Chat Transcript: What to make of Notre Dame QB CJ Carr’s statistical sag

Eric Hansen: Welcome to the “We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Bye WeeK” edition of Notre Dame Football Live Chat.

And yes, I will eat a cheeseburger at some point during it.

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 Nov. 1 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 Notre Dame coaching icon Lou Holtz. Our next rendition comes out Friday this week.

As far as this week’s chat …

PLEASE include your name and hometown along with your question(s).

Here are the rules:

Eric Hansen: All rescinded … this week only.

Let’s commence the chatting!

Rich from Phoenixville, Pa.: Thank you so much for doing these chats!  My question relates to how concerned we should be regarding the downward trend in CJ’s recent play, both w.r.t. decision making and accuracy/touch. Is this just a blip, or more concerning, regression to the mean? At this point in the season I’d expect a distinct upward trajectory as he gains experience. Thank you!

Eric Hansen: Hi Rich. In terms of becoming more adept at the line of scrimmage, presnap, front and coverage recognition, and being fed more sections of the playbook, I believe there is an upward trajectory, even though it might not always be obvious and apparent. But football is a game of punching and counterpunching when it comes to strategy. And for young QBs, there’s an evolution that goes in in response to those challenges from D-coordinators.

And if they get stuck in a stage, that becomes the defensive template until that QB shows he can master it. Brady Quinn and Jimmy Clausen went through the same thing. You have to show you can handle pressure. You have to show you can handle rush three, drop eight. And sometimes QBs get stuck and sometimes they pass through but it’s not as smooth. CJ Carr has passed through these stages remarkably well but not perfectly. In the USC game the Trojans decided to fortify their weakness — pass defense — with more resources, and play a light box and take away from what had been a pretty decent run defense. So the result were tighter windows for CJ (and he missed some open receivers), but an almost comically weak plan for dealing with ND’s rushing attack. Bottom line, I think CJ Carr is right where he needs to be and probably ahead actually. Great question to start us off.

Bob from Oxnard, Calif.: What is the date of the first playoff game this year, and do you think Rubio and Billy can heal by then? Thx Eric.

Eric Hansen: Hi Bob. The dates for first-round games are Dec. 19-20, and the dates for teams the get byes to have their first games are Dec. 31/Jan. 1. There can always be setbacks and accelerated timelines, but neither Billy Schrauth, nor Gabe Rubio have been ruled out for the rest of the regular season. So November returns are expected. So yes, playoff availability is on track for both.

Jack from Strongsville, Ohio: Hi Eric. Why do you think Jerimyah Love is not getting more attention as a Heisman trophy candidate? Is this the best tandem of running backs in Notre Dame history? Thanks as always for your insightful work!

Eric Hansen: Hi Jack. I think you kind of answered your own question to an extent. Is this the best TANDEM? Let’s say Jadarian Price transferred this spring instead of coming back to ND. Fast forward to last week’s USC game. If Price is not on the team, Jeremiyah Love probably breaks Julius Jones’ single-game record of 262 yards (he still broke the ND Stadium record). But ND might not win the game without Price’s 100-yard kickoff return. Their unselfishness and how they push each other is kind of breathtaking to watch. And players at other position groups see that, and so do recruits and they get that’s part of the ND culture.

So, he simply doesn’t have the raw numbers to overcome the QBs who are getting the pub. If ND were undefeated, his numbers wouldn’t have to be as overwhelming. But with two losses, they do.

Shane from White Deer, Texas: Happy Birthday Eric!! Hope you had a great day, heard you say this weekend will be spent with family and friends. That’s great. Who has surprised you the most with their play at this point in the season?  Both offensively and defensively. Also, who has not shown out like you thought they might have thus far? Along those same lines, who needs to make an impact (not just the usual suspects) for this team not to only make the playoffs, but make another serious run. Go Irish!!

Eric Hansen: Hi Shane thanks for the birthday wishes. Who surprised me the most on offense? … Jordan Faison. Defense? Elijah Hughes. Lagged behind expectations … until this week, on offense Aamil Wagner. Stepped up big against USC. Defense: Jalen Stroman at safety. … As far as impact players in the playoffs… .this has been a changing picture. I answered this a couple of weeks ago and some of those players, like Drayk Bowen, stepped up big time. So let me give you three that are not usual suspects who maybe make more of a subtle difference: K Noah Burnette or Erik Schmidt, Bryce Young at DE, and the two plug-in offensive linemen — Joe Otting and Sullivan Absher. Otting really came to play vs. USC, by the way.

2581, Tony from Lexington, Ky., home of tens of thousands of fans who want Kentucky’s football coach, Mark Stoops, to be fired yesterday: I wish we could have been at the thrilling ND-Southern Cal game on Saturday night instead of watching Kentucky lose at home to Texas in OT, another game that the Cats should have won. I was sneaking peaks at the cell phone throughout the UK game (including 20 minutes of viewing at halftime)… Believe me, every ND fan should be overjoyed to have Coach Free running our program; and we should enjoy and appreciate having two incredible running backs, Love & Price, playing on the same team ! Now, my two straightforward questions: (1) Everyone was surprised when Jordan Botelho played in ND’s 1st game of the season at Miami. Is he back to full strength yet?; and (2) After his breakout performance against NC State, KK Smith played 0 snaps against Southern Cal. Why? I hope you can enjoy some well-deserved R&R during the bye week, Eric ! ☘🏈☘🍻

Eric Hansen: Hi Tony. Hopefully, your choice of Saturday games at least kept you dry? 1) I don’t think Jordan Botelho is all the way back yet. And remember, he had two major injuries to come back from, so he missed more time … and returned well ahead of schedule. My sense is his best is yet to come. 2) I’ll have to check on KK Smith. He was not on the injured list, but sometimes they have something nagging and don’t play, even if they haven’t been ruled out.

Mike from Rockville, Md.: Hi, Eric! What are your thoughts on the defensive backs in general this season and specifically during the USC game? Were the safeties out of position too often or did the cornerbacks just get beat? Thanks so much for these chats!

Eric Hansen: Hi Mike. Notre Dame did the opposite of what USC did and played a heavy box, so many times they had only one high safety. The aim of that was to make USC one-dimensional. It worked. A season-low 68 rushing yards and ND won the game. Against the nation’s No. 2 passing offense and No. 1 team in total offense. That made for a lot of ground for Christian Gray and Tae Johnson to cover, and individually they may have suffered for it at times, but it’s pretty impressive to hold a team like that to season lows in total yards and points.

Ron from Dover, Del.: Hi Eric. Belated Happy Birthday hope you had a nice day. I made it to the Purdue game and that crazy weather and it was great experience thanks for your suggestions as all went well. My question is with the offensive line getting pretty slim with the injuries who is up next besides Will Black?!!!!!

Eric Hansen: Hi Ron!!! When I was cleaning up my emails recently, I saw one from around that time that I missed, so please forgive me on that. Glad it worked out. … Who would be up next depends on which position at this point. If it’s at center, it probably is Cam Herron for the short term. At guard, probably Chris Terek. At right tackle, Guerby Lambert likely slides over, with Terek plugging in at Lambert’s guard spot. At left tackle, probably Styles Prescod. The bye week gives the Irish a chance to recalibrate along those lines, meaning Matty Augustine and Will Black could make a case to be in that conversation.

Matt from Austin: Hello Eric, certainly a great week to be an ND fan. Three quick hitters. Do you have a Heisman vote, and if you do or did, where would J Love be in your ballot? I know our OL is deep, but with the Schrauth injury, that depth continues to be tested. Who is the next man up and how will it impact our line? Lastly, since it is a bye week, what will you be making for dinner on Saturday for you family and grandchildren??????? Yes, that is the important one! Eric, have a wonderful week. Matt

Eric Hansen: Hi Matt and thank you. 1) Yes, I have had a Heisman ballot since 1984. And I know fans and a lot of media love the weekly Heisman polls, but for me it’s a waste of my bandwidth. I don’t even think about it until the week we have to vote. It’s kind of like basing my AP ballot on halftime scores. So I have no thoughts on where Jeremiyah Love stands with me. Sorry to be a party pooper. … Sullivan Absher is next to plug in at guard, and played 5 snaps on Saturday night.

Analyst and former Penn State O-lineman Landon Tengwall did a great job of analyzing some film of Absher and projecting him into the ND starting lineup. That was on The Notre Dame Football Show on YouTube with Mike Singer and me last night. You can find it here. Lots of great film analysis of line play and Jeremiyah Love. 3) To your final question, we punted my birthday celebration to the weekend and so I don’t have to cook!! I just have to show up. What a concept!

Patrick from Los Angeles: Ryan Kartje, the USC beat writer for the Los Angeles Times, wrote an article appearing in today’s newspaper that Notre Dame is the true culprit in the pending demise of the annual ND-USC rivalry, the greatest intersectional college football series in history. What is your take on Kartje’s allegations? Indeed, if the series ends, it will be another sad day for college football. Thank you.

Eric Hansen: Hi Patrick. I did a quick scan of the column, so I wouldn’t hold up the chat too much. So, I don’t know if I would be giving it justice without a deeper read. I do think he said both schools have some fault in this, but my take is he thinks ND has more but they just were better at framing their posture? To me, the best column would be one that puts energy into how to make this work, not who is making the negotiations more complicated.

Lorne from Reno. Thanks as always for the chats, especially while we eat cheeseburgers and continue the slow, inevitable (if we keep winning) climb up the polls. If only we could plug in Rocco for Schrauth, though I am happy for him and his success as a Cornhusker. Any chance Schrauth’s injury will affect Jagusah’s return, or is his recovery too far off to be affected? Finally, props for the current number 1 team in the country: you can’t stop Izzy Engle, you can only hope to contain her!!!!!!

Eric Hansen: Hi Lorne, and thank you! No, Billy Schrauth’s injury will not affect the timeline for Charles Jagusah. He has surprised people before with a quicker-than-expected recovery timeline, but after his recent setback and cleanup surgery, returning for a playoff game — at the earliest — seems to be in order. And you are right about Izzy Engle, the nation’s No. 2 goal scorer in all of women’s college soccer!

Ryan Frankfort illinois: Good afternoon Eric what do you think about the play of Drayk bowen he looked good against usc GO IRISH ☘️☘️☘️🏈🏈🏈

Eric Hansen: Hi Ryan. I have been waiting for that version of Drayk Bowen to show up, and he’s been getting there incrementally and then wham. What a performance. If ND gets that version of him going forward, that is incredibly impactful. Pun intended.

Tom F, Kennesaw, GA: Eric, Happy Birthday!!!  Hope that you have a year filled with good health, lots of great memories and of course lots of ND victories!!  Was glad to see my teammate and classmate, Terry Hanratty honored last weekend for his induction into the College FB HOF.  Jim Seymour should be in as well.  My questions have to do with redshirts.  With the rest of the schedule very winnable games there may be opportunities to play some younger guys.  BUT, it might also be wise to save a year of eligibility for some key players like Cooper Flanigan and Aneas Williams. Since Playoff games don’t count, if we make the PO and need them they would be available.  What do you think??  Also, who else might benefit from missing some short term gratification by playing now in favor of long term gratification in the future???  Thanks for having the Chat on the Bye week.  Go Irish!!!! Always great to beat USC……

Eric Hansen: Thanks Tom. And agree with your take on both Terry getting in and Jim Seymour being worthy of that. With regard to redshirts. Let’s focus on the two you asked about — sophomore RB Aneyas Williams and junior TE Cooper Flanagan. Williams has already played in seven games, three over the limit. Special teams play counts, so he’s played in every game. Flanagan made his debut Saturday night and played four snaps in a special power package. I think Notre Dame wants to get good at that and use it in the playoff, so I think he will not redshirt either. But a lot of the freshmen have played in 1, 2 or 0 games. And ND is really good at keeping track and planning when to use them.

If they can help you, even on special teams, it makes sense to get them some game action in up to the four games if that works out.

Adam from Dayton, Ohio: Eric, thanks for being as good as it gets for ND football. What a turnaround for this defense. A lot of players ascending on that unit. However, there are two I would not say that about, and was wondering about them. 1. Who are Christian Gray and Jaylen Sneed? Is Gray just a solid player who is going to be attacked and will lose some, and win some? Or is there more there? Is he actually a really good player but has a much more uneviable task of covering the field side versus the boundary? Similar with Sneed. I know he has been “graded” higher than ever in recent games, but his snaps are down, he is taking a more situational role. I thought he had All-America potential at one point. Is he maxed out at ND/perhaps will be better pro than college player?

Eric Hansen: Hi Adam and thanks for the hype. I’ve done some long pieces on Jaylen Sneed, including one during the playoff last year, that kind of explain his journey. But let me boil it down to something very simple … and then we’ll unpack Christian Gray separately. Rivals has been cranking out top 250s in individual player rankings since 2006 (and now it’s a top 300). But in the 20 completed recruiting cycles ND recruited 6 linebackers who actually played linebacker in those 20 cycles who were ranked 61st or higher regardless of position in their given cycle. FOUR of them are on the roster right now. The other two were All-Americans Manti Te’o and Jaylon Smith. ND plays two linebackers at a time more than it plays three (Saturday was an exception). So you do the math. Drayk Bowen, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Madden Faraimo, Sneed and top 250 player Jaiden Ausberry can’t all play 70 snaps a game. But they can all contribute. And that doesn’t even speak to some of the linebackers, who are very talented, who can’t break into that rotation.

According to Pro Football Focus’ film grades, USC was Sneed’s best game EVER. And his grades have been consistently high and getting better all season. Gray has a great skill set, and a lot of talent. He is on the NFL’s radar. He does not play with consistency, but he does have a penchant for big moments. He probably would be a better boundary corner than field, but ND has the best boundary corner in football, so he plays to the field, out of need. I hope that helps explain things for you. Legit questions. I hope I matched them with my answers.

Don in Scottsdale: Eric, Great win against USC. Way back they always ruined the season.  I always thought Eric Pennick’s run in ’73 was the series highlight but Saturday had two spectacular runs that will be remembered. Love’s run and Price’s 100-yard kickoff return. OK, my question. Sometime during Kelly’s tenure there was a need for place kickers. He had an open tryout for any enrolled student. I believe a decent kicker emerged and did in fact get some game time. Is it time to have a try out to see if someone can consistently make a 45 yard field goal? By the way, your weekly column regarding the poll voting is always a good read!

Eric Hansen: Hi Don, thanks for the praise of the Behind The Ballot column. I really enjoy putting that together on Sundays, usually overcaffeinated. 😎 To your question. The guy you are thinking of is David Ruffer. He was playing interhall football when he got a chance to join the team under Charlie Weis in 2008. He didn’t kick much that year, but he overtook Nick Tausch in 2009. And in 2010, when Brian Kelly took over, Ruffer was put on scholarship. I am going to agree with you that Notre Dame needs to hone its Plan B and maybe even make it Plan A at this point.

I had the chance to talk to special teams coordinator Marty Biagi on Tuesday night of USC week during media availability (it was his turn in the rotation). He thought if they could get Noah Burnette to the bye week, he’d be out of the woods with the hip injury. That did not appear to happen. So what now. Freshman Erik Schmidt was the No. 1 kicker in his class coming out of high school and has a powerful leg. His issue at this stage is accuracy, which should improve with age and experience.

Marcello Diomede is also an option. I think those are much better than trying to buy a lottery ticket. Remember, Ruffer set a school record by making 23 straight field goals at one point in his career. But in the season he joined the team, he did not attempt a field goal and attempted one PAT and missed it. So if you are going to have an open audition, you might get someone for the long term, but not the short term.

Marie from Atlanta: Happy birthday week, Eric! Hoping you had a fantastic celebration yesterday. Great victory over USC this weekend however I think we can all agree that CJ Car did not have a good game. His last three games have been less impressive than his very excellent start. I know some of this may be freshman learning curve, but how much of this issue do you think is due to the fact that now that he’s played some games opponents have more film on him and can scout and plan for him better? Do you see him bouncing back to the level he started out at the  or even better after the bye, Or do you think more film equals more info for opposing teams and makes it easier for them to plan/scheme against him? Since it’s the bye week, let’s have some fun mid season questions. For the halfway point this season who is your offensive MVP, defensive, MVP, most improved player on both offense and defense, most impressive true freshman on both offense and defense, and position group coach MVP. Finally, complete this  sentence: ND makes the playoff and host a home game if the following things happen: … As always, thanks so much for hosting the chat, particularly on a bye week. I know we all appreciate it and love getting your great insights.

Eric Hansen: Hi Marie. In full disclosure, I celebrated by working, which usually happens. But the cool thing is I can move the date around and celebrate more fully later. And it was great to hear from so many people that weren’t Facebook bots trying to steal my identity! So a sincere thank you. I opened the chat with the assessment of CJ Carr, so I won’t deep dive again. But if this is what it looks like when he struggles, rejoice. I mentioned how I think this season will turn out for him in my 5 Bold Predictions column that I posted shortly before the chat, so worth a read. Short answer, I am not concerned. So let’s get to your midseason questions:

Offensive MVP: Jeremiyah Love. Defensive MVP: Leonard Moore. Most improved offense: Jordan Faison has surprised me the most and Eli Raridon did not surprise me, but both are significantly most improved on offense. On defense? Tae Johnson. True freshmen? On defense it’s either Dallas Golden or Madden Fariamo. I’m going to go with Golden, since he’s played more snaps and had the more difficult task. On offense, can we say anybody. They’ve barely played. I’ll go with Scrap Richardson’s scout team work of giving the defense some great looks at dual-threat QBs. Position group coach MVP. Well the guy who had the most to prove was WRs coach Mike Brown, so I’ll go with him, but lots of great choices there.

The list for the last thing you asked would be pretty long, but let me condense it down and say, it’s very plausible, Some of it will be determined outside of what ND can do for itself. As we get closer to Selection Sunday, we can revisit that when the list is shorter and clearer.

John from Scottsdale: Eric!!!!! I enjoy your work on all platforms that I receive. My question relates to an area we haven’t needed much this year but that appears to have improved. It is impossible to tell for sure on TV but based on coverage and return yards it appears our punter is getting more hang time and is punting better than last year. Is that in line with your observations in person at games?

Eric Hansen: John!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where are my manners. If I missed the exclamation points earlier, I apologize. John, yours woke me up. And you are spot on in your observation. Let’s look at the net punting rather than the raw punting numbers. Net punting is what you have after subtracting return yardage and touchbacks. Last year James Rendell averaged 40.16 in net punting, which was 37th nationally and he got better in the playoff. 

This year ND is 11th in net punting and has been trending upwards all season. That average is 43.9. But if you delete that touchback with the relatively new and definitely weird interpretation of batting the ball back, and that is downed at the 1? He’d be second at 46.3 and a fraction of a yard out of first place. And thanks for the compliment!

Mike from Phoenix: Eric!!! Happy Birthday to you! cheers! Hope you get to enjoy your day with your family and a big plate of Chicken Parm! Thank you for these chats! How much has Tae improved this D from the back end? Which teams do you think could beat ND right  except OSU? Here come the IRISH! ☘️

Eric Hansen: Mike!!!! Now I’m hungry thinking about chicken parm after wolfing down my bye week cheeseburger on a whole grain bun. As forTae Johnson. Let me answer your question first, and then give you my backstory on him. It was a significant turning point in the season when Tae had to start because of a targeting infraction that caused Adon Shuler to have to sit out the first half of the Purdue gam eon Sept. 20. When he came back, instead of Tae moving back to No. 2 behind Shuler, he played alongside of him. Huge. Huge. I can’t type enough exclamation points to make my point. (more)
Eric Hansen: Now the backstory. It doesn’t happen every season, but there are times you see a player start to flash in a practice and you go, wow, I wonder what he could turn into and it becomes for lack of a better term, kind of a football crush. Tae Johnson, Kyren Williams, Xavier Watts, Drue Tranquill are the four that come to mind before they broke through. I am confident Tae will eventually be an All-American. Not this year. But soon.

Eric Hansen: As far as which teams could ND beat? That’s more fun when we get to the end of November, because I think that version of Notre Dame’s team would beat this one. I’ll make you a deal, if ND is 10-2, I will do that exercise. But I think it will be pretty easy to find, last year I said the three teams ND would want to draw away from in a playoff bracket were Ohio State, Oregon and Tennessee, because of matchups and they indeed drew away from all three.

Man, that sounded self-serving. Yuck. You can easily Google for stuff I was wrong about as well.

Kevin from Calgary: Eric, happy bye week, although unlike Canadian Thanksgiving I suspect there will be no turkey. Seeing Miami upset at home this week (not to mention A&M squeezing by an Arkansas team we demolished) I’m beginning to worry our impressive losses may lose their lustre. What are the chances a 10-2 Irish make the playoffs if one, or both fall out of the top 10? Always a pleasure to take part in the chats!!!

Eric Hansen: Happy bye week, Kevin. I do not anticipate turkey this week, but I won’t turn it down. Actually, the better Arkansas does, the better it makes ND’s domination of them look. If ND wins and keeps improving, they’re in. If they lose or they slop around and regress, they’ll sweat. I expect scenario A for a Marcus Freeman-coached team. I think USC looking good over the balance of the season would have maybe the most impact, since that’s a game that ND won and won deeper into the season.

Len from the Jersey Shore: Hello Eric !!!!!!!!!!!!   I totally enjoyed the last two weeks of the coverage of you, Mike with guest Landon Tengwall.  I had been critical of the O line play this year.  Landon’s review of O line play  after the NC State game vindicated my thoughts.  For any fellow chatters who like X’s and O’s and technique needed to play O line, the show is “The Notre Dame Football Show”. Second, you and Tyler hit it right on “Football Never Sleeps” with your discussions on ND’s position depth challenges.  As I see it we are short on the O line, Defensive backs and Wide Receivers. Is Stroman not trusted in big games?  Did Talich move past him on the depth chart? Or just against potent passing teams like USC?  After Sullivan A  who is next up on the O line?  Will Greathouse be back soon and didn’t he hurt his leg last season? Ironic that Jagusah, Craig and now Billy S all hurt two years in a row in the same order.  And, if I am right, Greathouse with a leg injury.

Eric Hansen: Len!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the compliment and the plug on The Football Show. Mike Singer and I will be doing those for the rest of the season live on Tuesday nights, which will incorporate the CFP standings reveals, which will be fun. And I think Landon Tengwall is up for joining us, and he is so good. That’s 8 ET Tuesday on YouTube. And thanks for the plug on FNS Monday nights, where it’s a more question-oriented format from our live viewers. … To your questions … Jalen Stroman only played on special teams against USC, in part because his role is being diminished and he’s gotten passed up by both Tae Johnson and Luke Talich. And in part because ND played a lot of three linebackers against USC. Jaden Greathouse played in all 16 games last season. I think you are thinking about the 2023 season.

The Beave (from Grand Rapids via Tallahassee today): Eric: I don’t believe you’ve divulged you musical preference in these chats, but I’m guessing your a classic rock guy. Whatever your genre, what song title best describes the 2025 season to date?

Eric Hansen: Hi The Beave. My tastes are pretty eclectic. Probably most consistently, I listen to new wave and classic rock, but I like a lot of the artists now. The Voice is my favorite show to watch, so that keeps me kind of current. And I have a buddy, who did our Football Never Sleeps themr song, who does a livestream every Sunday on YouTube with requests. And I love the stuff he does. So, what symbolizes ND’s season? I so wanted to shoehorn Sheena Is a Punk Rocker by The Ramones or anything by The Pretenders in here, but I’m going to go with I’m Still Standing by Elton John, and give you the link to the FNS theme song guy, Piano Man Steve Lungrin, doing the cover: HERE.

Mike AKA Mo from Maumee OH: Hi Eric!^! (added a different punctuation mark – not used enough). I personally welcome the bye week- blood pressure lowering daily. Question is this: which position is hardest to evaluate simply by looking at high school ratings, like On3 Composite? Example would be Leonard Moore, Ranked as the No. 390 overall recruit & No. 36 cornerback in the Class of 2024. He of course went on to become 2024 FWAA Freshman Defensive Player of the Year, and is looking just as awesome this season (tackling miscues aside). Thanks!

Eric Hansen: Mike/Mo^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Thanks for the emails!!&*$# In the straight Rivals rankings, Leonard Moore was a top 250 player, but still way underrated. And there are all kinds of good reasons for players being overrated or underrated. But your question is which is the hardest to evaluate. For me, I would think it would be D-lineman, just because there’s so much projection going on with what their size is in high school and how different that might be in college and whether they can maintain burst, speed, etc. Or some are high school linebackers being converted. Some are ends that have to play inside in college. So lots of variables.

Brian Hockney from Detroit Do you think Charles Jagusah returns this season and where will he play?

Eric Hansen: If Charles Jagusah returns, it is going to depend on who’s healthy and when he returns and who’s playing well at that time. But let’s say it’s a playoff game? He’s my left tackle if he’s the Charles Jagusah of last January.

Anthony from Plymouth, Ind.: Having Leonard Moore shadow Makai Lemon went about as well as you could ask, not without mentioning good DL pressure and LB play. Assuming we make the playoffs and cross paths with OSU again, do we deploy this again or it was a one-off. Thanks!

Eric Hansen: Hi Anthony. Makai Lemon, as you know, plays in the slot. Ohio State’s slot receiver, Brandon Inniss, is its third-best WR, so you wouldn’t want to move Moore on him. Jeremiah Smith is the boundary guy and that would be a great matchup. Last year, though, the Buckeyes flipped Smith to the field and Carnell Tate to the boundary in the title game. If that happens again, wow they are both good, but I’d probably flip Moore to cover Smith if he’s to the field side.

TIM from St. Louis: Great of you to do this chat on a bye-week.Did Holtz give you a little shot last Wednesday concerning your reporting in the 80’s-90’s? LOL. Concerning the 314horsemen (Love, Gray, Williams and The- Stash) What is the injury report on Rubio?

Eric Hansen: He did, and I laughed, because I didn’t actually cover him very much during his time at ND. I was the Big Ten beat writer for most of his run and the Notre Dame men’s basketball writer at the end. I did have some ND football games, but usually as a sidebar guy or an opponents guy. My time as a full-time ND football guy started with Bob Davie. So, it was kind of funny. But I appreciate that he did the show. We’ll get clarity on Gabe Rubio oh Monday, but I didn’t sense this was expected to be long term. Thanks Tim.

Brian K, South Bend: Hi Eric $$$$$, A Great ND win vs Southern Cal in the rain!!!  RB recruiting seems to be trending upward with Kemon Spell leaning toward the Irish. Looking toward to the ’26 Season, is ND’s leading Rusher on the current roster? If so, who would you predict it to be?  Go IRISH!!

Eric Hansen: Hi Brian. ND will bring in a couple of freshmen, but I would think it would be either Aneyas Williams or Nolan James Jr.

Bob Gorman, Oak Park, Ill.: After a win, it is easy to gloss over the plays that often would be a point of focus had we lost…kicking woes and all the penalties we had. Thankfully, the lads overcame the flaws through great energy and determination in general. So, what was up with all the penalties? Lack of fundamentals? Lack of execution?  Or were the refs calling the game closely and our lads did not adjust to how the game was called? We were certainly flagged more than the Trojans, and I am accustomed to us playing cleaner historically.

Eric Hansen: Hi Bob. I usually don’t get as wrapped up in officiating as most people do. I thought there were some bad bad calls in that game and some that actually went ND’s way and then got reversed. Not saying there’s bias, just maybe incompetence.

Matt from Austin: Eric, thanks for the link. Landon did a great job of breaking down Absher’s play. Great analysis and questions from you and Mike as well!

Eric Hansen: Thanks for checking that out, Matt!

Stephen from New Orleans: Earlier this year Pete Bevacqua spoke with reporters about how Freeman said there wasn’t anything he really needed to help elevate the football program. Now that Freeman’s name is popping up in coaching searches this carousel, what is Bevacqua likely asking Freeman needs to stay? Do you think that broader administration is willing to support adjustments for things like admissions and transfer students to at least show a genuine sign of good faith if salaries and facilities aren’t a big issue as they were 10 years ago?

Eric Hansen: I think the interest in Marcus Freeman is real. And I think his disinterest in leaving at this time is even more real.

Mike from Pewaukee, Wis.: Hello Eric!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 34 ! for the 34 points ND put up against SC this weekend. I was at the game this weekend and the atmosphere, once the game started, was electric for sure. My 1st question for you is are there any freshman that we haven’t seen so far, or seen in a limited fashion, that may break into the scene in this back half of the season? If not, which ones are you most excited to see play next season? Of the current receivers, who do you think will have the most productive 2nd half of the season? Lastly, what are your expectations for CJ if/when ND gets into the playoffs? Thanks for all your work and Go Irish!!!!!!

Eric Hansen: Mike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You snuck in because of the quality of your question, but the exclamation point drew my eye in what is still a very loaded question portal. To your questions … 1) I am going to do a freshmen-to-watch piece on Friday. I am talking to sources this week, since so many of them haven’t played yet. So, keep an eye out for that. 2). I think Malachi Fields, Jaden Greathouse and TE Cooper Flanagan will get more involved in the second half of the season and the playoff. 3) I expect you’ll see the best version of him yet at that point against some difficult defenses.

Eric Hansen: OK, half hour of overtime, and I still am not close to emptying the queue. Sorry for the questions I did not get to. There were some great ones leftover, Thanks for everyone who asked, who lurked, who ate cheeseburgers. We’ll be back to do it all over again next Wednesday at noon ET.