Conor O'Neill on Notre Dame's transfer portal adds of Duke QB Riley Leonard, DE R.J. Oben

[Music] [Music] welcome everybody to another edition of the inside ND Sports podcast I'm Tyler James I'm joined once again by the one and only Eric Canon together we cover under Dame football recruiting and more for inside and sports.com on the Rivals Network it has been a week full of decisions for Notre Dame football four transfers have decided to join Notre Dame for next season Clemson wi receiver Bo Collins Duke quarterback Riley Leonard Duke defensive end RJ Obin and South Carolina kicker Mitch Jeter three more Notre Dame starters have outed out of the sunbow to prepare for the NFL that's quarterback Sam Hartman left tackle Joe alt and cornerback cam Hart joining previous announcements by linebacker Maris leile and right tackle Blake Fischer and a couple of important UT Dame Defenders have announced that they'll be back next season nose tackle Howard cross I third and linebacker Jack Kaiser a lot of the transfer portal news has come from duke and a little more is coming out of Wake Forest and we just so happen to know someone who covers both of those programs Conor O'Neal publisher of devils Illustrated and deacons Illustrated for Rivals has returned to the podcast to drop some knowledge on us Conor thanks for joining us thanks for having me um that I was actually wasn't up to speed on the both of the tackles opting out of the bowl so Sam Hartman's decision seems a little easier uh with that knowledge in hand yeah absolutely and you got enough time to update your bulll poool if you if you're doing one of those that the another Dame's offense is gonna look vastly different I have one and I get a kick out of going in there and just scrambling all of the um the confidence picks yeah I I I love and then I love going in there and seeing like wow you're an idiot or wow I would not have had this at confidence like 38 if you knew that they were without their three of their four receivers for this game yeah that's always fun to me well Conor here here's a quick story for you on confidence picks there was one year oh maybe five years ago I was in the top five for ESPN out of hundreds of thousands or millions or whatever and what happened was I did the confidence backwards that's why I was leading otherwise I wouldn't have even been close yeah so had all those uh Sun Bel Mac games at 42 and 41 exactly and I nailed them and so it was like I it would have been the fluki victory ever so all right Conor let's let's talk first about Riley Leonard that's obviously the biggest news of the week for Notre Dame what do you think about his potential fit with the Irish I I don't want this to come off as sour grapes um I don't think it's a very good fit unless Notre Dame Alters what it does offensively um Riley it it always made sense to me with Sam Hartman going to Notre Dame because Sam was a pocket passer at heart um he ran somewhat in in the RPO in that slow mesh style but he always wanted to be a passer um that was his whole upbringing he was coached by Chad Greer will Greer's dad um everything about him said pocket passer reluctant Runner that's not Riley um that Riley is is every bit of a dual threat a dual threat quarterback um he is an athlete first and foremost like he spent most of his high school career thinking he was going to be a high school a college basketball player and then it's kind of the David cutcliffe quarterback development program that brought him to Duke and David Cliff's Alabama Roots is what turned him on to Riley Leonard as the type of athlete that he was so I think it can work I just I need to see a lot more designed quarterback runs out of Notre Dame and maybe they had that this year and I missed it um going through no he didn't yeah okay um they've had it I mean to be fair they had it under Reese when like Ian book was the quarterback gotcha gotcha but not when Tommy Reese was the quarterback um yeah I just I'm so curious how Notre Dame will use Riley um if they fit their offense around what he does well I think it can be a great fit I think it can be everything that you want a you know I'm not going to call him a rental quarterback because he's got years of Eligibility left uh I I think um i' actually have to double check just has the one because he's in the first class that doesn't have the co year yeah because I think he played seven games as a freshman I didn't realize he played that much as a freshman that's uh that's actually kind of surprising to me that was a terrible not uh Duke team they should have been saving his year but I guess we're gonna have to call him not or Duke um if they want like Jaylen Simpson's good safety I mean there's there's guys in the portal from duke that are decent players um but no I just like I said I'm I'm very curious how Notre Dame uses him I I thought that his arm Talent left a little B to a little to be desired uh the the draft projections and you know the as as high as the third draft eligible quarterback on everybody's board going in the in the summer hype machine that always felt like it was predicated on him taking a step forward as a thrower uh I think PFF had him like four of 20 this year on throws of at least 20 20 plus yards down the field um it just he's got to take a step forward in that I'm not saying he can't do it I just I I think it's something that has to happen for him to be a good fit at Notre Dame okay so Connor since you cover both of these guys let's take Jared Parker out of it as the offensive coordinator you can have any offensive coordinator you want and you were and you were going to pick one of these guys to lead your team would you pick Sam Hartman over Riley Leonard or vice versa ah man that's tough yeah because it's a they're so different I saw Sam win so many games um I I think so highly of Sam's leadership ability um I might be talking myself into Sam right now now uh I don't know man um you know Riley has the only win of of the two of them against Clemson uh he went one and0 and Sam was 0 and5 um a lot of that had to do with who Sam had around him for four of those five um I guess can you I know the offensive coordinator is static but can you give me like who's whose Supporting Cast they have whether it's r with his Duke team or Notre Dame or Sam with hisame yeah what if we just assume they were the talent was the same no matter who it was yeah the talent was the same we we'll say um maybe the 2020 Notre Dame team Talent with their running backs their off you're challenging remember who was on the 2020 team well I mean it was a playoff team yeah got you so playoff type Talent yep um honestly I think I'd go with Riley uh yeah that's I don't even have kids and that feels like it's the closest thing I'll get to picking my favorite kid and I'm not gonna be you know I don't think I'll be when that time comes I'll I hope that I'm not Dion Sanders so guess this is this is about the accent of it for me um okay I don't know I I I think that the ceiling is a little higher with Riley um that's kind of where I land I told somebody that earlier this week um every every sentence that starts with if is so meaningless but if he takes that step forward as a passer then I think the running AB the running Edge over Sam um is is is what kind of points me in that direction Conor it's been interesting from my perspective covering Notre and and watching fans react to Notre Dame bringing in Riley Leonard and I think some of it is informed by the experience of Sam Hartman coming in as a transfer quarterback and maybe not meeting the expectations that some had for him and then I think a lot of his people look at his 2020 his being Riley Leonard's 2023 statline and be like really that's who this is who we're bringing in can you offer some perspective on how different quarterback Riley Leonard was in 2022 versus 2023 and what what is the the more likely version of of Riley Leonard at in his in its next phase obviously depending on the offense around him but what is he what is he as a quarterback moving forward yeah it's just it's it's kind of unfair to judge him on 2023 not only because of the injury situation um he had a sprained ankle thanks to Howard cross who I guess is gonna be his teammate next year I'm sure they'll have a laugh about that one uh and he worked through that and then he got a turf toe injury at Louisville and that's kind of flown kind of under the radar because everybody just assumed he was still dealing with the ankle and it a completely separate in injury on a different foot and that's why he missed the last month of the year and needed surgery so you're talking about a guy that had two brutal um foot injuries on both feet and the other side of it is Duke was a power run team like everything about Duke offense this year was they needed to get up two scores in the second half and just control the clock and and bleed time off of it and and just pound the run and like if you if you can run the ball well for seven eight yards a clip and you're up 10 points like there's no need to open up the open up a Playbook let your quarterback try to try to Chuck it around like that was a that was a big thing that I learned from from covering Mike ELO for two years is just Why put yourself in a situation where you're going to make more mistakes like there's so much more that can go wrong on a drop back pass or even a option where there's very little that can go wrong if your running backs are secure with the ball and have good principal ball carrying skills and you just give them the ball and the offensive line makes things happen in front of you so yeah I I think um I think it'll be a lot closer of the version to 2022 um the other the other factor to think of is uh Dukes receivers were not that good this year uh they were kind of disappointing they started to make plays later in the year but that was when Riley was already out uh and when Riley was dealing with the ankle injury it's not like he was the best version of himself for them um but it was it was a disappointing group uh from that wide receiver group so you put better skill around him at receiver um I I think kind of Highly on Bo Collins uh to me he's he's a little bit of the same as what they've had big guy that can catch 5050 balls but isn't going to separate from anybody um curious how that works out but but I do think this will be an upgrade in the receiver room for Riley speaking of um upgrades in the receiver room the W for wide receiver banks that is in the portal I think Notre Dame has some interest in him how would you describe his game and do you think he would upgrade Notre Dame from what you had seen of their receivers he'd definitely be a bit of an upgrade um you know I'm a little jaded because I saw the game at Duke when they didn't have Jaden Thomas uh I think that was was that his first game that he missed um I think Chris Tyrie was dealing with a hamstring in that game too or or one of the other top guys was dealing they had three healthy receivers in yeah yeah and they all played a lot I'm pretty jaded on on Notre Dames receivers based on that game and based on the little Snippets I saw of them after September um Jamal though is number one as a as a human being he's awesome like he is a worldly guy he he is full of energy and life I could not think higher of him as a person uh just getting to interview him and know him over the years I think he's leaving wake with a degree um I believe part of his backstory I don't I don't want to speak out of turn here I I think part of his backstory is that he was homeless at some point in his in his younger years um I believe he also speaks multiple languages um he's just he's a fascinating dude uh I think any program would be kind of lucky to have him just from a a locker room chemistry standpoint he's also a 64 200 plus pound receiver that can run down the field and catch 50-50 balls um they they called him jump ball Maul uh became his nickname here he's really good at locating the ball in air and and going up and making plays he did that a lot better it's it's a little bit like Riley Leonard he did a lot better uh in 2022 than he did this past season and that's partially because of wake's quarterback play and and not any fault of his um so I I think that would be an upgrade I think you know he's not going to run by anybody uh if that's what Notre Dame is looking for then they're probably looking in the wrong place but if they need another guy that is going to be out there on the outside and you can throw Fades too you can throw back shoulders too he's a physical guy that can go make plays if you had to pick one or the other and Notre Dame would want both of them but would you pick Bo Collins or Banks I'd probably pick Banks just because I I know him and I'm familiar with him like I've I've seen Bo Collins um he big bodied a couple a couple wake Corners over the last couple years but he's also I've never watched a big Clemson game and come away from it thinking he is the best receiver on the field you know it's it's been their slot guys the last couple years Tyler Brown and Antonio Williams I didn't even remember him from the colums game this year yeah I mean that that's like that's the thing right like he's if if he doesn't stand out um it's tough to see him standing out in a new offense in in that kind of a pressure cooker of a program all right so let's flip it over to defense with RJ Obin under Dame's defensive end acquisition from duke H how good can he be what what kind of impact did he have on Duke's program he's a he's a decent defensive end I always got the sense that Duke wanted a little more out of him and I think he scratched the surfice of that in a few games this year I don't think he did it consistently enough I think that leads me to kind of believe that in more of a rotation um when he's not asked to be on the field so much um if Notre Dame can kind of slide him into more of a niche pass rush role uh I think he'd be better off suited there um I I don't see him being a guy that you put on the field for 70% of the snaps and and just forget about him and he's going to lock down one Edge um but I but I think he can be successful just like kind of the same thing I said about Riley he can be successful if he used in the right way um I would imagine not not knowing the rest of Notre Dame's roster that they've got plenty of other defensive ends that they can slide him into with yeah I mean think they're count on him to be a starter to be honest with you do rotate a lot do yeah they rotate a lot and I think in a perfect world he ends up being sort of the javante Jean Baptist replacement who Notre Dame brought in from Ohio State last year um and was sort of like RJ in that he was more of a past rush specialist rotation guy um and then actually developed into a pretty good run Defender this year so I think I think my understanding is Notre name has pitched RJ that they can help him as a run Defender and make him better in that aspect um but yeah I I mean I don't think that they're going to keep him out of there for 70% of the time or anything but um I do think they want they want to try to get the most out of him and and improve him and make him maybe more well-rounded than maybe he was at times a Duke yeah that makes sense and you know with the with a dad that played in the NFL Roman Obin was in the NFL for what 12 years 10 years he had a he had a duration of a career so you know that he comes from a good place like you know he he has some fundamental background and and that just needs to become more consistent a little more explosive Conor we really do appreciate your honesty but you have blown it as being the nil agent for these Duke and wake [Laughter] Force I'm glad you're honest we appreciate it I want these guys to get paid but I it is not my uh fight to to take up for like you're not getting a cut yeah the the next athlete to tell me that they're gonna give me 5% will be the first so there you go so my place so Mike ELO goes from duke back to Texas A&M I'm wondering what you think of that move and how you think he will do in that environment because very different expectations setting from duke so I I look at it this way um Duke is a much better job than it was two years ago right you you've got 16 and nine the last two years and I think the the previous two the covid year and then 2021 David Cliff's last year I think the combined record was five and 18 uh just abysmal through those two years complete turnaround there's still a long way to go for Duke to be in any kind of national conversation uh at least for for playoff purposes and and that's isn't that everybody's goal at this point when it goes to 12 teams um everybody can talk about that so you know Duke got a taste of national Spotlight this year they beat Clemson on Labor Day night they host game day for the first time when Notre Dame comes to town they're fourth and 16 away from beating Notre Dame and being 5-0 and probably somewhere in the like top 10 range or maybe 12 in the country and they still wind up going seven and five uh because of a quarterback injury because of just kind of the way things shook out so I think if you're Mike Elco um I I don't know that Mike thinks this way I think of Mike this way I think he is smart enough and a good enough coach to win a National Championship so thinking that way is he closer to winning a national championship at Duke and all of the things that Duke still needs to do to get to that level I would say they're probably still I don't know everything moves so quickly but I'd say they're still at least five years away if everything breaks perfectly right maybe more like seven to 10 years away and that's still even if a lot of things go right I mean how much closer having Notre Dame players transfer to do Duke for uh although they've had one Jam yeah Jamon Franklin was a good one um that was more because he wasn't playing though right wasn't a it wasn't a contributor um so that's my thing is Texas A&M is just in such a better position right now um we can make all the jokes we want about how bad they were with Jimbo and that number one recruiting class that's flamed out and had a bunch of portal entries the last couple years but they're still texting M they still have got that oil money they're still in the conference that uh ESPN is going to bend over backward to help out so it's if I'm comparing the programs uh it doesn't even become about the two and a half to3 million raise it doesn't it's not about the salary pool greatly uh blowing up for for what he had to work with at Duke compared to what he has now it's it's just the fact that you can win a National Championship at T&M if you get the right support and the right people and things go the right way uh in the next five years and I I don't know if I can fault the guy for for seeing things that way and again like that's from getting to know Mike and covering him for two years like that's the way that I think he thinks of it Conor this might be more um a commentary or an observation of for college football in general and I don't think this is specific to Duke and Wake Forest but do you feel like programs like Duke and Wake Forest are in a position with the current transfer portal situation in nil where programs like that could end up serving more or less as Farm systems for some of these bigger programs where they get gu get take guys that may be under the radar develop them earlier in their career and then they end up finishing their career elsewhere because um the chances of winning maybe higher at those other places do you feel like I mean I don't maybe it's related to the ACC I think there's probably teams in every conference that could be describe that way but I think at least from my perspective I I wonder if Duke and Wake Forest maybe fit in that in that way I'm curious what you think about that yeah everybody's got a Vanderbilt and a Northwestern and right um those types of schools I think we're already kind of waiting into those Waters um I I think the way to combat it from from the wake and Duke standpoint is look you've got you're both small private schools that produce some smart people that enter the business world and make a lot of money and you need to convince those people to give you money so that you can retain that talent and that's not happened as much on the Duke's side because they're going through a coaching change right now right it has happened on the on the Wake side of that this year like that Jamal Banks leaving keesan Williams leaving like they've lost some guys and I think you're always going to lose some but they've kept a lot of their core guys that they needed to keep to to be able to bounce back next year I the ceiling I don't know what the ceiling is I mean I I don't know if we can have a conversation about Waker Duke making the cfp in the next five to seven years I just I don't I don't know if that's realistic uh if you go back two years and think about the season that wake had with 11 wins they still lose the ACC Championship to pit um they still have a loss to to Carolina and to Clemson in the regular season they're not making any 12 team field with with that season they had and you know if that's as good as it is then no you're if your best isn't even good enough to make the cfp then that's probably a tough pill for a lot of people to swallow I got two quick ones and I think we're done I think Tyler done but um my first one is a lot of people including me have suggested that maybe somebody like David cutcliffe would be an asset on a staff like in odre Dame with a young offensive coordinator or an inexperience offensive coordinator as an analyst or something in that kind of role if it was actually the David cut Cliff what kind of impact do you think he could have on a staff like that think could be a pretty good one I I'm I'm a pretty big advocate of anybody you can get with head coaching experience on your staff is a net positive um like Duke the last couple years had Rich scosi who is the former Elon coach um when Dave Clawson went to wake he hired uh Dave Cohen who had been the hofra coach he hired Kevin Higgins who had been at the Citadel and had been one of clawson's coaches when Clawson was coming up as a coordinator I think anytime you can put a put a head coach on a staff it's a positive because he he's he's going to be one of the only guys that a head coach can relate to as far as like he knows what it's like um as far as cut specifically uh you can't I I I've made jokes about him being a quarterback Whisperer and that kind of being a off the rails um label uh you know he he had some success stories there were also some like three or four failures to every one developmental success for cut as a quarterback Whisperer but you can't argue with like taking a walk- on quarterback from a little Charlotte private school and turn him into a sixth round sixth overall pick in the draft and him making a hundred million do on a contract like that's just something that I I don't know how many coaches in football can stake that on their resume um so I I think he would bring a lot of value I'm I'm a little curious uh he seems content to to live in Alabama and help the SEC and his I think he's an adviser to the SEC right now the other thing that I was going to ask you was about and and Notre Dame fans would kill me if we didn't ask you this after Dave Clawson said the Sam Hartman thing Renning and so forth and then Hank bachmeier ends up transferring there the only bachmeier son that doesn't have an animal name ends up at Wake Forest Tiger and bear and I think the little one is beaver or woodchuck or some some kind of animal like that but Hank BM ends up there so what are you what are your thoughts about Hank ending up at Wake Forest it's an interesting fit um in the weeds of wake uh they've they've kind of had a it's not an existential crisis but they've kind of had to wrestle with the fact that they got quarterbacks so wrong this year that they might need a bridge Year from a guy and that bridge year might be provided by Hank bachmeyer it might be provided by Michael Kern who started his first game up in Southbend a few weeks back um or they might just turn the reins over to a freshman uh Jeremy hick Linsky who was in the Georgia 7A state championship game last night and and I think it was team's first loss um but wake is I I never thought wake was going to take a transfer quarterback until about a month and a half ago when it became clear that it wasn't G to click with Mitch Griffith it just it it was not there um they didn't know if Michael Kern was coming back for his sixth year he is uh now so I I think there's been a recalibration of how wake approaches that position uh I don't I don't think they're going to take a quarterback every year like I think if if all things work out they either get a bridge year out of one of the six year guys or they turn it over to a freshman this year and and run with it um but yeah there's there's definitely been a like I said a recalibration of how they approach that position well if if it ended up becoming Hank Bach and he made it to senior day I think there' probably be a good chunk of under Dame fans that would be able to chip in to have a have a J request for his senior day and play I Will Always Love You the thing like it I would love boisey state to come for that like that was always that was always clawson's main point that was the context of it that that kind of got lost in the aggregation and and the viral of his quote there was like and uh the other part of it was the previous week uh going into the N Dame game Dave had told us um it was hard to watch Notre Dame play because he looks at him and says that's the Wake Forest quarterback right so it's just I get it I I I I give Dave know Dave's a big boy he doesn't need me to stand up for him I just I do think that the context there um got a little lost in translation or lost in aggregation really yeah I I mean I understand his greater point I just thought it was a little silly that he like got jealous that Notre Dame loved him like like Notre Dame's allowed to love Harman too right I mean and that's and and that's where you know I don't I don't know that I would say this to Dave's face I I guess maybe I should hold off on saying like Dave sometimes thinks he's a little funnier than he is um it sounds like he's got that problem with Kelly yeah maybe a lot of coaches you could say that but um sometimes you get that nervous humor from Dave and it comes from a really smart place like he's a sharp coach um sometimes it just it comes off a little pettier than he means it I think and and that's where that's where that comes from um I I think he's he's fully aware that a two programs can love a quarterback right yeah well I bet I bet one thing never happened to Sam Hartman and it probably didn't happen at Notre Dame either that some girl threw a marshmallow from the stands 30 yards and it landed in his hot chocolate that's what he claimed after wake forceing well I can guarantee that never having awake because the student section is across the field they stick the student section maybe that'll be the next [Laughter] quarterback all right we really appreciate you coming on with us Connor um and I feel bad that you have so much knowledge about all these future Notre Dame players when we have you on but it's convenient you're the one guy that can compare Riley Leonard and Sam Hartman that was great it's not a problem it's uh it's it's an interesting place to be that's for sure all right well thanks a lot Conor we really appreciate your time my pleasure before we get to our question segment I wanted to remind our listeners of a subscription promo for insidemdsports.com we're offering a 30day free trial to our podcast listeners who want to try out a subscription to the site that will give you access to all of our premium content the inside L message board and you don't have to wait for the next podcast to ask us a question you can take advantage of this offer by using promo code ND pod that's NDP o when you sign up for a subscription to insidend sports.com you can find a link to the deal in the podcast description or show notes all right now it's time for questions you can submit questions to us on Twitter or the inside allowance Message Board before every podcast I'm at tjames ND and Eric's eh Hansen ND first one we have is from Jeff goson missing two starting tackles audri Ese and Sam Hartman should we get ready to give Jared Parker a pass if the offense lays another egg if it's a real mess is there a chance Marcus Freeman considers reconsiders sticking with Jared Parker well I'm guessing that Jeff is from Canada the way that he spelled offense with a SE yeah um so is there a chance Marcus Freeman reconsiders sticking with Jared Parker it's always a a possibility and where I hearken back to is the Mike Elston situation where Mike had declared that he was staying at Notre Dame and then the Oklahoma State disaster where Mike was more or less the acting defensive coordinator while Marcus was the head coach in that game and then it didn't feel like Mike could still stay at Notre Dame not saying that Marcus was showing him the door but Mike made the choice to leave at that point uh but I don't see pathway a lot of Pathways for that to happen right now especially based on this particular game Oregon state is missing pieces and so is Notre Dame so what I think you want to see is a good game plan good in-game adjustments CR crisp execution I don't think you overvalue this bowl game but you don't undervalue it either a lot of the players for 2024 are going to be playing so it's a great opportunity for Jared Parker to start to build some momentum and chemistry with those players yeah I mean I think from a fan perspective I think you you need to at least be aware of the possibility that the offense could be a bit of a mess um I don't think that would be like a total shock right there's just so much newness now every team I mean both teams in this instance are going to be like that so it could even itself out and make for better opportunities for the offense but um yeah I mean I I wouldn't rule anything out I mean just from the lesson we saw with Marcus Freeman saying he wanted everyone back and then firing Chancey stuck 24 hours later I think that I think it would be silly to rule it out um he certainly spoke strongly about Jared Parker um and his confidence in him but um I think it would be I think it would be unfair to use this game as like the decision point for Jared Parker right like I think yeah you should know one way or the other already I think this is definitely a valuable opportunity for Jared Parker to get some more experience and show what he's capable of but I don't think it it it should necessarily be like the the measuring stick of his potential success moving forward right and and I what I'll follow up with with the ston situation I think ston maybe overplayed his hand a little bit said hey I'm coming back I love Notre Dame and I think his Hope was that Marcus would consider him to be the new defensive coordinator and Marcus never said that that was a possibility he had talked about wanting somebody with head coaching experience and so forth but when things didn't go well I think Mike knew that maybe over played his hand a little bit about saying I'm staying at Notre Dame all right next question is from at Charles W wolf considering transfers and sit outs what do you think we can learn about the 2024 team from the sunbowl for me I wanted to see the new offensive tackles and the young linebackers yeah well you're going to see um some new offensive linemen starting uh at tackle and you're gonna see probably some linebackers although we don't know about JD Bertrand status right Tyler but Jack Kaiser's going to be playing but we're we're still going to see some of the young linebackers some key pieces for 2024 all over the field for me there's two things that you didn't mention Charles one is Steve Angeli when he's the center of somebody's Scouting Report even again with Oregon not being Oregon State not being at full strength I think that's interesting when people try to get you to play left-handed the other thing is the wide receivers um just how they kind of perform in the bowl game the ones that still are here and then you're going to have like KK um Smith introduced we'll see him for the first time allegedly and then maybe healthy versions of Jaden Thomas and Deon KY will get a little bit more information about that this weekend and we'll see a pract or part of a practice next week so I have a little bit better feel for that but I'm kind of eager to see how the wide receiver situation shakes out in the ball game yeah I mean I think the the two that Charles mentioned here the offensive tackles and the young linebackers are are definitely worthwhile um I'd like to see the younger safeties get some action potentially to to figure out if Notre Dame needs another safety going in next season um I mean we don't necessarily know if Xavier watts is coming back DJ Brown certainly won't be back um so do those younger guys get some more playing time to get them get their feet wet and get a better sense for what those guys are like um the wide receivers like you mentioned I want to see the guys that are get have have had time to recover from their hamstring issues like this jayen Thomas and and Jaden GRE house like what do those guys look like um can they get back on track after um look like promising seasons and then it it didn't end up being that way uh and then lastly who's who's ready to be running back one who who can step up um without audre gue we don't know for certain that he is isn't playing um but but I think that's what the assumption is right now um he hasn't made an announcement either way but uh what does jarian price and Jeremiah Love what do those guyss look like as more focal points of the offense without audre guate in the lineup all right our next question is from Frank Sarah at Frank SE bunch of numbers my question is do you have any insight on who is Notre Dame looking at in the portal for an offensive tackle um thank you you guys do a great job um I I don't have any names right now um and I wanted to take this time like we had a few different questions of people wanting names from Portal guys like when we have names we're going to report them on the inside Lounge for first and um I don't want to use this podcast as an outlet for folks to get information that we're trying to give our paying subscribers so we'll talk about guys like we're talking about Jamaal Banks who we've been reporting on for a couple days now but we haven't I I haven't come across any offensive tackles that I know for certain are are there's mutual interest between Notre Dame um and that Prospect um and when we when I find that out the first place I we'll be sharing it will not be on the podcast I'm sorry for those people who don't subscribe but we want to give those people um reasons to subscribe and also our listeners here that aren't subscribed reasons to subscribe as well right as far as a profile I'm I'm I would think that they are looking for somebody that's one and done and that's an elite offensive tackle you've got two guys that are potential starters that were very highly recruited guys um Tosh baker has waited around a long time for his turn Emil Wagner I think is super talented you don't have a lot of depth um you you're down to Tai Chan and and um Charles jagas up pretty quickly again two really talented guys but then you're getting down to the Freshman like gby Lambert rri freshman suin Abshire so I I think numbers wise you could use somebody but I think a one and done given the talent that's on the roster I think that's the profile yeah I would agree with that as well all right next question is from Marie B4 boror Marie what are your thoughts on Jamal Banks well I wanted a Scouting Report so that's why I asked Connor so I cheated on this what I had what I had jotted down before we talked to Connor was tall slender Twitchy wide receiver it was interesting in high school he was a super good pass rusher on a really good high school team they were in the top five in the country he's from the Washington DC area I think he'd be a nice addition um but again I think there's some overlap in what you would get with Bo Collins and uh Banks yeah I I wonder if there's that redundancy too and like what are the what are the those guys differences from Jaden Thomas um so I think that's the one concern there certainly you need depth so I don't know that I would be against it but if you create a situation where Jamal Banks thinks he's coming in with the shot to be Notre Dame's leading receiver which he was at Wake Forest and he isn't like that from Conor's telling of who who he is as a person it would seem like that would be okay um but I think there just needs to be every on the same page of like okay we're we're sort of starting from scratch here but not everyone's going to be able to be the number one guy uh in this offense at receiver uh so I think I think there's got to be they have to make sure that if that if they find that it's a match and they're willing to take him um that everyone's sort of okay with the possibility that maybe some of these guys aren't going to be 70 catch players because not everyone can do that all right next question is from samand on The Insider Lounge question about the safety position with Watts most likely coming back will notame try to bring back Ramone Henderson a roll with one of the pair of true freshman from the 2023 class yeah I mean given that REM I mean you can always make a U-turn out of the portal and Houston Griffith did one year uh but I don't think that's going to happen with Ramone Henderson so I think that ship sail I think they'll add from the portal I think this is a priority to get and had Watts left I think you might have had two port portal safeties because your other options are scholarship guys with freshman eligibility there were actually three incoming freshmen of those Bronte Johnson's probably athletically the one that could help you the earliest and yet he didn't play Maybe any safety this year for his team he was needed other places you have Ben Minnick and Adon Schuler who are redirt freshman or sophomores think a guy that could involved is Luke talich he was a freshman walk-on this year and he played all the games and special teams and they're really high on him they're really excited once he bulks up a little bit how his height and his reach will and speed will translate for them so think Luke talich but I think you want more more of a proven quantity there and then rotate in the younger guys yeah I I certainly think considering a portal safety makes a lot of sense I I wonder how much of a priority of it it is because nothing has really come of it yet um and we've seen Notre Dame pretty aggressively Target some of these other positions um now maybe that's just a product of not liking the safety talent pool yet or maybe there's going to be some more coming later that they're waiting on um so I think e even if there isn't a top guy I think it's worth bringing someone in with some experience if you can um like like even if say you brought in ant an Antonio Carter again I think he was still helpful to the room and that you had that option um and would be helpful again next year um he's I don't expect him back but I think if that's someone someone like that um would make sense now maybe Ramone Henderson ends up being that guy I don't necessarily know that will be the case but um there's going to be there's going to be a need for those freshmen to develop quickly and be in a position to play next year um because even even if they're not a starter Notre Dame likes to play a third safety um a decent amount from time to time so maybe they end up just playing an extra cornerback because they like the depth there better but um I think they're they need to get those guys ready to play next season all right uh speaking of the safeties at Drew Brennan 77 asked will Luke talich get on scholarship here soon I would be surprised if it doesn't happen right um I think he would have in this day of nil and transferring and so forth I think he would have a scholarship elsewhere if he wanted it and they're very high on him and he played 13 games so yeah I think it'll happen yeah I think so too I think you got to make sure that all the numbers go through the right way um but yeah I would imagine that he ends up being um the next in line to get get put on scholarship at for from the walkon category and maybe and and I I think that that calculus might have changed a little bit because Jordan Faison had to be put on scholarship this year maybe the tal thing would have already happened um but I think they got to figure out the numbers and make sure everything's in order to to make that commitment to him all right next question is from LDL go Irish on the inser lounge could next year's defense be better than this year why or why not if Mills comes back it almost certainly would be a better defense you think about Riley Mills all the Vipers that they have and they're going to be better next year you know RJ Obin if they can get some answers at the field end to go with him and then you look at the linebacker level you have that leader and Jack Kaiser and all this wonderful young Talent around him and then if you can get a pretty good portal safety to go with a unanimous All-American and Xavier Watts you have cornerback Talent that's highend and deep yeah I think it could be a better defense yeah I mean it's it's hard to say that it would for certain just because this defense was so good right to be able to match it statistically would be a tall task but it certainly has the potential to do that I think not D pass rush can improve still and I think there's room for more plays to be made at the linebacker level so um even if Xavier wat returns is he going to be able to make as many interceptions probably not um does that even out somewhere else with some other guys can you get the those turnovers um more as a group than from an individual um but I I do think there's definitely the potential for for undername to be even better especially if the pass rush improves and and one thing about RJ he had more sacks with five than anybody on Notre Dame's team this year right even though he didn't have a lot of tackles he did have five sacks yeah and I think Notre Dame didn't have that go-to like or pass pressure necessarily I don't think there was any one guy that was the most intimidating factor out there now I don't know if RJ Obin could be that but um if you do have a guy like that that certainly can um change the way defense or offenses have to plan for your defense because you you have to account for those guys Notre Dame I think did a pretty good job with generating for us as a collective but I don't know that they did that well consistently on an individual basis and certainly as it relates to like turning those into sacks especially from the defensive line all right next question is from Ron at R Ron bunch of numbers now that Jack Kaiser has decided to play another year who do you see as the starting linebackers at this point uh I would played with some different combinations here um I think you could see it I I'm I'm curious where Kaiser ends up I don't think he will be the Rover I think he's coming back to be an inside linebacker so would would he be the middle linebacker or the weak side linebacker so you could have sne Kaiser Osberry you could have Bowen Kaiser Sneed you could have vamu Assa and Ziggler competing I think those are the pool of linebackers and so those are the people that I think are going to be the the starting linebackers are going to come out of that group uh yeah I uh you didn't name many guys that aren't on the roster as in that group but well zenter cahun reac but yeah I didn't and I don't think that they will go get a portal guy either with Kaiser coming back no and I and I think as I mentioned I don't know if it was on never sleeps or a podcast that I didn't love the idea of having to sort of import experience at the linebacker level because you want experience in this defense as well um and so Jack Kaiser's return I think makes that a lot easier to especially to bring some younger guys along with him uh so if I had to predict right now I would say Jack Kaiser at weak side linebacker Drake Bowen at middle linebacker and Jaylen sne at robber um but like you said there's there are other options at those at those positions that I I could very well see um becoming starters as well next question is from Olivier DST at Ali DST what with this team early and Rollies and true freshman give me as of today your o line in front seven for next year okay at this moment with no new portal guys potentially being added I would go right tackle Wagner Right Guard Spindler Center cougan left guard shra left tackle Baker and then I'll let you do yours and then we'll do the front seven okay I went with left tackle Wagner left guard shra Center Craig Right Guard Spindler and Baker right tackle okay um so I I just like Wagner on the left side more than I like Baker on the left side so that's why I've been consistent with that I I could see that I could see that I really don't know what's going to happen the Craig sh cougan spinler combination like right only three of those guys can start um and I don't know exactly how that's going to play out so I I went with SH there but um it's I don't think I've liked Craig in the games he's played I'm not writing him off yeah yeah and I've I've had long been an advocate of of cougan doing that going into next season but that was before I saw Aston Craig play and so I was like well I think he got a pretty good thing going there so I don't know that I want to mess with that but um it does give me some pause that pretty much for the most part throughout the season Joe Rudolph stuck with cougan and Spindler over shra and only really played shra when Spindler got hurt so can he unseat one of those guys we think I mean I think his progression should allow for that to happen but do does does Rudolph trust those other guys more than he trusts tral I don't I don't have an answer for that all right what about your front seven okay so I'm going with one surprise on the defensive line and this is not to project Jordan batell out the door but I'm putting Josh Burnham as a starting Viper Riley Mills since he's still on the roster as of now right Howard cross and then RJ Obin and the linebackers this is why I didn't put a finer point because I knew this question was coming okay gotcha um and this is if Al golden is the defensive coordinator and the scheme is staying the same I'm putting Drake bow at middle linebacker Kaiser at weak side linebacker and Sneed as the Rover all right yeah and those were that was the linebacker combination I said for the last answer so I would stick with that and I would I would go with chalk up front I would have batell at Viper Mills at defensive tackle Howard cross it nose tackle those guys staying in their starting roles and then RJ Obin becoming the the new starter at the field defensive end all right next question is from Mac Corona macore Corona what what's the latest news on the strength and conditioning coach search and how big of a role does the job play in recruiting and the overall culture of the team well it's progressing well that Marcus has caught cast a wide net that they're trying to interview people and have somebody in place so that they're ready to go full speed when winter conditioning starts and and I think they will get that done in terms of uh what kind of impact it's incredibly huge and it's not just well we're stronger and we're faster it's injury prevention it's recovery it's Sports Science it's leadership it's locker room culture when when Brian Kelly had the big assistant coaching Purge after the 2016 season I spent a day with him and we spent a lot of time in Matt bis's world that day and I saw what a huge impact that was including Brian Kelly asking Matt bayis permission for things but just the whole they had this board uh are you starving are you satisfied uh I can't remember what the third category was but they everything was competitive the uh they call them the SWAT teams they're accountability teams in the off season and they build camaraderie and Leadership and accountability and it's for stuff not just in the waight room it's class it's everything and and then Matt bis was a guy everybody could go to on the flip side of that uh coach long Longo who was let go uh you know I talked to some former players I said do you feel like this change needed to be made and they go yeah there were guys that were skipping out on doing their lifting and they were getting away with it and so yes it's it's huge and and a big reason why Notre Dame had those Renaissance Seasons under Brian Kelly was because of Matt bis yeah I mean I think certainly that strength and conditioning plays a crucial role in the program I think sometimes change can be a good thing like maybe it can become stale like you talked about with with the transition to Matt bis um and so I would not any better off with Matt bis rather than whoever comes next maybe maybe not I I don't know that I could say that with any uh with with any certainty um but it does matter to guys like I think Pro I think it's pretty probably pretty easy to sell to recruit like if you bringing in someone new like hey trust us we're going to get this figured out I think if you're someone like Jack Kaiser or a guy that's returning to the program like making that NFL decision you probably want to have a good sense of what that is because your window of like of this needed Improvement that you need to make in terms of putting yourself in a better position for the NFL The Following Season May that that that would play a bigger role in your decision um so I mean I think I think you can make your strength and conditioning program and Coach seem great I think the best way to probably pinpoint that is just like guys that have developed and turn in NFL players and so even if it's not like thanks to Matt bis that Xavier Watts became what he was I think you could sort of point to the culture within your program that is uh that has allowed that to happen um and I think the strength and conditioning coach has a lot to do with that culture but um I think as Marcus Freeman described it uh like the culture wasn't Matt bis's right it was it was the football programs culture bis played a large role in implementing it and and making sure thrived um and and pushed through adversity and stuff like that but Marcus Freeman has a role in that the rest of the coaching staff the rest of the strength and conditioning staff has a role in that and so um it can certainly be very detrimental if you don't have the right guy in that job um but it it's not like the sole responsibility of that person to make sure that that culture sort of emanates throughout the program next question is from at Dan quinland since Notre Dame can't play in a conference Championship Game would it ever pushed for a 13th regular season game their minimum to make a 12 team playoff seems to be 10 wins so this keeps a 10 and three M Dame team in contention with three losses likelihood of this happening disadvantages thanks there's no Avenue for them to get a 13th game uh unless they played Hawaii on the road I mean that's the only exemption game and you'd have to do that every year and I think the wear and tear of going over all those time zones and all that travel wouldn't make up for it nor would it give you any strength of schedule it's not uh you know a win over Hawaii isn't going to convince anybody other thing is you're competing against a lot of teams that only are going to play 12 games not everybody's going to be in a conference Championship that makes the playoff I don't you the losses count too you know 10 and three team is different than a 10 and two team so likely of of it happen zero advantages zero disadvantages Lots because it doesn't get you anything yeah and you there's a like 12 game is the maximum by rule like that's an NCA rule it's not like an undername Choice um so that's what you're indicating there with the the 13 can be possible for they make an exemption for teams that schedule Hawaii um but so I I guess if you wanted to schedule Hawaii every year um and is it only when you go out to Hawaii right or yeah it's not when they come here it's when you go out there um so I mean so let's pretend that the rule changed and you could do a 13th game I I still don't think Notre Dame would be interested in it I think one it's hard to schedule that many games as as an independent at least games that matter like maybe you could add another uh group of five team on your schedule or or um even an FCS team but I don't think that's what you're you're looking for um so the the the field has W or the opportunities have widened for Notre Dame to get in the playoff right now like in the previous system Notre Dame pretty much had to go undefeated to make it into a four team playoff like it wasn't there there were rare exceptions where one team one lost under Dame team would would get into the playoff um and so if if 10 and two puts you in play now that's that's an increase in in odds in getting into the playoff so um and then like if you get if you're able to schedule 13th game when do you when do you play it do you you got to play it in November December right you're not you're not going to get rid of a buee like and it's not easy to sell out like Notre Dame home games at that point of year so I just don't see um in the hypothetical world where this was possible there being a really significant Advantage um for Notre Dame to do it next question is from sjb 75 on the inside Lounge Bo Collins and Riley Leonard both haven't graduated at the end of this semester is the nutre Dame Administration loosening their standards for the football team accepting undergraduate transfers when I asked Marcus that question a couple weeks ago he felt he was very effusive and he felt like there was some progress being made without going into specifics about it when you look at those two examples it certainly appears that way now this could be a litmus test or a start of a trend um we'll have to do a little bit more asking about that uh but I do think it's interesting because Riley Leonard you can maybe equate a little bit to the Brandon Joseph Bo Collins you really can't it's not a similar situation but we need to find out what their individual situations are but there's been I mean those would have been hard NOS in some other Cycles yeah I mean this the sample size is still too too small to make like sweeping judgments this is a giant change in direction right um transfers are always going to be handled on an individual basis right I mean that that's that hasn't changed um it's not like we're gonna just take everyone who's a junior come on in like they're always going to be evaluated on a case-by Case basis so that's still going to be the same um regardless of the policy moving forward um my understanding is that Riley Leonard and and Bo Collins are good students and certainly Duke I would imagine the Duke and Clemson class coursework that those guys have taken played a role in their ability to make this happen um so I I I wouldn't it's not gonna we're we're a long way from saying okay all all juniors are back on the table for 100 Dame so I think um progress here is more incremental um and gradual than than sort of uh something that I would say like a a wide loosening of the notame standards but it but it is I still think it's significant that they're even even this small of a sample size because one of the stumbling blocks was the concept that somebody could come to Notre Dame and get a degree without doing most of the hours at Notre Dame now maybe they have an arrangement where they get the degree from their prior school they come and take classes at Notre daming they say okay and then you get a Clemson or a or Duke degree yeah that's that's what we don't know and I think that that is a that would be a significant right I mean that would make sense like Riley Leonard regardless is probably closer to a a Duke degree than he would be a Notre Dame degree unless there was a more significant like accepting of credits and I don't think that's the case but I don't know that I don't have the answers that's what I would like to learn more about is Notre Dame just maybe more willing to have guys that maybe they're not going to come here and graduate as notame graduates they're going to be able to he take some courses and and still be college graduates and they're okay with that I don't know the the one thing that I can remember the conversation I had with Brandon Joseph and he was a couple of Cycles ago was he said that because of the pickiness in what transferred and what didn't even from Northwestern he said it if he came out which he did and go to the NFL it would be easier for him to go back to Northwestern to get his degree then finish up at Notre Dame and get a Notre Dame degree that's what he told me all right next question is from ND on the road on the inside Lounge what is the worst question you have heard asked by a reporter either to a coach or a player at a press conference followup question have either of you asked a question at a press conference and then thought that maybe you shouldn't have asked that question once it was asked I'm gonna have to lean on Tyler a little bit about the worst question asked to a coach and maybe it was just the funniest I'm sure there are worst I couldn't think off the top of my head cuz I try to blot it out of my mind especially if it's my own question um what what was Brian Kelly asked was he asked about being playing in Mexico after a game yeah that was one of the first one that came to mind it was um a reporter asking about yeah playing the possibility or want to play a game in Mexico and it was like after a game it would I think it was related to another name playing in cowboy stad AT&T Stadium and I think like that same week there was going to be some sort of Mexican football exhibition or something and so it was just one it's just it maybe wasn't a wrong a bad question but it was the wrong place for the question and like it was sort of like I think probably a little bit of a blinds side Brian Kelly certainly didn't seem like he was prepared for it he just said sure at the end of it like he didn't he didn't know what to do um with that question so a lot of times it's like the time and place that that I think can be improved rather than just the question I think wording of question I think is always important one one that came to mind to me and I found the transcript of it um that was pretty bad um was after Notre Dame lost to Alabama in the college football playoff and here's the question and answer so the the media member said uh sorry for the tough loss down there tonight what does Alabama their wide receiver Smith what does he look like up close and personal he looks like one of those that's going to be playing Sunday afternoons or anytime during the NFL and so Jeremiah was a COR coroa respond and what does he look like up close and then the the guy responds yeah in person you see him in person because we've only seen him on video and film and all that stuff what does he look like up close and then Sean Crawford funny funny response I think he's 61 175 and then the the the per media member said and he's probably going to be playing on Sundays right and Sean Crawford said I think so so that was a very awkward and bad question and answer session um that that came to mind um there were a lot of bad ones on the old sunday Brian Kelly teleconference yeah um without going into great detail the worst one I ever heard asked a player so Robert hughes's brother Robert Hughes was a running back during the Charlie Weiss and Brian Kelly era and Robert's brother got murdered and it I don't think it's ever solved and Robert decided you know what I'm going to come in and I'm going to talk to the media and uh you guys can ask me about it and then we need to move on and that was kind of the ground roles and so everybody asked him about it and then this one other guy decided to interview somebody else first he comes running over he goes so what does it feel like your brother being dead that was that was the worst I thought Robert was going to jump out of the chair and do something really bad yeah I just looked at him and I go you don't I never coach somebody and said I said Robert you don't have to answer that I thought it was awful taste and then I've got a good one about my worst question ever yeah I don't I haven't come up I couldn't think of one specific to me and that's not to say I haven't asked bad questions I just don't like I mean I Rely even wrate I don't really write my questions down so it's not like I would have like a record to go back and look at them I think in general what I don't like so I try to use this to inform the question question that I ask is I I don't like questions that are just statements like you just share your opinion and just ask them you're just basically asking them to follow up on it and then I also think wording matters and I I I've only learned that through experience like some coaches especially if you like maybe you put an opinion to start the question like you say like you guys really stunk in the running game today why did the running game stink um or what went on like that when we get that on the yeah so I think I think sometimes the a coach will get stuck on the opinion that you said and maybe not even follow listen to the actual question you asked Bobby Knight was like that there was no way you were getting that I try to be I try to be very specific and there was one I think it was during it was during Co I know it was during Co and we had to like submit them written it was a very odd setup that didn't last very long and like my very spe like and so like I thought about the way I worded it when I sent it in and I don't remember what the game was and I don't and I don't even remember exactly what the what it was about but it was like the question was something like to to what do you to what do you how did I word it it was like to what do you account for the lack of success in the passing game or something like that it was something trying to just like not put any blame on anyone just like I just wanted to know what his answer like what he how he described it and he did not that was Bri that was Brian Kelly at the time and he was not H having that and did not did not go for that so wording definitely matters um another thing I found early in my career is that like if I'm trying to tweet everything that is being said at a press conference there's a good chance that I'm not g to hear one of the questions that's asked so I don't like doing that because I want to be like locked in and so make sure that anything I asked hasn't already been asked because then I'm wasting everyone's time not just the coaches if I'm asking something that's already being asked so I try to be very atten at press conferences rather than sort of updating people what what is being said right I don't do it either because I think I'm being disrespectful if they're answering my question I'm looking at my phone and trying to tweet that out so I don't do that I try to treat them with respect but okay I gotta set this one up because this is the worst question that I ever asked um so Bill balinsky and I were covering an IU basketball game or IU football game down in Bloomington which is about 4 hours from where we are and we're up pretty late and then you know how you try to get well I can get three hour sleep well I can get St to when it ended up being about 45 minutes so we're driving up to Chicago for the Big 10 tip off Media conference with all the coaches except for Bobby Knight and Michigan State's coach at the time was Jud heathcoat and he's standing up there and he gives a Spiel and he takes some questions and again I had had 45 minutes of sleep not enough caffeine so I raised my hand they call me and I said the local kid from North Judson High School Kirk mans how do you feel like Kirk mans is gonna fit in with you this year and looks at me and he had seen me around for a while and he goes well exactly how I felt five minutes ago when I was asked it he goes but I'll repeat it for you and he did and he was very gracious and he didn't make me feel like an idiot and I'll be forever grateful I went up to him and thanked him afterwards and I said I am so under caffeinated for today but thank you for being so kind and I'll never forget that but he he made me feel great he made it feel like he was part of the joke and it was awful because I asked a question somebody else already asked all right and our last question is from Maria bore at boror Marie who is not afraid to ask us questions and ask mostly good ones who are you both picking to win the national championship I am picking the team that I have been voting number one for most of the year I am picking Washington to beat Alabama in the championship game I I'm going with Washington as well I don't really feel confident about anyone necessarily I feel like every everyone has pretty significant flaws I I I think if you ask me like which game is more likely to have the champion of the semi-final games I probably would go with the Washington Texas game as odd as that may sound I I don't like I don't know that Michigan's going to be able to have a ton of offensive success I think the Zach zenter injury is going to hurt them um against teams that can play good defense and then also score maybe better than well certainly better than Iowa can score against Michigan um I I don't know what to think about Alabama like I wouldn't be shocked if Alabama won but like is Alabama dominant I don't think think so um so yeah I mean I think this is a pretty wide open college football playoff and I'm it's going to be fascinating to watch um but if I had to pick someone I would pick Washington as well I was I was shocked that they were like considered such great underdogs against Oregon in the in the Pack 12 Championship Washington's obvious flaws their defense isn't very good um so it wouldn't be a shock if they messed up there but I feel they seem to come up with these moments that's what's weird about them yeah there's just something like in tangible that you can't really sort of put a finger on and I also think Washington probably should have been the one seat in my opinion which like like Eric said he's been voting him number one um so that's why I'm going with Washington as well all right that is it for today's episode of the inside Indie Sports podcast if you don't already you can subscribe to us on Apple podcast Spotify Google podcast and other popular podcast platforms like what you're hear give us a star rating leave a review and share a podcast feed with someone who won your bull poool last year as I mentioned earlier we're offering a 30-day free trial to our podcast listeners who want to try out a subscription to insidend sports.com so please take advantage of that with the code NDP that's NY pod um football never sleeps returns next week we're continuing to do our weekly schedule we'll have a podcast next week certainly once we get to Christmas week we won't do football never sleeps on Christmas we'll have to figure out our schedule of Bowl week but um we so we'll make some adjustments there but we'll be back football never sleeps but it does celebrate Christmas football does celebrate Christmas Christmas um and and we do too I'm not traveling on Christmas to get down to the sunbowl so uh we appreciate you guys tuning in you know there's going to be still some more action to cover and like Eric mentioned earlier there's we're going to have some access to Marcus streaman this coming weekend and a little bit of practice access next weekend or next week uh so so check that out and stick with us on insidend sports.com for all your Notre Dame coverage needs [Music] [Music]