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\u25ba If you missed the last episode of our aspiring-to-be-viral Notre Dame Football YouTube show, Football Never Sleeps<\/a>, 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<\/a> channel.\u00a0 We\u2019ll be back next week, 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<\/a> as well, including the live Notre Dame Football Show<\/a>, on Wednesday nights.<\/p>\n \u25ba The Third & Gold Podcast<\/a> is available at all places where you find podcasts, as well as our YouTube Channel<\/a>. On our most recent episode<\/a>, we caught up with recruiting analyst Tom Lemming<\/a> of the Prep Football Report. The next episode will drop Friday.<\/p>\n As far as this week\u2019s chat \u2026<\/p>\n PLEASE include your name and hometown along with your question(s).<\/p>\n Here are the rules:<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: The no bare feet rule definitely won\u2019t be enforced this week, except at my house. Same with the no drinking rule. The others \u2026 don\u2019t you dare.<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: Off we go \u2026<\/p>\n Matt from Austin: Good morning Eric. Hope all is well in your world. I have two questions which probably need your unique insights. 1. With so many sources naming CJ Carr as the Heisman favorite for this season, how is he handling the hype? He seems grounded and confident at the same time. Do the coaches help him with the publicity demands and does the university plan to promote his candidacy? 2. What has your experience been in sensing the locker room in these days of NIL? Obviously, different players get different deals. Are players aware of the value of their teammates NIL contracts? Have you noted any jealousy\/irritation among the athletes? I\u2019m sure the coaches and administration try to keep this well controlled. No need for names, just your impression. Thanks so much, Eric.<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: HI Matt, thank you! Let\u2019s start with CJ Carr<\/a>. You\u2019re right, Carr has a groundedness and maturity about him that has already served him well as a first-time starter in a marquee program and will continue to serve him well if that accelerates into a full-blown Heisman Trophy run. Learning from how Sam Hartman from a distance and Riley Leonard<\/a> up close dealt with the spotlight, both when it was friendly and when it was glaring and harsh, was something Carr took in as well. Ian Book<\/a> has been a valuable mentor as well. And offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock<\/a> (while at LSU) has coached a Heisman Trophy winner.<\/p>\n Notre Dame\u2019s Fighting Irish Media staff do a great job of planning, both behind the scenes and when things get loud. Timing is everything. And you don\u2019t want to acknowledge and promote a Heisman candidacy too early or it really can backfire. I did a behind-the-scenes look at how ND handled Jeremiyah Love\u2019s<\/a> Heisman run if you have an interest in more depth. As far as the NIL\/rev-share stuff, it\u2019s really going to vary from school to school how that affects or doesn\u2019t affect a locker room and how strong the school\u2019s culture is. There isn\u2019t a public database where players can see the actual numbers of teammates or what players at other schools are getting. But anecdotally, kids talk and have a good feel for what is going on with their teammates. Again a strong culture is going to mitigate envy, but not completely eliminate it. So far, it seems to be working well at Notre Dame at least.<\/p>\n Jeremy from Goshen, Ind.: When you watch Williams highlights you see multiple over-the head-catches. His receiving ability looks truly elite and if I am Denbrock I would strongly consider leaning into that. What is the all-time single season record for receiving yards by a running back? What are your thoughts on the ways the new running backs room may be used in 2026 compared to Love and Price?<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: HI Jeremy. I still owe you an email, I believe. I had some family business to take care of right about the time you sent that and am still playing catch-up on emails, so please forgive me. \u2026 to your questions \u2026 You\u2019re going to be surprised at the names that top that list. It is a very different list than the single-season receptions leaders. Here are the top 10 single-season receiving yards leaders in Notre Dame history:<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: As far as how Aneyas Williams<\/a> and the other four running backs are used, we\u2019ll see a lot of experimentation this spring. I think it\u2019ll be a deeper rotation, 3 or 4, as opposed to 2. Kedren Young<\/a> coming back from an ACL tear is an intriguing wild card. I could see him as a niche short-yardage back and I could see him competing to be back No. 2 or even 1A. But Williams, as you point out, provides a little bit of everything at a high level.<\/p>\n Skip from Houston: I have four unrelated questions:\u00a0 (1) why was Rendell denied a third year of eligibility; (2) when $ amounts are given for NIL, are these amounts per year, four years or varying per contract; (3) in stating arm length, say 34\u2033, how is that measured; and (4) I find it curious that ND quarterbacks\/recruits are almost always ranked in the teens \u2013 do we do a great job of finding diamonds in the rough or is there some other answer why we don\u2019t usually seek quarterbacks ranked in the top five? Thanks.<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: Hi Skip. There was not an official announcement on that. Here is my understanding of James Rendell\u2019s<\/a> situation. Coming in the door, the NCAA perceived him as a grad student and not a 24-year-old undergrad in his first season. He was initially granted one year of eligibility and petitioned for a second and third year, but only got the second. He attended two different colleges in Australia before coming to the U.S., and because of that and his age, the NCAA seemed unwilling to move off the notion he was a grad student.<\/p>\n Fellow Australian punter Jasper Scaife<\/a>, who enrolled in January at ND, is considered an undergrad with four years of eligibility. \u2026 2) The NIL or rev share figures given a player \u2014 if accurate \u2014 are for one-year increments, one-year contracts. I am not sure where you are quoting the figures from, so I am not sure if you are seeing estimates or actual compensation. 3) Arm length per a Google search is: from the base of the neck\/shoulder blade (specifically the acromion process) down the extended arm to the tip of the middle finger, using a tailor\u2019s measuring tape.<\/p>\n 4) Not a one-size fits all answer. I would say QB recruiting under Marcus Freeman<\/a> and Gino Guidugli<\/a> is as good as it\u2019s been since Charlie Weis<\/a> was landing elite QB recruits. In the Brian Kelly<\/a> Era there were more misses than hits in terms of top 10 guys, but he did get a few, including Gunner Kiel<\/a>. But here\u2019s something to consider, the last college QB ranked higher than CJ Carr<\/a> at the position (6th) to win a national title was Trevor Lawrence<\/a> at Clemson in 2018.<\/p>\n And the only other top 10-rated QB in that stretch to lead his team to a national title was J.J. McCarthy<\/a> of Michigan in 2023. So, fit and style matter very much.<\/p>\n Jim from Anthony, Texas: Eric, so glad you\u2019re having these chats during the off season. Myself and others here would probably go nuts if we couldn\u2019t talk football with someone. Just 2 questions, kind of trivial at that . . . Who is the young man who stands behind or very nearby CMF, he seems to give coach information occasionally? #2. Of the $21M that schools can pay out to student athletes (fingers crossed behind my back) what percentage of that, at large universities, trickles down to say women\u2019s cross country or golf?<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: Hi Jim. Believe me, the feeling is mutual about the chats helping my offseason sanity. A dose of normalcy is just what I need these days. That young man is Anthony Treash<\/a>. He\u2019s an Indiana University grad who\u2019s held a couple of different titles in his first two seasons with the Irish, both of which sound important and are. He was the director of analytics in 2024 and the director of football strategy in both 2025 and currently. He worked for football analytics website Pro Football Focus for 5 years prior to joining the ND staff.<\/p>\n 2. Very, very little. Where ND can help in those sports is through NIL deals outside of the direct rev share. Notre Dame also is not bound by scholarship limits beyond the actual roster limits, so there are some options possible there as well in the sports you mentioned.<\/p>\n Bill from Milford, Conn.: Hope you\u2019re still doing review of men\u2019s & women\u2019s basketball. Have I missed them? Been looking for podcasts or another jot . Com ?<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: Bill, sorry, things got put on hold a little bit as I had some family business to attend to. I am back and fully engaged and playing catch-up now.<\/p>\n Mark from T-Ville, N.J.: Hi Eric. I hope all is well with you,the family and the Irish. It appears Charlie Partridge has been coaching D lines for sometime and has coached along side DC Ash for several years. That being the case do you feel Al Washington was moved to LB coach to make room for Partridge? Would you consider Charlie being an upgrade at this position group? I felt Washington recruiting was average until this past class, do you know anything about Partridge as a recruiter? Again thanks for the info and the chats nothing better!!<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: Hi Mark. Thanks for the well wishes and the compliment. I have a column coming on Charlie Partridge<\/a> that will run on Friday morning at blueandgold.com<\/a>. So you will want to check that out. But I think Charlie Partridge<\/a> is going to prove to be s SIGNIFICANT addition to the coaching staff for Marcus Freeman<\/a>. This is not a knock on Al Washington<\/a>. Al was reportedly happy with the move to linebackers to help present himself as a stronger candidate for defensive coordinator jobs and then he ends up going to the NFL as a linebackers coach (he had coached that position earlier in his career).<\/p>\n I don\u2019t want to give away all of tomorrow\u2019s column here, but Partridge reminds me of what Harry Hiestand brought to the table as an offensive line coach \u2026 not only a master class on technique, but a guy with vast schematic knowledge who\u2019s a huge asset to the coordinator. The three D-line transfers (Keon Keeley<\/a>, Tionne Gray<\/a> and Francis Brewu<\/a>) all raved about him and how much his presence factored into them picking ND in the transfer process. Tom Lemming<\/a>, longtime recruiting analyst, believes Partridge will be a dynamic recruiter. And we\u2019re already seeing signs of it in the 2027 class.<\/p>\n Ryan Frankfort Illinois: Good afternoon Eric who will be returning kickoffs and punts during the season I\u2019m thinking Kedren Young and someone else for kickoffs and Jordan Fasion for Punts GO IRISH \u2618\ufe0f\u2618\ufe0f\u2618\ufe0f\ud83c\udfc8\ud83c\udfc8\ud83c\udfc8 thanks for getting back to me on X i was the person who asked when your chat was going to be.<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: Hi Ryan. Thanks for asking. Your question helped others see that the chat moved to Thursday, so again thank you. I speculated a little bit about this last week. I think in the spring you\u2019ll see Jordan Faison<\/a> and a whole bunch of challengers, including Dallas Golden<\/a>, for punt returns. Aneyas Williams<\/a> too. On kickoff returns, I think Williams will be the pole-sitter, but lots of options there too. This won\u2019t likely be finalized at either place until fall camp. So lots of time to sort that out.<\/p>\n Marie from Atlanta: hi Eric, I hope you\u2019re having a great weekend and thanks for hosting the chat. Can you give your thoughts on the hiring of Shawn Shivers? Is he being hired to fill a spot from someone who left? Does he have any connections to ND? Any special skill or knowledge that he\u2019s known for that might have enticed ND\u00a0 to hire him? Do you see Mylan Graham more likely to play in the field or the boundary? Also, do you think there\u2019s any chance that Cam Williams would play the boundary? I know you guys got to interview some players yesterday, what were one or two of the biggest highlights for you? Thanks for hosting the chat and all the great information.<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: Hi Marie. Can\u2019t complain when you can wear shorts and a short-sleeve shirt outside in the middle of February, even if it\u2019s just for one day. \u2026 I like the hiring of Shaun Shivers<\/a> and an analyst and assistant wide receivers coach. ND is getting a young, ambitious, rising coach with really good recruiting chops and ties to the state of Florida, where he was a star running back in high school. There is not an apparent previous Notre Dame tie. He replaces Dom Spalding<\/a>, who\u2019s now at Michigan State.<\/p>\n As far as wide receivers, Mylan Graham<\/a> projects as field receiver as his best position, but he could really play any of the three. Cam Williams goes into spring slotted in the boundary and will be competing with Quincy Porter<\/a> and Micah Gilbert<\/a>. But if he takes off this spring, and that is expected, he could also move around to other positions. \u2026 At the Wednesday interviews, they brought in the seven transfers who are on campus and Charlie Partridge<\/a> and didn\u2019t stagger them for the print\/web media.\u00a0 So I glommed onto\u00a0 Porter and Partridge, but there were some great interviews.<\/p>\n After watching Keon Keeley\u2019s<\/a> video and reading his interview transcript provided by one of the other writers, I was absolutely blown away by his great attitude and the work he\u2019s already put in. Blown away.<\/p>\n Don in Scottsdale, Ariz.: Eric, I hope the time with family was comforting for all and hope you are doing well.\u00a0 What is one thing we can learn in spring practice?\u00a0 What are the questions that need to be answered in the fall?\u00a0 The amount and quality of content on the site is great.\u00a0 The team seems to be on top of everything.<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: Don. I appreciate that, and they certainly were. And great friends were very supportive as well. \u2026 And thanks for the compliments about the site and the content. As I like to say, spring practice is more about impressions than conclusions. But I think one of the things we\u2019ll learn this spring is how much different\/better CJ Carr<\/a> 2.0 is than the 2025 version and all the different directions\/gears the offense can move in. And I assume you asked the fall question based on my spring priorities piece earlier this week: Six spring priorities that will shape Notre Dame football\u2019s title push<\/a>\u00a0 So let\u2019s take a look at some of those \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n You\u2019ll have a much better feel for who the No. 1 kicker and punter is in the fall, just because you\u2019ve had a whole summer of work behind them and you\u2019ll be outside more. Figure out return men and special teamers is on the list. Now that Teddy Jarrard<\/a> will be part of the competition, you\u2019ll get a great read on who the No. 2 QB is. In theory, you\u2019ll have all the pieces back for the O-line or well-defined recovery timelines and that will come together. Key pieces like RB Kedren Young<\/a> and freshman TE Ian Premer<\/a> will figure out where they fit as well June-arriving CB transfer DJ McKinney<\/a>.<\/p>\n A huge priority \u2014 and I mean HUGE \u2014 is doing a better job of exposing flaws and fixing them in August, ahead of the season, rather than having them exposed in September and paying a price for that.<\/p>\n Smitty from Tempe, Ariz.: Eric, I appreciate, as always, all that you do for us Irish fans.\u00a0 My understanding is that in this new age of college football (transfer portal, NIL) that ND has been able to retain their own players, at least those that they want to retain, at a better rate than most other schools. It sounds like culture and player development are big reasons for this.\u00a0 Do you agree with those assumptions?<\/p>\n ND brought in more\u00a0 undergrad transfers in the last portal cycle as opposed to the historically typical one year grad transfers.\u00a0 Do you think bringing in more undergrad transfers could potentially upset the culture and impact how well ND retains their own players?<\/p>\n There are certainly advantages to being able to recruit undergrad transfers, but I\u2019ve considered ND\u2019s ability to retain their own players to be a more unique advantage in this new era of college football.<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: Thanks, Smitty. Why it is more difficult to predict team dynamics is all this is still relatively new and they\u2019re evolving rapidly and in all kinds of ways. It\u2019s not just the new portal dynamics and the economics, it\u2019s now up to 105 scholarship players during the old 85 limit. But to your point, so far Notre Dame\u2019s strong retention rate among players it prioritizes is something that\u2019s largely gone unnoticed and appreciated even within the ND world. So props to you for noticing.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know why bringing in underclass transfers would upset the team chemistry. They are players who can help you in. I am doing a deep analysis of ND\u2019s all-time transfer history for Saturday, but if you look at the all-time transfers and stack them by their recruiting pedigree. Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 10 are all in this transfer class. Quincy Porter<\/a> (No. 2 on that list) is the highest-rated WR to wear an ND uniform in the internet era (2004-present), three spots higher than Michael Floyd<\/a>. Now he had to go out there and be productive, but that\u2019s going to help your team win.<\/p>\n But again these are new dynamics. Agents are involved more and more. At some point there may be collective bargaining and multi-year contracts. But for now culture wins, and Marcus Freeman\u2019s<\/a> is showing up.<\/p>\n Mitch: Why does it seem like ND hasn\u2019t recently landed or pursued any elite QB prospects outside of CJ Carr (On3 and 24\/7 both ranked #6 QB)? He is a HUGE reason ND has such upside for the 2026 season. From the outside, it doesn\u2019t feel like ND is trying to get the elite top tier guys at the most vital position on the field. (Outside of the infamous Deuce Knight episode) Thanks!<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: Hi Mitch. I think when the QB rankings went from separate dual-threat and pro-style rankings, maybe that watered down how good let\u2019s say QB No. 20 is in a given class and how competitive it is to land someone of that caliber. ND tried to land Dante Moore<\/a> in the class before Carr, and it was close. Noah Grubbs<\/a> was the QB they liked best in the 2026 class and Teddy Jarrard<\/a> in the 2027 class. Jarrard\u00a0 reclassifying into the 2026 class hurt his ranking. ND is looking at top QBs in the 2027 and 2028 classes. I think you might be selling those prospects short.<\/p>\n Berk coming to you from Memphis: Eric, I have a bit of a foreshadowing question about the WR room. Man there is ALOT of talent in there and only so many spots on the field for them and only one ball to go around. I do know that you don\u2019t bring 2 guys in from the portal if they aren\u2019t better than what you have currently\u2026\u2026. (I have my opinion) who do you think is in a \u201ctough\u201d situation when it comes to playing time and probably will be looking to leave after \u201926?<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: Hi Berk. There are 14 wide receivers on the roster in 2026. Jordan Faison<\/a> is the only one with expiring eligibility after 2026. And ND is recruiting receivers in the 2027 class. So you can do the math. They are likely to lose those who are less productive. This is a position group that is being upgraded. So for some it will come down to a taffy pull as to whether a Notre Dame degree is more important than immediate playing time. But keep in mind, with the 85-scholarship limit no longer in affect, a lot of teams are going to have large wide receiver contingents, like the Irish have, so immediate playing time elsewhere might necessitate a step down to Group of 6 or FCS to make it happen.<\/p>\n Ed from Sayville, N.Y.: Hello Eric. I read the story on Jaiden O\u2019Brien (ND track & field heptathlon champion) who is competing in the bobsled at the Olympics, and her relationship with Kevin Bauman. (Hats off to Jack Soble for bringing it our way). The ability to support one another is unique in the would. My question is more like a request. Any chance you could try to get Jaiden and Kevin on the podcast? I see the two as risk taking athletes who recognize the trials and tribulations of high stakes competition. Compliments to Jack for his work!<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: Hi Ed. I will pass the compliment along to Jack and will definitely consider your idea.<\/p>\n Jules from Joliet, Ill.: Sir:\u00a0 Great job in doing these chats.\u00a0 Thx for your efforts.\u00a0 Two questions, if I may:\u00a0 1.\u00a0 ND has put the most players in the NFL.\u00a0 What determines an \u201cND Player\u201d for this statistic?\u00a0 Is it someone that plays any time at ND?\u00a0 Or, plays there last year there? Or, plays their entire career at ND? \u00a0 2.\u00a0 Can you share why you no longer have Bob Morton as a guest?\u00a0 Is he a casualty of the merger, perhaps?<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: Hi Jules. Thanks for hyping me up. How the NFL makes that determination is uniform. So, it\u2019s the last school that a player suited up for or trained with. Riley Leonard<\/a>, thus, becomes a Notre Dame draft pick, even though he played most of his career at Duke. Steve Angeli<\/a> would be a Syracuse draft pick, even though he started out at ND.<\/p>\n To your second question, we\u2019d love to have Bob Morton back on \u2026 and it sounds like you would too. He had to step away this season, but he and I are both hopeful he can get back into working with us perhaps as soon as this spring or thereafter. Nothing definite, but that is the direction we\u2019re all hopeful this goes.<\/p>\n RustyIrish from Cincinnati, Ohio: I asked this question a couple of times in season with no answer, so I am hoping to get your thoughts now. Considering our 2025 red-zone struggles I could never understand why we saw no two back sets in those situations. Literally having the two best running backs in college football should have been a huge advantage, especially considering both were also good blockers. In my simple mind this would have presented a huge challenge to defend against rather than telegraphing which one of the single backs in the backfield would get the ball. I just feels like we wasted a great opportunity and, more or less, leaned into predictability. Thanks for hosting the chats, always a good time and insightful.<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: Rusty, you lively minx. If I had a dollar for every time I got this question asked last season, I would not still be begging Keuring for an NIL deal. And I must have answered it every time you weren\u2019t looking. Not sure if I can vary the answer. BUT .. and there is a but. you were so classy in the way you presented yourself and you are from my homestate, so let\u2019s give it another try. And you do make a very good point, and it is something I thought we\u2019d see a little more of in 2025, though not necessarily restricted to red zone stuff. Remember when you make that choice, what are you willing to give up?<\/p>\n By putting a second back on the field and taking away a wide receiver, you are making it easier to bring a safety into the box to congest things and defend the run. Remember the reason why non-service academy teams evolved away from two backs was to spread out the defense. If you take a tight end off the field, you are theoretically taking away a better blocker. And on short-yardage, wouldn\u2019t you rather have the superior blocker. In the pistol formation, you can play one back and still have the deception of two backs, because you don\u2019t know which way that back is going to go and it\u2019s hard for the linebacker to pick up that initial movement.<\/p>\n So, great idea on your part but one I think you\u2019ll be less likely to see this season. And if we do, I\u2019ll be happy to answer your question again.<\/p>\n Marty from San Antonio: Hello Eric. What position group has the least amount of experience on this year\u2019s squad? Is that something that can be overcome over the season?<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: Hey Marty. Tight ends and running backs are very light on career starts. But there\u2019s numbers and talent and a coaching staff that is strong on development. And that\u2019s a combination to counter the lack of experience. If Marcus Freeman<\/a> had thought it was a deeper problem, the Irish could have solved that with a transfer addition.<\/p>\n Jack from Strongsville, Ohio: Hi Eric. A WBB question. If Notre Dame takes care of business this week against SMU and Wake, do you think they could host a first and second round game at South Bend in the NCAA tournament with a semi or finals appearance in the ACC tournament? Thanks as always for your great work.<\/p>\n Eric Hansen: Hi Jack, and thank you for your email that you sent last week. Let\u2019s look at the numbers. Notre Dame is 16-9 overall and 8-6 in the ACC. That\u2019s ninth place. They have four games left, two would be gimmes (but you never know) and then two against teams near the top of the standings (Syracuse and Louisville). The Irish are currently projected as a 7 seed, so that\u2019s a lot of ground to cover to get to 4 and be a host.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771580669_194_No-Bare-Feet_thumb-4.jpg\")
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Inside Notre Dame\u2019s evolved strategy behind Jeremiyah Love\u2019s Heisman Trophy campaign<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/rec-yards.png\")
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