Chat Transcript: Sizing up seismic changes on Notre Dame's defensive line

Eric Hansen: Welcome to the Transfer Portal-a-palooza version of Notre Dame Football Live Chat, though we’ll hit on a variety of other topics, I’m sure. And that term, Transfer Portal-a-palooza actually came from one of our questioners today, so I will give him credit when his question comes up.

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, we have a great deal — 50% off your first year with an annual subscription. With that, you get all 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 and a full year of The Athletic. 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 in our normal day and time slot, Monday at 7 p.m. ET, for another presentation of Football Never Sleeps with Tyler James co-hosting with me. And check out some great shows on the Blue & Gold YouTube channel as well, including the Notre Dame Football Show, live on Tuesday nights.

► 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 former Steve Wiltfong, vice president/national college football recruiting and the transfer portal for On3|Rivals. The next episode will drop late next week.

As far as this week’s chat …

We’re past even the short manifesto allowance, so none of those please. Also, no 17-part questions, BUT PLEASE include your name and hometown along with your question(s).

Eric Hansen: Only the no gambling rules of those listed is in play today, so spit, fight and drink (responsibly) to your heart’s content and kick off your shoes if you’d like.

Enough blathering, off we go.

Aaron from D.C.: Hi Eric, Happy New Year and thanks for the chat today.  With another DT loss to the portal, it would seem that this position group is a critical need for ND in the portal and one that cannot be solved with the existing roster.  Any insight into who ND will go after and who they have the highest chance of getting?  Regarding the CFB, do you think that ND is legitimately fighting an uphill battle with the committee based on the hit job this year?  No sour grapes, but honestly asking if an anti-ND bias (as a non-conference member) should be expected going forward, particularly with how much the SEC is unjustifiably flavored.  Last question (only 3, not 17), it’s hard for me to understand why Coach Freeman would legitimately have interest in the NFL.  He makes plenty of money at ND, probably has more roster control, the school seems to fit him perfectly, it’s not quite as cut-throat as the NFL, etc.  Was he truly interested in the NFL or was it really just the NFL pursuing him? Thank you

Eric Hansen: Happy New Year, Aaron. Let’s break these down one at a time. It’s not the numbers at the interior D-line positions, it’s experience and quality. As of the moment I am typing my answer, the Irish have 6 returnees at those positions, 2 incoming freshmen  and 2 wild cards — Jason Onye applying for a sixth year and Christopher Burgess moving over from defensive end. I feel Notre Dame will add a sure starter, an elite player in other words to that mix as well as someone like Elijah Hughes was last year, a diamond in the rough who turned out to be impressive. I’m going to leave the names at this point to our reporters who did the deep work to produce premium content. It would not be fair to them to do otherwise at this point.

To your CFB committee question, I don’t see this as an anti-ND thing as much as it is an overall process that needs more transparency and integrity. As we get deeper into the offseason and I can give it more thought and I talk to some people in that area, I’ll offer more specifics. But at least that’s my concept. For more insight on the NFL/Freeman question, I did a column on that recently that really spells out both what could be the allure for Marcus Freeman and vice versa. Charlie Weis Sr., was incredibly helpful in providing insight into that situation. Why the NFL looked at Marcus Freeman and vice versa, and why Notre Dame still fits. To give you a succinct answer, it was the NFL pursuing him and it was not about the money.

Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Happy New Year Eric!!! It seems the portal is a fast moving operation with players making quick decisions. The ND Admissions seems to work much more methodically. How does Admissions work with the FB Admin so that hopefully we don’t miss out on a player of need that could really help??? With a year of experience, where do you see CJ’s improvements coming next season??? I would think leadership would be near the top of the list.  Go Irish!!!! Oh, if I didn’t say it before I really hated to see Coogan leave. ….

Eric Hansen: Happy New Year, Tom!!! And excellent use of the exclamation points!! Marcus Freeman and director of scouting Matt Jansen had a system in place the precedes GM Mike Martin and is still in place. Jansen starts building a database of more than 20 players per position, whether they’re likely to go into the portal or not, whether ND has that position or need or not. During the season that list gets refined. As Notre Dame gets closer to the portal opening and needs become more clear, that list gets pared down, and ND vets those players, both from a character standpoint and academic fit. So when the portal opens, there’s a clear decision as to whether ND’s targets can pass through admissions.

You might have missed the piece I did around Xmas time on the topic of CJ Carr’s areas of offseason emphasis, and here it is: Irish Intel: Inside the next steps for CJ Carr, and who might emerge as Notre Dame’s Plan B at QB. A chat-formatted version of the answer is continuing to make better decisions … sort of like this kind of internal dialogue:

I can make every throw, but do I need to make every throw? Do I need to fit it in such a tight box when I can run for 5 yards and a first down on second-and-5? When is it time to do that? When is it not time to do that? When do I have to make the throw? When do I have a choice?

Eric Hansen: Pat Coogan is having a heck of a run with Indiana. I’m sure a lot of Irish fans are cheering for him.

Patrick from Philadelphia: Given some of the eligibility waivers the NCAA is giving for European basketball players, is there any legitimate reason why Rendell’s eligibility was declined. Ive never seen an explanation….On the topic of specialists, do you expect Schmidt to more likely be the kicker or punter next year.

Eric Hansen: Patrick, your question kind of reminds me of my Calculus final in college. I kept asking myself why I took Calculus as an elective. In any event, I would imagine if he sued, he might have been successful in getting that third year. He was successful in getting a second (2025) after initially only getting one year. The whole European waiver thing is very confusing to me, to be honest. I need to find a Euro live chat to catch up. As far as Erik Schmidt, he’ll be in the mix for both and I expect ND to bring in a portal kicker to challenge him. I figure he will be the kickoff man, but between place kicking and punting, not knowing who the portal option is, I’d give him a better shot at punting next year. In time I think place kicking will be his greater strength, however.

Michael from Hooksett, N.H.: Hi Eric – Brian Kelly has seemed to go off the radar. Have you heard of anyone trying to hire him? If not, why do you think nobody is looking at him? Thanks for all you do!

Eric Hansen: Thank you Michael! I haven’t done much poking around on Brian Kelly, though I’ve had some casual conversations with some sources where his name came up. Three thoughts come to mind. 1) Kelly is a good coach that could help someone, but at age 64, is he up for a tough rebuild? 2) BK has been good at critical junctures at reinventing himself. He needs to do that again. 3) If I were him, I’d take the year off from coaching, do TV and reassess what I really wanted to do.

Manny from San Pedro: Eric!!!! Freeman is back for at least one more year!!!!!!! Do you see us grabbing two DL in the portal or are the young kids ready to step up?

Eric Hansen: Manny!!!!!!!!!!! I think both are true. I think ND will grab two DTs, and I think guys like Elijah Hughes, Chris Burgess and Sean Sevillano will be exciting players to watch as well as Davion Dixon and incoming freshmen Elijah Golden and Tiki Hola.

Paul from Arlington Va.: Hi Eric: I was on the chat two weeks ago about returning to real turf at ND stadium and you asked me about my sources. The first, was Freeman at an Alumni Club event in DC in 2024, where he was asked a question about it and responded that he preferred natural grass but it was complicated. The second was a letter to me from Pete B, the AD, in which he basically said the same thing. So if we need something officially on the record, maybe you could ask Coach Free or Pete when you next talk with the. Thx very much, love your work and the chats.

Eric Hansen: Paul, absolute respect for you on your follow-up, and when I get a chance, I will make sure I get an answer for you. I’m impressed.

Isaac from South Bend, Ind.: Hi Eric! Happy new year! I was very saddened at Burnham’s entering the portal. There were few players I was more excited to see next year than him. Was his transfer simply a product of wanting to be “the guy”, or was it incorrectly handled in some way by ND? Do you think we should pursue an edge in the portal? If so, who? For my second round of questions: who is an experienced QB you could see ND pursuing in the portal to be Carr’s backup? Who will ND pursue in the 2027 class for QB? Also, do you know of any good nickels in the portal who could fit ND? Thank you so much! I really appreciate the work you do.

Eric Hansen: Hi Isaac. Happy New Year to you. Let’s unpack Josh Burnham’s situation first. He is a really good player with some versatility on the edge. But he played just 235 snaps, compared to Bryce Young (314) and Jordan Botelho (292) at that field end position. The way Burnham looks at it, he has his degree and now he wants to fortify his NFL future where he can be more or less guaranteed a starting spot where he doesn’t have to rotate as much. Young is going to turn into a monster at some point, and Burnham knows that.

Meanwhile at QB, Notre Dame is scouring the portal for someone willing to be No. 2, with no hope of being No. 1 unless there’s an injury. Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss is the poster child for what ND is trying to sell. He was at D2 power Ferris State last year. Ole Miss OC Charlie Weis Jr. found him scouring game film from players at that level. Couldn’t believe how good he was. At the time. Chambliss was pondering a move to Temple. … Mike Singer did a recent piece on who ND might be interested in for 2027 QB and yes I think ND is looking at nickels/corners and has a visit already scheduled. One more for Isaac, yes I think Notre Dame should and will pursue an edge player from the portal.

Don from L.A.: Happy New Year, Eric!!! Surprised the Josh B left. Do coaches share their portal plans with senior players? I just wonder how open the process is within the team.

Eric Hansen: Happy New Year, Don!!!! The Notre Dame coaches are very transparent with their players and usually get it in return as well. That’s been a winning formula in terms of planning. Specifically, they discuss how the player fits into next year’s plans. Now do they say, ‘Hey, here are the portal guys we’re scouting at your position?’ I don’t think they get that deep in the weeds, but they would tell them if they plan to add a player to their position group.

Eric Hansen: As these become public, I am happy to share. Nick Marsh at WR would be a big-impact addition. One of the best WRs in the portal.

Mike AKA Mo from Maumee OH: Happy Yew Near, Eric !^!  With the medical retirement of Donovan Hinish, ND’s defensive line depth seems to be dangerously thin. A couple of question along that line (pun intended): Assume the admission requirements for a portal transfer who has already graduated are much less restrictive than a player who has to transfer credits, have a minimum GPA, etc.? Secondly, I recall that Jerry Tillery came to ND as an offensive lineman- are there any current offensive linemen stuck on the depth chart that were also standout defensive linemen in high school? Thanks!

Eric Hansen: Happy New Year Mike/Mo !^!^! 1) Yes, getting a grad transfer through admissions is pretty easy. And yes how credits transfer or do not transfer is the challenge with undergrads. So it is much more complicated and restrictive. 2) Jerry Tillery was being recruited as an offensive lineman by Harry Hiestand, and then ND sold him on coming as a defensive lineman before he signed. It was a position of desperate need. Tillery went on to be a first-round draft pick and a first-team All-American at ND. Harry told me later Tillery had the talent to do that on offense as well. But lack of numbers isn’t the issue at interior D-line, it’s quality/experience. If you are going to flip an O-lineman to defense, it would need to be someone who could start or at least play a lot.

I don’t see that among ND’s reserve O-linemen. They don’t need another project at that position group. They have some of those already, but a really good question. Also the transfer portal makes wholesale position changes like that much more rare.

Terry from Huron, S.D.: Hi Eric and Happy New Year!!!!! ND Nation is elated Coach Freeman is returning. My question is last year he received a four year extension and this year we had to sweat out a month and he received a one-year extension. I know someday he may leave. I just want him to know we love him. He has rejuvenated ND Nation. My question is related to recruits. ND is rolling. Recruits must know he may or may not be there for their 3-4 years, or one year with the transfer rule. How does he and his STAFF continue to bring the right young men to South Bend?  MF is the best thing to happen at ND since Lou Holtz and if he stays long enough, will have his own statue. Happy New Year my friend.

Eric Hansen: Happy New Year, Terry!!!!!!!!!!! When you look around college football, any coach and any player could conceivably leave at a moment’s notice. There are some other questions regarding Marcus Freeman and what the recent tweet/announcement means, so I’ll go deeper when I answer those. But to answer your specific question, he’s still looking for players who are elite who also value the education piece. That matters.

MikeD from Rochester, N.Y.: Happy New Year and a belated Merry Christmas, Eric!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope you had a wonderful time with the grandkids, they are what make the holidays so special!  You and Tyler are the best but the rest of your team at On3 is pretty damn good too.  TransferPortalPalooza is upon us and the next two weeks are going to be wild. Do you think Deuce Knight would consider transferring to ND or is he probably looking for an immediate starting opportunity?  Coach Wash will hopefully pull at least two very good DTs and one DE out of the portal with all the attrition we’ve seen on the DL. Random thought I had after Josh Burnham threw his TD pass and you mentioned (somewhere) that he had played QB in high school: why didn’t we ever put him under center in short yardage situations ala Mitch Evans? We’ll never know now.    Any early thoughts on what the big storylines and questions will be going into spring practice?  I loved point #18 in your list of 25 observations, Pat Nardopey needs to STFU until he makes Pitt relevant.

Eric Hansen: OK MikeD is the one who I appropriated TransferPortalPalooza from. Mike, you have three options. You can have a virtual pat on the back. 2) You can have a beer with me if you’re in town, my treat. 3) You can have my last Dump Davie sticker if you email me your address. Now to your questions … No, I don’t think Deuce Knight would consider ND or vice versa. He’s not better than CJ Carr, so he would sit.

Thanks for the feedback on the New Year’s Eve column … The storylines will become more clear once the portal shopping/wooing is done. Off the top of my head though … who’s the backup QB? How does the offense change? Sifting through the RB options, risers in the WR room, big one — starting offensive line, James Flanigan emerging as the No. 1 TE. On defense, how the new pieces fit on the D-line and how the new D-line coach fits. Scheme tweaks via Chris Ash. Some injury timelines like Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa’s. Obviously he wouldn’t be back for spring.

Monty Kuka from Great Falls, Mont.: Many, if not most football players who transfer or opt into the NFL draft after three years, have an ND degree.  Given how hard the curriculum is, and the training and travel demands, how does this happen?

Eric Hansen: Hi Monty. Notre Dame does a great job of fast-tracking these guys to finish in 3 1/2 years if not sooner. Think about it, most get a semester head start with being an early enrollee. Then you add up classes they take over the summers, and it makes the timeline make more sense.

Roger from Peoria: ERIC: Happy New Year 2026!!!  I started the new year as a start most every day by checking out On3 Rivals for the latest on the Irish.  This New Year’s Day I was looking for any Transfer Portal news (Burnham’s was a bummer!!) and was expecting to submit a question seeking your take on Miami’s win over OSU. That changed big time when I read Jack Soble’s piece on Bryant Young. While I will not suggest the Irish have a monopoly on football players who are good people, I do believe the Irish have the most due to the values ND espouses for all of its students plus the culture engineered by Marcu Freeman. This makes me more proud to be an ND Alum. If any of the chatters have not read the Soble piece on Young, I encourage them to do so. GO IRISH and LOVE THEE NOTRE DAME!!!!!!

Eric Hansen: Happy New Year Roger!!!! And thanks for the shoutout for Jack’s story. For Colby: How Notre Dame DE Bryce Young dedicated the 2025 season to his late brother
I’ll make sure I pass along your great feedback!!

Marie from Atlanta: Hi Eric, happy new year! I hope you had a fantastic Christmas and wishing all the best in 2026. Although I am relieved to see that HCMF will be back for 2026, do you anticipate that this angst of watching him flirt with the NFL will be a yearly event? If so, how do you see that affecting high school recruiting? Certainly other teams will use that against Notre Dame, how do you think high school football players will look at it? In your opinion, did Wagner and Schrauth make the correct decision in declaring for the NFL?  Do you expect any other players to declare for the NFL draft? Finally, looking into your crystal ball, will Freeman be the coach at Notre Dame in 2027, how about in 2031? Thanks so much for hosting the chat during a holiday week, looking forward to a great chat year in 2026.

Eric Hansen: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Marie. I want to frame the Marcus Freeman/NFL situation properly. It was not Marcus flirting. It was the other way around. Marcus, in the true spirit of “question everything” gathered information to understand what he was turning down before he actually made the expected decision. His intent is not to make this an annual thing by doing his due diligence now. I think to an extent he does want to leave at least some wiggle room to change his mind if situations change. These are unlikely, but what if Notre Dame said no more transfers. Or Pete Bevacqua left to be a sports writer and Tony Petitti from the Big Ten took his place. Or ND backed off its current commitments to paying assistants well? And what if college football can’t bring sanity to the NIL/Rev-share/Transfer portal madness eventually? I actually think it might work in Marcus’ favor in recruiting that other schools and NFL teams are interested and that he CHOSE to stay at ND. .. to your other questions, I think both Aamil Wagner and Billy Schrauth could have benefitted from coming back, but I understand why they did not. … I do not expect any other players to enter the draft. The deadline is Jan. 14, I believe. I would expect Marcus Freeman to be ND’s head coach in 2027 and in 2031, and after 2031 it gets fuzzy. But again, things can change. Thanks for all your great questions in 2025 and helping us start off 2026 in style.

Drewbrennan77: Eric, in your earlier article you talked about how you felt Marcus Freeman was setting his contract up so that he would be at Notre Dame through the Class of 2027 recruits finishing their time at Notre Dame. Do you still feel that same way?

Eric Hansen: Drew, I still feel that is his intention as of Jan. 2, 2026, knowing things can change.

Michael from Atlanta: No question. Just wanted to thank you for these chats. Whoever came up with the tagline Football Never Sleeps nailed it!

Eric Hansen: Thanks Michael! And it was the one and only Tyler James who came up with the show title Football Never Sleeps, and Piano Man Steve Lungrin who reached out to do the theme music for it!

Miked from Rochester NY: Hi, Eric, I’ll gladly accept the virtual pat on the back! I’m never in South Bend sadly and no one in Rochester would understand the significance of the Dump Davie sticker.  Thanks so much for doing these chats!!!

Eric Hansen: If it would keep in the mail, I’d send you a giant turkey leg! I’m not smart enough to figure out the whole dry ice thing. A virtual pat on the back it is!

Jhaider from O’Fallon: What is the status of Jayden Greathouse and how likely is it that ND will seek a top WR from the portal to replace Malachi Fields?

Eric Hansen: Jaden Greathouse is healthy and expected to be a big part of the plan for 2026 at wide receiver after missing most of 2025 with a hamstring injury. And yes, I think bringing in a boundary receiver to replace Malachi Fields is a big priority.

Denny from Beaverton, Ore.: New Year’s Greetings Eric;  There seemed to be many stories of the possibility of MF leaving ND for other  opportunities.  On a scale of 1-10 (no interest 1, very intense interest 10) Where do you rate the interest of Coach Freeman and HIS FAMILY to seriously consider potential offers?  I may be naive but I would think he would be a 1 or maybe 2 at this time.

Eric Hansen: Happy New Year, Denny. Legit interest, I think you nailed it as a 1 or 2 at this time. Legit curiosity, much higher. But that’s who Marcus Freeman is. He processes things differently than other coaches, other people. He’s not playing games, not trying to leverage anything. But he may be very interested someday. It was good for him to go through this process in a year when he wasn’t trying to multitask it with prepping a team for a playoff game, which ND very likely will be playing in next year at this time.

Scott from Greenville, S.C.: ERIC!!! It’s 2026 and we made it to another year! And another kerfuffle by the CFP committee and their selection process. Alabama gets selected after being embarrassed by UGA and then get further embarrassed by Indiana. There have been some really bad decisions by the committee and I’m not sure how they can move forward. There has to be a more objective process because its broken, especially after the last selection decision a few weeks ago. How would you go about making the decisions going forward? I do like the idea of expanding the number of teams and the higher seed hosting them at their home stadium. But there has to be a a committee that does not owe any allegiance to a conference. One last question, is there anyone attending bowl games that are not part of the CFP? Some of them look very sparse and I have to believe lost revenue is high this year. It reminded me of a Spin Doctors concert at the Iowa State Fair. But I digress. In the spirit of the new year, please save me a turkey leg for next season!

Eric Hansen: SCOTT!!!!! All caps and exclamation points, well played! I do think expansion is part of the solution, but as you suggested, not the totality of the solution. Here’s why expansion helps .. because the pool of teams that can actually win the title is much deeper than it was when the four-team format started in 2014. Think about it, of the eight teams that have comprised the final four the past two years that the 12- team format has been in play, 7 of the 8 would not have made the four-team fields. That being No. 1 seed Indiana this year. The four seeds last year in the semis were 5, 6, 7 and 8 — with 7 and 8 playing for the title. This year it’s 1, 5, 6 and 10. So getting those lower at-large teams matter. I do like your suggestion of no conference-affiliated  people on the committee, but not  if that’s entirely possible, But great thought. And yes, the bowl attendance seems to be a problem, but as long as there’s TV right?

And Scott, I’d eat a turkey leg with you in a heartbeat, a platonic heartbeat, but a heartbeat nonetheless! And not the same leg of course. Matching ones.

Matt from Austin: Hi Eric. Happy New Year to you and your family. Now that Coach Freeman’s status has be resolved, at least for next year, what changes in the manner in which ND plays do you think we will see in 2026? It seems that our offense may be more Carr centric, with more down field passing, depending on our WR depth and A. Williams ability to keep opposing safeties from crowding the line. That leads to my next thought. With the portal opening, are you hearing any names that we should follow regarding incoming transfers? RB, WR, and DL seem to be potential priorities, as well as kicker. Lastly, gaze into your crystal ball and give next year’s final record so we can start assessing how Yurifraud will try to keep ND out of the CFP. Thank you for a great year of chats in 2025 and we look forward to many more in 2026. You’re the best Eric. Be safe and warm.

Eric Hansen: Happy New Year, Matt to you and your family as well! As far as offensive tweaks, I know they’re already in the works and were actually worked on during allowable on-field practices during finals week. In very general terms, and these are my thoughts, not gathered from sources necessarily. I think you’ll see more of an emphasis on physical O-line play, more gears and personnel groups to the offense that can be opponent-specific, more of what CJ Carr already is quite good at, and that’s playing chess at the line of scrimmage. I’ve been sharing some of the names that are public through the chat, but that info is moving so fast, it’s best to check out blueandgold.com to stay up to the minute. … Crystal ball is right LOL. You want next year’s record with a roster that’s still being put together, not knowing the entire coaching staff, not having seen a practice and not having next year’s schedule fully in place? I feel like Miss Cleo! Here’s what I am willing to predict: Notre Dame will be safely in the CFP field without having to convert a fourth-down against a 5-7 team to impress the committee AND Notre Dame will contend for the national title. How’s that?

Ken from Steel City: Hi Eric, it’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to join the chat and post a question. Hope all is well and that you had a happy New Year! Thank you for all you do. I am curious to your thoughts about Freeman coming back. His tweet felt somewhat criptic and in my opinion more like coming back for one last hoorah rather than someone in it for the long haul. He’s done such an awesome job for ND and I hoped we’d keep him for many more years. Can you shed any light on things maybe behind the scenes in the last 4 weeks since the CFP fiasco and skipping the bowl game? Has something happened with the relationship with Bevacqua after Pete made the rounds post CFP snub?

Eric Hansen: Hey Ken. The downside of writing a lot of intel/behind-the-scenes content around the holidays is that a lot of people missed it. And Happy Holidays, before I forget. Let me put your mind in a better place with it, though. No, I don’t think there’s been a deterioration in the relationship between Marcus Freeman and AD Pete Bevacqua … it’s very strong. 2) I think next time we have Marcus in front of us, he’ll give you a very thoughtful, genuine answer about his future are Notre Dame that won’t leave so much to parse from a short tweet.

Eric Hansen: Here’s some breaking news:

Paul from Knoxville: Ciao Eric:  Buon anno!!!  I hope you’re enjoying a beautiful Christmas season.  Considering the additional players who recently announced they are entering the portal or not returning, has your assessment about positions of need changed at all, and if so how?  Also, is there any indication whether ND may pursue a kicker via the portal as we’ve done in the recent past?  Regarding your mentioning last week the possibility of doing a WBB chat, please put me down as in favor.  Auguri delle benedizione e la pace in quest’ anno nuovo!

Eric Hansen: Ciao, Paul. Buon anno!!!! Did you see your buddy last week dissing you in Italian on the chat? I stuck up for you! … No, I forced myself to do that math and came up privately with who were the most likely players I thought ND might lose. And so far, I’m on point. I am sure there will be some surprises. Otherwise, Matt from Austin is going to ask me to do more tricks involving clairvoyance. 😎 I do think Notre Dame will pursue a kicker. Yes. And thanks for the vote for WBB. I am going to do a Q-and-A in a week or so with men’s and women’s basketball GM Pat Garrity, so after that, we’ll schedule one! And in the meantime. Mangia!

Len from the Jersey Shore: Hello Eric!!!!!!!!!!!  Happy New Year.  Coogan played well against Bama.  I had asked a few chats ago (maybe a podcast) about upper classman depth that can fill in if needed or be a rotational piece.  It appears ND will again be new on the O line and, this year, the D line.  And with RB’s leaving there will be a lot of reloading needed.  Question, how big of a challenge is this?   Can you rank collectively before the portal additions  the  the Offensive and Defensive units that have the biggest questions.  Curious to see if O line or D line is first.    Thanks again for hosting.

Eric Hansen: Len!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy New Year. You out-Manny-ed Manny. This is an easy one Len. Of the position groups you mentioned (and even the ones you didn’t), defensive line is No. 1 and it’s not close. Now, as I mentioned, there’s numbers, but very few absolutes. 2. On your list is running backs. It’s going to be hard to get a cost-effective RB in the portal when there are biggest needs elsewhere and so much promising young talent coming up. The fewest questions for me involves the O-line. And I do not expect these issues to sully the start of the 2026 season.

Mark from Memphis, Tenn.: Happy New Year, Eric!!!!!!🎉🎉🎉. Two questions:  1) Is there a correlation between all the player movement on the defensive line and Al Washington’s move from coaching DL’s to LB’s; and 2) Of the players entering the portal, how many are leaving with degrees?  You can’t fault a player who has an ND degree and wants to try to better themselves.  All the best to you for a successful 2026!

Eric Hansen: Happy New Year Mark!!!!!!!!!!🍾 1) Great question, but no. Neither development is a surprise. 2) Let’s wait until we get a final tally once the portal closes on Jan. 16, and I will get you that percentage/number. Deal?

Michael from Chicago: Happy New Year! Any word on if ND offered the LB job to any other candidates before Al Washington was promoted? Who are your top picks for the new DL coach and how do you grade the transition overall? How do you think this will impact DL transfer portal recruiting, seems like odd timing to convince a kid to come without knowing who his coach will be (unless they’ve already made the choice?)

Eric Hansen: Happy New Year, Michael! Mike Singer did a great hotboard piece on candidates and the one I asked sources about was Charlie Partridge, who goes way back with Chris Ash and would be outstanding if he’s interested. I don’t think the LB job was offered to someone else first. It’s my understanding coach Al Washington wanted to become a stronger DC candidate in the future. And adding more LB coaching experience (he’s done it before), would be helpful in his view, as I understand it. Yeah, it is tough for portal recruiting and yet they know the coordinator and the scheme and the success and who’s coaching and playing at the other positions, so it should be an easier sell. (Note: shortly after the chat ended, Partridge was reported as ND’s new defensive line coach).

Matt from Muscatine: Hi Eric!!! Happy New Year to you and yours! Thank you for doing this chat with us, and I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Here are my questions: (1) what do you think will happen with the defensive line, with so many transfers and Coach Washington moving to linebackers? Who will replace him, or who would you like to see replace him? And who now needs to be ready to play? (2) How about the CFP? Where do you think ND would be sitting now if we had gotten in (and how would you have seeded us)? Have you been surprised by any of the results and why? (3) Lastly, off the top of your head, what has been your favorite off-season reporting assignment over the years? Thank you!!!

Eric Hansen: Happy New Year Matt!!!! I did have a great Christmas. Michael Floyd shared this the other day, and I love it, so I’ll share it with you all … it’s not what’s under the tree. It’s who’s around it. Very true for me. … I hit the Al Washington question, so let me dive into these others. If Notre Dame was the 10 seed, I think they’re in the semis. If they were the 9, that IU/ND game would have been epic. I couldn’t tell you and I don’t want to take away from what Indiana has done, because I think the Hoosiers are going to win it all.

Best offseason stories, there’s been a ton of them. My first-ever first place in a national contest came from spending the day with former defensive coordinator Corwin Brown in Chicago back in 2007. That was very memorable, including the drug deal that went down 10 feet behind me when we were looking at the house he grew up in. But maybe my favorite of all time was the story I did on Peter Schivarelli this spring. He’s really one of the most incredible, unique people I’ve ever met. His story moved so many people and changed my life in some ways. It changed so many things in such a positive way beyond me. It is stuck in digital escrow with the move from Rivals to On3, but it’s posted on the Chicago The Band website, so I will link that version in the transcript: Peter Schivarelli: The dream and legacy of a Notre Dame football walk-on

Ryan Frankfort Illinois: Good afternoon Eric what do you think about the season Jason Onye had i think he had a good season and i think if he gets his extra year he should come back especially since Hinish is done with football due to his injury GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈 Happy New Year 🎉🎉🎊🎊

Eric Hansen: Hi Ryan. Jason Onye really came on strong late in the season and I think he deserves that extra year. Happy New Year!

Tom from Toronto: Hi Eric, late to the party. With regard to your body building, my recommendation is to start slowly and then taper off. A “what if” question. If Ken Minchey isn’t happy with his offers, and if ND is agreeable, can he return, even though he will be a backup QB? Have a Happy and healthy New Year.

Eric Hansen: Hey Tom, the resistance training/strength training is more “body salvaging” than “body building” LOL. If that. It appears Kenny Minchey will end up at Nebraska. Happy New Year!

Raburgard: Happy New Year – is there any chance Burnham ends up at Notre Dame after exploring options?  Or is this a done deal and he is already set at his next stop.

Eric Hansen: I think he knows where he’s going to land, and I won’t be back to Notre Dame and it might even be someone ND sees next season.

Eric Hansen: OK, I did 45 minutes of overtime and I need to type and think faster. Too many great questions still in the question portal. But I have a staff meeting coming soon. So … thanks for all the great questions. Thanks for not making me regret rescinding the No Drinking rule. We’ll be back to do it all over again next Wednesday at noon!