What would be the best gameplan to take down Notre Dame in 2026? | Chat Transcript

Eric Hansen: Welcome to a special June edition of Notre Dame Football Live Chat.

We’ll be doing a few more of these this summer periodically before we shift into weekly mode for the rest of 2026 in early August.

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 Monday 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 live Notre Dame Football Show, on Wednesday nights at 7 ET.

► The Third & Gold Podcast is available at all places where you find podcasts, as well as our YouTube Channel. On our most recent episode, we had a whopping 13 guests join us on location in Chicago at the annual Tom Lemming Photoshoot-a-palooza. Guests included former Notre Dame All-America safety Tom Zbikowski, former Irish walk-on defensive lineman and longtime manager of the rock band Chicago Peter Schivarelli, Notre Dame D-line commit David Folorunsho and 10 Irish recruiting targets. Our next podcast drops TBA.

As far as this week’s chat …

PLEASE include your NAME and HOMETOWN along with your question(s). “If you submit your name as “guest”, I will need to see some ID.

No 17-parters. No manifestos.

These are the other rules. Only the “no gambling” and “no spitting” edicts will be strictly enforced.

Eric Hansen: Off we go …

Jeremy from Goshen, Ind.: You are the other team’s offensive coordinator. Where are you trying to attack ND’s defense? As our opponent’s defensive coordinator, where would you try and attack the offense?

Eric Hansen: Hi Jeremy. First, I would love to trade paychecks with an opposing coordinator, but attacking either Notre Dame’s offense or defense is going to be a headache of a game plan. In going against Mike Denbrock’s offense, loading the box against CJ Carr is stupid. So, I am going to play a light box to maximize my pass-coverage resources and kind of dare ND to lean into its running game to test if that’s less stupid. I also think I’d need to take some chances with my pressures to try to force a turnover or two, even if it means leaving my defense exposed.

Looking at Notre Dame’s defense? Yikes. I’m going to jab with my running game to see if the Irish are as stout against the run as I think they are. I’m going to try to take shots at the new nickel, Christian Gray, to see if there’s a soft spot in coverage, maybe try to get some mismatches if I can with my tight end. But if I am successful with my run game, maybe I can shorten the game and play keepaway a bit from the Irish offense.

Robin from San Diego: Eric – First-time submitter — hope I make cut. You are an AP Voter (I believe). Do you envision that you, or other voters, will simply leave Texas Tech off the ratings to ensure displeasure with the temporary Injunction that was granted does not allow them to benefit from this biased, local, and ridiculous retired judge’s ruling?

Eric Hansen: Robin, that’s beyond beginner’s luck. What a strong debut question. I will be an AP voter again in 2026, and I just got a survey in my inbox from another AP voter who is doing a story on this topic. I have been thinking about this for a few days now and am open to changing my mind later, but here’s where I land: The deeper we get into this story with all its ugly tentacles, the madder I get at Texas Tech for being the pariah of college football and sports in general. But is it my job to legislate morality on a team in an AP poll?

My answer at this point is no, I would not let their legal situation affect my vote. My job is to place them in their proper ranking based on their play on the field. There are other platforms where I can rail against Texas Tech, and I will. But I think as an AP voter, you put your feelings aside on everything else and provide a fair assessment of the team’s play. Now if the CFP committee has other ideas, that’s on them.

Jack from Strongsville, Ohio: Hi Eric. Hope you are dodging all the rain and heavy thunderstorms around South Bend. I have been reading all your articles about the future of the CFB playoffs and possible expansion to 24  teams. Are you personally in favor of this? If it occurs, don’t you think it will devalue the regular season and no one is talking about the economic impact of that. Have a great summer!

Eric Hansen: Hi Jack! I actually was able to dodge those storms in South Bend, because I was working remotely when they passed through in another state. However, they found me here too, but was I smart enough to stay inside and not run around outside with a metal object in my hand! Thanks. … As far as the 24-team playoff, I can see some benefits to it, especially if it means teams would be more willing to aggressively schedule outside of their conferences. And especially if sometimes meaningless conference title games go bye-bye. But overall, I think 16 is the best number and 14 would work for me as well. I think 24 is too many. I don’t think it would render the regular season meaningless, but it would change how we view the regular season. I think 16 is the max where we can kind of have it both ways — every regular-season game matters AND all the teams that have a shot at winning a title are included.

Scott from Greenville, S.C.: Eric!!! I hope you are enjoying summer and can take the grandchildren for a nice mini-vacation! I truly enjoy listening to you and reading your columns, while you share all the info on ND, the recent Congressional talks regarding NIL and transfers, and perspectives on the future of CFB. It keeps my brain active which is good. At 65, my brain isn’t always, um, always, um, well, you know. So, what are the big stories you’re writing this summer? I think I heard you will be contributing to a new ND book? Looking forward to its release. Lastly, I think most of us are excited about the upcoming season, especially with the returning talent and new additions. Besides Carr, what is the one player ND cannot lose to injury this year? I have my thoughts, but I forget them quickly. Hey, I have tickets for the Rice game. I hope I get a chance to meet you before the game! I can check that off my bucket list! Yes, you are on my bucket list! Be safe, have a great summer, and all the best from sunny SC. No, the other SC.

Eric Hansen: Scott!!!! Thank you for the excessive punctuation. It is much appreciated. My two youngest grandkids (twins) turn 1 today, and I have 8 total. So, when you use the term “mini-vacation”, I think the word “mini” is doing the heavy lifting in that sentence more than “vacation”. Unless someone else is in charge! Then, bring it on. As far as summer stories, I have to keep some of that under wraps, so as not to tip off my competition. But you are right, there’s a cool Notre Dame history book coming out later this summer from Blue & Gold called: The Gold Standard. It’s the best of everything Notre Dame football of the past 50 years and the great stories behind that.

Our Blue & Gold season preview magazine is at the printer and will be mailed in July. There are a couple of stories from that publication that I’ll highlight that I wrote — a behind-the-scenes look at CJ Carr’s offseason evolution and a cool look back at how OC Mike Denbrock transformed after leaving Notre Dame in 2016 and then coming back in 2024. You get get more info on both pubs here: bluegoldonline.com

Now to your actual question: Which player ND could least afford to lose is a tricky one, because you have to consider the replacement every bit as much as the player you would lose. I came up with a list of five, but I’ll skinny that down to three — LT Will Black, kicker Spencer Porath and DE Boubacar Traore. I think Notre Dame could survive any of those, and is built to, but each of those leaving the roster would create some headaches that would take some time, effort and maybe luck to solve. Scott, YOU are on my bucket list. Get your butt up here, and let’s go get something cold to drink and maybe even a giant turkey leg for each of us!

Ryan from Frankfort, Illinois: Good afternoon, Eric. Who will be named the captains? When they are announced, my guess is Drayk Bowen and Jordan Faison, and I don’t know who else. GO IRISH ☘️☘️🏈🏈

Eric Hansen: Hi Ryan. There are so many good candidates here and the total number seems to fluctuate. But let’s ride with six, the number they had in 2025. There are two repeats on defense — S Adon Shuler and LB Drayk Bowen, so pencil those two in. For the last one on defense, I have CB Leonard Moore edging out DT Jason Onye. On offense, QB CJ Carr is a gimme, and I think OG Anthonie Knapp is as well. For the third, I’d have WR Jordan Faison edging out TE Cooper Flanagan.

Matt from Muscatine: Hi Eric! Happy Summer! I’m glad these chats are back! Thank you for doing them! I have three questions. 1. What do you think of the college sports legislation and PB’s comments on it? What about the Big10 and SEC’s joint statement of opposition? 2. Will you be at Lambeau for the Shamrock Series game? Because I will! It’d be great if we could cross paths or grab a beer (I’ll buy you one) if you’re available. 3. If you could have any two players (one offense and one defense) from the CW or BK eras to add to this year’s roster, who would they be and why? Thank you!!!

Eric Hansen: Hi Matt! Happy summer to you. I feel like I am doing this chat from the Sun today. Since your Pete Bevacqua question covers so much territory and there are some more specific ones sitting in the question portal, let me pass on that for now and answer your others. Hopefully, that does not disqualify me from free beer. … 2. I do plan to be at Lambeau, yes. Really looking forward to it. And I can have beer as long as it’s not on game day itself. I am not sure how far away we are staying. Colleague Jack Soble is our travel agent. I just hope he didn’t book one big bed for all four or five of us. Otherwise, I will need more than one beer. 3. This is a really fun question and very difficult to answer because of how good this 2026 roster is. So I did not select the best two players from that era, but I picked the two that would add more certainty at a couple of positions.

Eric Hansen: On offense, I’ll go with Michael Mayer. I like this tight end group, but Mayer would supercharge it and make it even more difficult to deal with ND’s speed at wide receiver. On defense, I’d go with defensive end Stephon Tuitt to complement Boubacar Traore. The 2012 version of Tuitt, BTW. You could also slide him inside if needed. A guy I strongly considered was Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. He could be a nickel or a linebacker and everything in between. Thank you!!!!

Joe from Baltimore: Joe from Baltimore – hi Eric. Were you able to find out if the ND Football team got a ring for each bowl win during the 2024 playoffs? I saw that Indiana got a ton for their run, and I am not sure whether ND got them too. Thanks!

Eric Hansen: Hi Joe. Indiana did commission five different rings from its title run last season. You can see pics and read about them HERE. In order to leave no doubt about how Notre Dame handled the rings question, I had two text-a-friend lifelines out. Confirmed that Notre Dame did not commission rings for those games. “We only do that for championships.” was the text-a-friend response from someone very much in the know about those things. I have not personally received a ring other than in a Cracker Jack box for a long time.

Marie from Atlanta: Hi Eric, I hope you’re having a fantastic week and thank you so much for hosting the chat. A lot of people are predicting that ND will go 12-0. Excluding  the three big games on the schedule which other game do you think is a legitimate potential trap game? If you were game planning against Notre Dame, what would your strategy be against  Notre Dame‘s offense and defense? I know the majority of us are disgusted with the Brendan Sorsby ruling and although it’s interesting  that the Big 12 A.D.s and others are meeting to try and do something about it, at  the end of the day, do you actually see anything happening?  If nothing is done, which I assume is what will be the outcome, does the playoff committee have the power to keep TT out regardless of their record. I doubt they would do it but in theory could they? Thanks so much for hosting the chat during your very busy summer. I know we all look forward to the next chat.

Eric Hansen: Hi Marie. Jeremy poached one of your questions, but I can get to the others. Having a blast this week. I think the closest thing to a trap game is SMU in November, but you included them in the big three. Beyond that, maybe Wisconsin because of Badger head coach Luke Fickell’s familiarity with Marcus Freeman, Mike Denbrock, Gino Guidugli and Mike Brown. But that goes both ways. Maybe Navy. They’re going to be pretty good, the game is in Massachusetts and it precedes the big showdown in Miami by a week. … Texas Tech is determined to die on this hill, and they just might, suing everybody for everything — maybe even suing you for asking about it. I think they’re going to hit a legal wall at some point. The committee could keep them out under false pretenses, like putting in another team that bravely converted a fourth down against a crappy Auburn team. They would have to be given that power to make that move without covering it up. Thanks again for being part of the chats!

Tom F from Kennesaw, Ga.: Hey Eric, welcome back!  How was the fishing trip?  What was the biggest fish you caught? I noticed Ben Nichols carrying a fishing rod when he was checking in.  Not sure what he can catch in the ND lakes.  Given the unproven nature of the WR group, other than Faison and Greathouse (when healthy), what gives you the confidence that this group will actually perform at a high level that will make the ND offense a more dangerous unit?? Some of the new OL look Huge!! And, Teddy Garrard looks like he has filled out and added 10 pounds or so.  When will you get ht/wt info from ND on the freshman class???  Hope you have a wonderful summer.  Go Irish!!!!!!!

Eric Hansen: Tom, thanks for the welcome and the tip from the other day! The fishing trip was amazing. The best thing I caught was a boneless ribeye steak, because I am not a huge seafood (or lakefood) enthusiast. But I loved being out of the boat with great company and no cell phone. I even got to see Brian Kelly’s old lake home. As far as the wide receiver group, what gives me confidence is having seen most of them in practice. And the one I didn’t see, Ohio State transfer Quincy Porter, CJ Carr gave me a scouting report earlier this week when I was finishing up my season preview story on CJ.

Yes, some big boys are coming in the door. Offensive guard Ben Nichols is 6-5, 320, for instance. And QB Teddy Jarrard is a big guy too. He was listed at 6-3, 196 when he signed with the Irish in February. He’s listed at 6-4, 207 walking in the door this week for summer school and being added to the Notre Dame roster for the first time. The ht/wt info for the freshman class is updated on the ND website. The other ht/wts are not updated, but here they are for the other four newcomers:

TE Ian Premer 6-6, 240
OT Greg Patrick 6-6, 281
K Micah Drescher 6-5, 196
Transfer CB DJ McKinney 6-1, 185

Have a great summer, Tom!

Lorne from Reno, Nev.: Of our three All-World defenders, I think you have to call Leonard Moore the best. But between Brauntae (yes, over Shuler) and KVA, who do you think has the highest ceiling?

Eric Hansen: Lorne! I suppose I’d be wussing out if I proposed a tie? Really like both of them, but I am going to go with Brauntae Johnson by an eyelash.

2581/Tony from Lexington, Ky., the current home of Kenny Minchey! 88 days from the start of football season may seem like a long time to us diehard fans, but it will be here before we know it ! Looking forward to seeing you at our tailgate near Lambeau Field, Eric the Great ! I know you can’t have any Coronas with lime on Game Day, but we will have plenty of water, pop, and juice – and food ! These questions require you to put on your soothsayer’s hat & get out your crystal ball: (1) will Charles Jagusah start on the O-line for ND on September 6th ?; and (2) will KVA start at linebacker that night ? Have a great Summer, Eric ! Go Irish ! ☘🏈🏈☘

Eric Hansen: Tony! Nice to know if they serve frozen tundra as the media meal in the press box that you’ve got my back! You are right about the fortune teller aspect of your questions. We should have a clearer timeline on both by the end of the month. My prediction on Charles Jagusah has been that he will be in uniform on opening night. Will he start? I’ll say no, but I do think he will be a starter at some point in 2026 and a very good one. Phil Steele’s magazine picked him as a preseason All-American, as well as a handful of other Irish players. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa? He only started two games last year, so it’s easy to say “no” on him starting, but I think he will play. 🔮

Mike from South Bend, IN: Coming off of Pete B’s remarks to Congress, what do you think ND would do if its choices were to join a super league (whatever final form of the top X teams it takes) or be left behind in what remains with the low-end P4 schools and Group of 6? A decade ago, Swarbrick and Fr. Jenkins spoke out about the push for CBAs/student-athletes as employees, etc., but times (and seemingly ND’s position) have changed. Current program inertia seems to be favoring the former, rather than the latter.

Eric Hansen: Hi Mike. Notre Dame made his comments to the Senate committee recently about the possibility of the Super League in the context of talking about pooling media rights. And Pete Bevacqua did say incidentally he was against both. But if there were a creation of such — which the Protect College Sports Act would ban — I think Notre Dame would see the best option as being a part of that — reluctantly. You are right about times changing with regard to employees. I don’t think Notre Dame likes that designation any better now, and the PCSA would preserve more of a student-athlete experience. But if there were collective bargaining at some point, for example, I think Notre Dame would roll with that.

Ed from Sayville, N.Y.: Hi Eric. It’s always fun on chat day! What are your impressions regarding team readiness for the coming season? What are the most notable offseason developments that you expect to pay big dividends going into the season? Thank you, and please tell your Cardinals to quit beating up my Mets!

Eric Hansen: Ed! Thanks for joining us, but I will not tell the Cardinals to stop beating up on your Mets. I am in too much of a state of shock that they’re not in last place as this point to do otherwise. To boil what would be a long and wide-ranging answer to your questions to chat-sized form, there is a lot of work to be done this summer and in training camp, and this team is built for it. I remain optimistic that this is a team with the capability of making a deep playoff run. I think some of the developments that will pay off from the offseason is maintaining their angry edge, if you will. There’s a lot of love being thrown Notre Dame’s way this offseason, and they’re not ingesting any of that “rat poison.”

I really like the player leadership emerging, developments on the health/injury front, the continuity of schemes and coordinators on both sides of the ball and Marcus Freeman’s unrelenting quest to question everything.

Barry from Napa, Calif.: Eric, great article recently about the latest proposed legislation. This is essentially the inverse scenario. Kirby Smart comes out of the SEC talks and suggests that perhaps the SEC will just create their own rules and playoff if there aren’t more universal rules in place, like legislation. Considering how Smart and SEC fans deride Notre Dame for having its own TV contract and its own “rules” (not joining a conference), the hypocrisy is on full display. More often than not institutions act in their own best interest…okay when SEC decides to do it but not anyone else. That said, how serious a claim do you think this is and if it happened, what are the consequences to intersectional games, to include ND agreements with SEC teams (Auburn, Alabama, Texas, Florida) in the future?

Eric Hansen: Thanks Barry. I think the threat of the SEC going off on its own, or paired with the Big Ten, is real. I don’t think there’s a sustainable plan in place at this time, though. And the Protect College Sports Act would override and ban such a move. So, a lot of moving legal parts. But an SEC-only breakaway seems foolish. I don’t like it, nor do I think it would work.

Jim from Wheaton, Ill.: Happy hot, humid days of summer, Eric! Excited for the next two weeks of official visits, with fingers crossed that we can lend a couple of more pieces to an already great recruiting class. My questions: who is allowed to accompany the on their official visits, and does Notre Dame put any limitations on that? Parents, of course, but what about coach or coaches, agents, siblings, etc.? My second question relates to the itinerary for an official visit. Is this something you have insight into, and if so, what are the components of that visit? I assume Marcus is the closer, but perhaps that isn’t the case. Thanks, as always for the awesome work you do for us!

Eric Hansen: Happy sweating, Jim! You are right about two big official visit weekends coming up, with the first of those two coming up this weekend. Mike Singer, Kyle Kelly and Tyler James have you covered at blueandgold.com. To you questions, players are allowed to bring up to two parents and/or legal guardians in which everything is paid for, including meals, transportation and entertainment. Others, like siblings and coaches, can come if the university is on board as long as they pay for their own expenses. That’s an NCAA rule. All visits aren’t cookie-cutter, and it would take a lot of time and space to go into great detail here. But recruits spend a lot of time with the coaches, with the current players, meeting other important people on campus to answer questions and having fun. Thanks for the great question.

Len from the Jersey Shore: Hi Eric!!!! Congress and legislation, courts and admitted gambling QB gets an injunction — what a time in college football. In 2024 and 2025 and now in 2026, based upon caliber of talent expected to start and their level of development, what O-Line unit had/has the highest upside and which one had/has the highest floor?

Eric Hansen: Len!!!!! Yeah, maybe I should have taken the other fork in the road and gone to law school way back when … to be a sports writer. … to your question, with or without Charles Jagusah —and I earlier predicted it will be with — the highest floor and the highest ceiling among those three O-lines you mentioned is 2026. Hands down.

Eric Hansen: OK, we’re down to a repeat question, two without names or hometowns and a manifesto. So that’s going to do it for today. Thanks for all the great questions. We’ll be back to do another one likely later this month. I’ll let you all know in advance on my social media and at blueandgold.com. Thanks again for being a part of the chat today!