eli Raridon, but also gives you some legit receiving options you wouldn’t necessarily have with an athletic tackle playing tight end. I think the Flanagan/Jeffery formation is a precursor to the Flanagan/Flanigan package. I mentioned this in my recent offensive freshman intel piece last week.

The Irish coaches would love to use Flanigan and preserve a redshirt year. He’s already played in one game. So, he can only play in three of the five November games and still pull that off. He could play in every postseason game, and it would not affect a redshirt season. I do like your idea, but I think another reason for not doing it is all the injured O-linemen right now and getting people ready to play actual O-line roles is at a premium.

Chris from San Diego: Hi Eric– Happy to see you here with B&G and see the chats here now, too! With the off week, I’ve been thinking about next season. I wonder if you have heard anything since the season started regarding how/whether Cam Williams might be progressing as hoped. Sounds like he has till end of spring to either emerge or be essentially left behind. I hope for his and our sake he does, but know it doesn’t happen for everyone.

Eric Hansen: Hi Chris. I think you have a pretty good read on this. When I did my recent freshmen intel pieces — one for offense and one for defense — I only asked about and wrote about the true freshmen. When I get another chance, I’ll likely focus on redshirt freshmen and/or some of the guys people ask me about the most. Cam Williams tops that list of most-asked-about, with Brenan Vernon No. 2 but fading. But when Malachi Fields is gone this spring, Micah Gilbert and Cam have a great chance to prove to the coaching staff that they can be strong rotational guys. Gilbert, who is injured, probably already has proven it. Cam is actually listed as the No. 2 boundary receiver this week. There is a lot of talent and a work ethic and a willingness to be coached. So, those all align with a guy who’s going to give himself a good chance to impress in the spring. But we’ll see.

Jim from Wheaton, Ill.: Greetings, Eric!! Lots of excitement about the Irish heading into the final five games, hopefully kicked off with a dominating performance against our “little Catholic brothers” in Chestnut Hill. I have a comment and two questions about our wide receivers. I don’t recall ever seeing better blocking (and a commitment to excelling at it) from a group of wide receivers than we’ve seen this year. So many of Love’s/Price’s TD runs have been facilitated by exceptional downfield/edge blocking. I’ve been especially impressed by Malachi Fields. My question: do you think the Irish look to the portal again in the offseason for a big-bodied and experienced boundary receiver like Fields, or will Williams, Burress, Gilbert or someone else be able to replace Fields’ production as an outstanding receiver and blocker? Next, do you think Jaden Greathouse will look to transfer, given his lack of involvement this year (even before he was injured) and others emerging/arriving? I’d love to see him bounce back next year at ND. Thx

Eric Hansen: Hi Jim!!! Let’s start with Jaden Greathouse and work our way back to the bigger picture. There are some folks who are convinced his injury is a ruse to hide the fact he wants to redshirt and transfer. Look, if he wanted to redshirt and transfer, he’d just tell the coaches and do it, like Jaden Mickey did last year. The lingering injury is legit, and the expectation is — barring a setback — that he’ll be back soon. And when he is, he’s an important part of the offensive plan in November, including improving in the production in the red zone.

Now, the bigger WR room picture. Let’s do the math. ND has 11 scholarship WRs this season, six of whom are true freshmen or redshirt freshmen. You lose only two to expired eligibility — Malachi Fields and Will Pauling. That knocks it down to nine. And then you add four freshmen for 2026. That’s 13. The higher overall scholarship limit allows you to carry a higher number at every position conceivably. But if you have 13, do you want to add more through the portal?

Notre Dame scouts and prepares for every — and I mean every — scenario. So they will have transfer candidates scouted and vetted if that is needed or wanted at any position, including boundary receiver. My sense is that if they see enough in practice/games over the balance of the season from especially Cam Williams but also Jerome Bettis Jr., they might lean away from a portal boundary receiver. Micah Gilbert, they already like at that spot.

Denis from Niagara Falls, Canada: Hi Eric. Do you have any knowledge regarding the relationship of Marcus Freeman and Jim Tressel? Would it be accurate to call Freeman a disciple of Tressel?  Do you know of any specific similarities in philosophy, methods, beliefs, etc.?  Do they keep in touch at all? Sorry. I know this is alot but i am very interested in their relationship. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Eric Hansen: We actually had Jim Tressel on our old Inside ND Sports Podcast (now Third & Gold Podcast) back in 2022 when Marcus Freeman was a first-year head coach. If I can find the link after the chat is over, I’ll post it in the transcript. I’m not sure I’d call Marcus a disciple of anyone. He learns from observing and asking questions to a multitude of coaches and others. But those two definitely talk regularly. And I think more philosophically than strategy-wise Tressel has shaped who Freeman is as a head coach. Huge influence, yes.

Shane from White Deer, Texas: Hey Eric, I hope all is well up North.  My question isn’t so much about Xs and Os, more about our coach. I never really listened to coaches press conferences that much, I always thought there was a lot of “coach speak” during them.  But, the more I listen to Coach Freeman’s, the more I’m drawn in.  There seems to be a genuine dialogue going on between you guys and him.  You’ve probably done a bunch of these with different coaches.  Are Freeman’s answers the real deal, or have I just softened in my old age?  I really enjoy listening to him, and really believe in what he is saying. Not just the football part, but the life lessons as well.  I believe him to be a good person, and hope you say it is so.  Go Irish!! No 93 hiccup.

Eric Hansen: Hi Shane. You are spot on. Authenticity is Marcus Freeman’s superpower.

Ced Walker from Saginaw Michigan aka sagnasty Saginaw pride: do u think we see Elijah burgess , cam Williams and Logan saldate  this weekend  why the Notre Dame marching band don’t do road game they used to do 2 game God Bless This Football 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: Hi Ced, what the marching band does and doesn’t do is way out of my purview, but I can certainly ask around and find out in the future. As to Cam Williams, Logan Saldate and Elijah Burress playing, it really depends on whether this becomes a lopsided game early in ND’s favor and how lopsided. I don’t see them getting high-leverage snaps.

Rui from Ossining, N.Y.: Grew up in Sleepy Hollow (N.Y.) just about 25 miles north of NYC…home of the Headless Horsemen, which is appropriate now since its Halloween season…try and find video on social media of the Headless Horsemen bringing the football team onto the field…best mascot in all the land…recommend a visit if time ever allows it My question: we always here the term, ” where there is smoke, there is fire “…is there any smoke to Freeman with any of these job openings where we as fans should be concerned?

Eric Hansen: Hi Rui. I feel like a dummy. I didn’t know that was a real place. Thanks for enlightening me! As far as the smoke you’re seeing and smelling, it is fictitious as far as MUTUAL interest.

Brian K from South Bend (NOT Brian Kelly): Hello Easy E!!!!  A couple thoughts and a question.  Before everyone slams you with Chat celebrations about BK getting fired at LSU, let’s not forget the impact he had at ND. When hired he was exactly what ND needed, to re-build a broken program from the bottom up.  Let’s give credit where it was due, he did that well with 2 CFP appearances and 1 National Champ appearance in the old format.  Why most fans have an unfavorable opinion of him (myself included) is due to how he left for LSU which should have been done in a more professional and respectful way.  In your experiences with him on and off the record what surprised you most about his exit or time at ND? Also what surprised you most about his short tenure at LSU? Go Irish

Eric Hansen: Brian K but not Brian Kelly!!!! I’ve still got a Brian Kelly column of my own coming this week, but let me answer your questions and skip your preamble, which actually was well done. Surprised the most about LSU? I did not think he was going to be a fit at LSU. I really had my reservations about that. That does not mean he’s not a good coach, but fit is so important and Brian kind of learned that at ND and then disregarded it in making that move. So, my surprise regarding LSU is that he didn’t prove me wrong. I figured he had a better plan.

Surprised me about his exit? That he built a “forever home” near campus a year before he left. Just never added up to me. Surprised me about his time at ND? That he didn’t finish his career there. He invested so much in that post-2016 reboot. These are just thoughts off the top of my head. Will have more to say later this week.

Jeremy from Goshen: HI Eric! Happy belated Birthday! Hope you had a good time with your family. Did you get anything fun for your birthday?!?! My question surrounds CJ Carr. What makes you believe he will be more consistent in the second half? After the USC game, do you think other teams will load up the box and pray CJ has an off game? If so, he could put up some HUGE numbers!

Eric Hansen: Hi Jeremy! Thanks for the birthday shout and for the thoughtful punctuation! I have several reasons for believing CJ Carr will be more consistent in the second half, but the biggest reason is his coaches see that in him. I did an intel piece Tuesday where I used some quotes from Marcus Freeman’s press conference and married that with sourced info that I think will shed some light on his challenges and what his next steps should look like: Inside Notre Dame’s QB room: CJ Carr’s surge and Kenny Minchey’s impact

As far as what the five November opponents might do? All five are statistically better at defending the run than the pass … two stink at both (BC and Syracuse). I would expect the other three to lean into their strength, though USC did just the opposite. The Trojans leaned into defending the pass and took their chances vs. the run (and got gashed). But I do think Carr will break the school record for pass efficiency, a trajectory he’s already on.

Ryan Frankfort Illinois: Good afternoon Eric what do you think about the play of Jason Onye i think he is having a good Season after missing some time last year GO IRISH beat Boston college My score prediction is going to 42-21 Irish ☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈 Happy Halloween

Eric Hansen: Hi Ryan, and Happy Halloween. I was really impressed with Jason Onye in the USC game and so was Pro Football Focus, which does film grades on all the college football games. Onye had the highest score, offense or defense, of any player who played for either team in that game. So good eye by you. I had a chance to interview Jason on Tuesday night and posted a story this morning if you’re interested: Jason Onye savoring his second chance at Notre Dame and in life

Paul from Knoxville, Tenn.: Ciao Eric: Buon compleanno in ritardo! Spero che avete fatto una bella celebrazione!!! I hope you get the gist, as my writing in Italian is not as good as my speaking, which is not that great either. I saw BC played competitively against Louisville last Sat, particularly in the first half. What do you see as the key points for ND to avoid a similarly close game? Looking forward to Navy, I recall that during Brian Kelly era ND had a group of scout teamers that ran only Navy’s offense in order to better prepare our D. If so, is this continuing under Coach Freeman, and has Chris Ash previously coached against Navy? Thanks again for hosting the chat — much appreciated!

Eric Hansen: Ciao, Paul. È stato fantastico. Grazie per avermelo chiesto. Sono stata la beneficiaria/vittima di una festa a sorpresa ed ero sotto shock. …Louisville coughed up three turnovers, and a multiple-turnover deficit by the Irish, in my opinion, is the only way this game stays close. Louisville ran all over BC, for more than 300 yards and their pass defense is worse.

As far as the special Navy practice players, I have not heard Marcus Freeman mention it, so I would have to ask about that next week. But I do know they work on Navy intermittently … in training camp, during the last bye week, for example, so that it’s not a one-week crash course. As far as Chris Ash, I looked back over his career as a head coach or defensive coordinator only, not as a position coach. And in those circumstances, he’s faced Navy once. It was Ohio State’s 2014 opener. And that Buckeye team opened the season in Baltimore against Navy, winning 34-17, in a season that ended with an 8-5 mark for the Mids and a national title for the Buckeyes.

Marie from Atlanta: Hi Eric, I hope you enjoyed your birthday week and had a great time with family. I know Boston College is having a rough year, but is there anything that their team does that could give Notre Dame trouble this weekend? What do you think the offense and  defense worked the most on during the bye, and what new wrinkles do you think we might see in this last part of the season? Can you predict one player on offense and one player on defense who’s been under the radar but you think might break through in this last part of the season? As always, thanks so much roasting the chat and all your great insights. One final question, do you think BK will ever coach again or do you think he’s just headed for TV and commentary? If he does coach again, do you think he’d want to go to a place where they are legitimate or do you think he would consider something like UCLA we’re just getting six or seven wins a year is enough? Thanks Eric

Eric Hansen: Hi Marie. I think one thing that got accomplished during the bye that would help on both sides of the ball is figuring out which freshmen can help in November. Most of them haven’t played a single snap, so they can play in up to four of the five November games. And I think tight end James Flanigan, who can play in three of the five, is one to watch. They did some self-scouting on both sides of the ball, and I think at this point in the season it’s more about tweaks, evolutions and polish than it is overhauls and wholesale changes.

It’s hard to be under the radar at Notre Dame and this late in the season, so I might be cheating a bit here. The two Flanigan/Flanagans on offense. Jaden Greathouse when he’s healthy, maybe see a little more Nolan James Jr. On defense, Jason Onye if that’s not cheating. If it is, maybe a little Ethan Long. I don’t anticipate major surprises without an injury triggering an opportunity that doesn’t exist without that happening.

As far as Brian Kelly, his plan changed a lot from some of the private conversations we had when he was at ND. There was very little chance in his mind he was going to be coaching anywhere in 2025, but he always wanted to be connected to the game somehow. I think he’d be really good on TV. I hear his initial reaction is that he wants to coach and I think he’ll get an opportunity if that’s truly what he wants. If he asked my opinion, and I really doubt he would, I would sit out a year and kind of reassess and recalibrate. Do a little TV and gauge whether he really wants to make that kind of commitment to go back into coaching.

Len from the Jersey Shore: Hello Eric!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Indiana has looked good. They pass the eye test. However they did not play a power 4 team out of conference playing ODU, Kennesaw St. and Indiana St. And their Big 10 schedule was considered one of the easiest. Also Rutgers, Penn St. Maryland, and Northwestern did not play a power 4 team out of conference. All power 4 team outside of the Big 10 played power 4 team out of conference. Do you think the Big 10 teams should get in line with the other power 4 conferences and play a power 4 team out of conference each year? Note-I included Oregon St, Washington St as a power 4 equivalent, at least for this year. And of course I had ND at that level also.  Thanks for hosting Eric.

Eric Hansen: Len!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Indiana was the first team I covered out of college and I covered them for over a decade, so I am familiar with that program. I don’t necessarily think you have to force teams into a scheduling philosophy behind their conference commitment. And keep in mind the level of difficulty in the conference varies from year to year, based on the rotations. The other thing is Tulane. USF, Boise, Memphis are better than a lot of Power 4 programs. So, who would you rather play: Oklahoma State, Purdue or a really good Group of 6 team? I do think if you go overly soft with your schedule, you should run the risk of consequences on Selection Sunday. I think that’s one of the reasons Ole Miss got left out last year. The Rebels, with three losses, won their four non-conference games by a combined score of 220-22. But they played Furman, Middle Tennessee, Ga. Southern and Wake Forest.

Not Mike Singer: Eric, I really enjoyed your show on Tuesday night with Mike Singer and Robby Toma. The Notre Dame football show has quickly become my favorite YouTube show to watch!

Eric Hansen: Well if you’re going to tell me who you are NOT, you also in the future need to let me know where you are NOT from. But that was a great compliment, so keep ’em coming and keep watching. Thank you. I had a blast doing it.

Sean from Schaumburg, Ill.: Mr. Hansen, I got our Irish putting up 50+ on BC. It’d be great to see Minchey get a whole quarter of PT. Who else would you like to see from the 2nd/3rd/4th stringers play? And, happy belated birthday.

Eric Hansen: Thanks (Mr.) Sean. Much appreciated. If your score prediction is correct and they’re healthy enough to play, I’d love to see Will Black and Matty Augustine on the O-line especially with them back in New England, where they played their high school ball. Elijah Burress, Cam Williams, Nolan James Jr., Christopher Burgess — some of these guys are way beyond 2s. Ethan Long. James Flanigan.

Don from Scottsdale: Eric, I am late to the chat…I’ll blame it on the bye week. I know Kelly is a topic of conversation.  My 2 cents are Kelly was the right guy at the right time when he came. He also left at the right time. His departure from LSU and all the negative makes me think of something my mother always told me. You reap what you sow. Nothing else. Keep up the great work.

Eric Hansen: Don, thanks for joining in and thanks for chiming in!

Mark from Memphis, Tenn.: Hi Eric!!!!!!!!!!  Since Sullivan Absher is getting the start in Schrauth’s place at LG and Otting has settled in for Craig at center, does that make Chris Terek the next man up?  Are either Will Black or Marty Augustine ready to contribute once they’ve cleared concussion protocol?  Finally, given that both Black and Augustine got concussions apparently sustained in practice, does/should the way OL’s practice and are prepared be looked at for possible adjustments?

Eric Hansen: Mark, Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think Chris Terek would plug in at either guard spot if needed. Will Black and Matty Augustine were/are both surging and both questionable while going through concussion protocol this week. With wanting to set a physical tone for the USC game, which did indeed happen, ND took the calculated risk of getting more physical in practice that week. The supporting rationale is that they’d have a bye week to heal. I’m sure they will re-evaluate that, as they would if there had been no concussions. It’s a constant thing with their commitment to sports science. But down the road, Blake and Augustine are positioning themselves well for the future.

Bo from Michiana: Eric, Good afternoon to you on this sunny Michiana day!!!! IMO in my heart that Marcus Freeman truly loves this Notre Dame campus and community.  I know Gino attend Penn High School and plays football.  I also know Vinny played football at Penn but was an All-State Wrestler(?) which is his sport of choice.  Do you know if Gino has any other sports interest at Penn?  Is football his sport of choice?  Will he attend Notre Dame. I appreciate the chats and all the time you spent on the S.Bend Tribune, it’s been a pleasure to follow your sports writing on Notre Dame Football!  GO IRISH BEAT BC!  (sorry for the yelling)  💚🍀🏈

Eric Hansen: Hi Bo!!!!!! Always thought that was a cool name. I haven’t talked to Marcus Freeman recently about what the kids beyond Vinny are into. So, I’ll have to do a little research. Sorry I don’t have a better answer. My six grandkids (of eight) that live nearby and are siblings are almost the exact same ages as Marcus’ kids, so I am challenged just to remember all of their activities. Thanks for the compliments. I’ll get to work on my research.

Matt from Austin: Hi Eric, hope you are well and ready for the stretch run (which I’m sure you are!). If memory serves, you first started covering ND football heavily during the Davie regime. Given the recent BK situation, I was wondering if you had any overriding recollections of your dealings with 1. Davie, 2. Willingham, 3. Weis, 4. Kelly, and 5. Coach Freeman. Not looking for negativity, just your thoughts. I trust the birthday dinner this past weekend was excellent. Irish 45-10. Thank you as always Eric for your insight. Matt

Eric Hansen: Hi Matt. Thanks for the birthday wishes. The dinner turned out to be a very well-crafted plan that shocked the heck out of me. I’m not sure I can give your question justice in this forum. And the experiences with them were not constant throughout their time here. I’ll try to do an unreasonably short synopsis that won’t do any of them justice, but here’s a stab at it. Bob Davie: I covered Bob Knight early in my career, and that was a more comfortable working relationship, if that puts it in perspective at all. Tyrone Willingham: Very, very guarded. When the cameras and tape recorders were off, he was a fascinating guy with great life stories.

Charlie Weis and I got along until we didn’t (in 2007) and then we did again his last two years. Still in touch with him. There’s a real good side to him that people didn’t get to see. I get why he rubbed some people the wrong way, but there is that positive side to him. Brian Kelly: After 2011, we got along very well. I enjoyed working with him, but couldn’t stand the way he left. Hope to talk to him sooner than later, even if it’s all off the record. Marcus Freeman is someone I’m lucky to get to know and spend time with. What you see is really who he is.

Mike from Phoenix: Eric, I know ND needs to be seeded 5-8 to host a playoff game but what determines if this date is the 19th or 20th? Thank you! Cheers and Go IRISH ☘️

Eric Hansen: Mike, TV has a lot to do with it, but last year, ND really wanted to have it on Friday night, and I suspect they’d ask for that again. They’d like to keep the students on campus after exams. I noticed they won’t close the residence halls until noon on Dec, 21, so they’d be ready to host either date if it came to that.

Kevin from Calgary: Eric, hope you had a (somewhat) relaxing bye week. I’m guessing a slow week for you during the season is a 50-60 hour work week. There’s been a lot of chatter from many pundits suggesting Marcus Freeman is on his way to Penn State or, most recently, LSU. Short of that mythical fairy godmother showing up with that $250-million check, do you see any way Coach Freeman flies the coup? Also, if ND doesn’t crush Boston College on Saturday, is it possible the committee punishes the Irish for their soft second half schedule and leaves them one, or two crucial spots out of a playoff spot? As always, thanks for the great chats!!!

Eric Hansen: Hi Kevin!!! At some point, if one’s ego doesn’t need to be massaged, how many tens of millions do you need to be happy? I don’t want to speak for Marcus Freeman, but I think being somewhere that you believe in and that believes in you makes chasing the extra zeroes in the paycheck less appealing. Not everyone thinks that way, but I think Marcus does. As far as playoff perception goes, every part of your résumé matters. And when the committee starts splitting hairs, you don’t want to give the CFP committee reason to knock you down a spot or two, either for inclusion or for seeding. I doubt the BC game will be the overriding impression of ND’s season, but you want to appear to be a team that’s improving. And playing, say, a 24-21 game against a team on a seven-game losing streak would not make the right kind of impression to help your case.

James from UNM Championship Course Albuquerque, N.M.: Dear Eric Hansen~ We celebrated – in grand style your birthday last week here in New Mexico!: I wondered if you could comment on your measured response to each of us and your balance in seeing both sides of many issues. I’m sure you will be challenged in the coming week by everybody’s comments about another human being who used to be a human being at Notre Dame, but I just wondered if opening yourself up as you do every week to questions from all sorts of different perspectives and knowledge levels if you invoke some steadfast rule of thumb. Say, treating everyone the way you would want to be treated, and treating public figures in an accountable manner, because you seem like the antithesis of anyone on network media or say “I try to hold all public sports figures accountable.” If there is such a principle, did you internalize it in journalism school, or is it something that you’ve adapted over the course of your time in South Bend, Indiana and Indiana University? Finally, Would you ever consider hosting a colloquium on being a decent human being while also being an upright Sports fan?  I would enjoy sharing in person to lay eyes on all these characters. We could do it over a few days and in addition to a modest fee, each of us would have to bring our favorite local dish?

Eric Hansen: Hi James. I am flattered you celebrated my birthday and flattered by the impression of me that you have that I may or may not deserve. But I’d be happy to answer this in an email if you can send me your address. Really appreciate it.

Jack from Strongsville, Ohio: Hi Eric. I know you don’t cover Penn State, Florida and LSU but why do you think them and several other schools have decided to fire coaches before the end of the season? What is the advantage to do that? It would seem to me a total surrender. Thanks as always for all your great work.

Eric Hansen: Jack, I heard a great explanation for this on a podcast the other day, and do not think I can replicate it. But I do think it has something to do with getting the search started, getting the best pick of the candidates and having someone in place to save both the recruiting cycle and the portal cycle as well. There is only one of those this offseason, and that is in January. Thanks for the compliments and the great question.

Jim from Shelburne, Vt.t: Eric, thanks for all the great information that you put out in your articles and podcasts. What is your assessment of the running back needs for next year considering that both Love and Pride will likely be going to the NFL? Will Notre Dame stay with the backs it has or will it go to the portal?

Eric Hansen: Hi Jim. Jadarian Price might come back, but I think that’s unlikely. But you’ll have Aneyas Williams, Kedren Young, Nolan James Jr., Gi’Bran Payne if he wants to return, plus two really good incoming freshmen. So, no to the portal for running backs.

Denny from Beaverton, Ore.: Hi Eric: There was great skepticism of Chris Ash early in the season.  Just past the midway part of this season how does his defensive stats compare with Al Golden’s in his first season generally?

Eric Hansen: Hi Denny. It would probably be more fair to compare at the end of the season, as Al’s defenses got better as the year went on. And I only have end-of-the-season numbers of Al Golden. I’m into overtime or else I’d try to dig some more up. But the one thing this defense does very well is run defense, suddenly. No. 17 nationally. That’s a big deal.

Eric Hansen: James, got your message on the email. I will catch up with you on Friday. Thanks for sending it.

Adam from Dayton, Ohio: Hi Eric, Thanks for being one of the GOATs in covering ND football. You are greatly appreciated by us crazies! Offensive line question. I believe I heard/read that even if Charles Jagusah came back this year (well understood that ship has likely sailed), he would be plugged in at guard. Meaning Knapp would stay at tackle. It seems like there are elite tackle prospects (Jags if healthy, Guerby Lambert, Will Black) that Joe Rudolph is playing/practicing at guard, while keeping a guy projected to be a guard (Knapp), and keeping him at tackle. Wondering if you have any insights to his philosophy/what he is looking for in each position? I understand he wants to play the best 5, I just have a hard time understanding how that answer seems to be playing multiple guys in spots out of their best (projected) position. Hope that makes sense and thanks again!

Eric Hansen: Adam. Thanks! I am running late for my next assignment, so I have to make this short. Let’s worry about Charles Jagusah and have this debate when he actually comes back. In my mind, he is ND’s best lineman. But is he the best after a long layoff? If/when he does return, I expect him to be a starter.

Eric Hansen: OK, that’s going to have to be it for today. Thanks for all the great questions. We’ll be back to do it all over again next Wednesday at noon ET.