Notre Dame at Texas A&M Preview with Carter Karels

[Music] hey this is Pete Samson of the independent we've got a special show today a little bit different than our usual format on Wednesday night Matt and I got together at Esq clothing in downtown Chicago thanks to Notre alumnus go Wang for putting on the event for a live recording Q&A with Notre Dame fans and in the back half of the show we have a interview with Carter carrols who covers Texas A&M for the 247 Sports Network so all the Insight on A&M's roster and what to keep an eye out for in college station on Saturday night plus where to visit and where to eat in College Station uh if you're lucky enough to make the trip down to Texas so with that said let's get to the show Welcome to the latest episode of The Independent I'm Pete Samson in Chicago with Matt Fortuna also in Chicago uh and we're thrilled to be hosted for another year by go Wang at Esq clothing downtown Chicago uh one of our favorite sponsors um that make us look almost like marusa but not quite um so this episode we've did our season preview that uh posted earlier in the week where we had Tony Simone from the Notre name radio network uh to talk about the season and this since it's live we're in person together we thought this would be more of a good Q&A um so you got a question about Notre football um shout it out no question too stupid uh we asked many of notame football coaches and players ourselves so um yeah we can go ahead started with the Q&A portion of the show so what what do you guys want to talk about as far as notame football heading into 2024 don't be shy I think one of the big questions you know last year we had an awesome Edition uh Sam Hartman joing the team as a transfer quarter quarterback um he was built up quite a bit by everybody and then the season hot and then maybe didn't go according to plan the rest of the way uh we brought in another high-profile QB this year what's the take on on Riley this season is it going to be a little bit more of what we saw from Sam Harman or you think you might see something a little bit different and what do you think the CH of success I think it'll be different provided he's healthy obviously it's stun to not have him around for a full spring with an entirely new offensive cast a new offens coordinator but everything you hear about the guy in around campus and even his background Pete handed him in New York Times with a great story written by Pete uh today by uh he went down to Alabama to his hometown and talk to a lot of people around him uh and it sounds like he's about as nerd Dame of a kid as you can get for someone from that part of the country if that makes sense I mean he uh he really loves the place and he definitely seemed like one of the guys not to say sam wasn't but he was 24 years old like that's after this year when all the co guys are gone I think we'll see college football return a little bit more to normaly and to have a dual threat guy like that with a new offense coordinator who's been there and done that I think is very very valuable we've heard Marcus Freeman say we didn't always put Sam Hartman in the best position suceed last year I think a lot of that indirectly is on Jared Parker not necessarily his fault but that was not the OC that Hartman had initially signed on to play for at Notre Dame so provided Leonard is healthy I think things will be much smoother this time around and I think that the receiving core is so much better I mean that was when we had a sit down with Marcus in the summer and I was like hey what tell me what something you learned from the Sam Hartman experience that it's going to make it better for Riley Leonard um and he's like yeah he didn't want to like throw Sam under the bus but he also was like look we didn't put him in the best positions to be successful all the time I mean you think about the dupe game last year where they had three healthy scholarship receivers going into the game you know one of them is at Cal now another one's at Virginia another one's at UCLA uh one of them was a freshman the other one is a sophomore who never really did anything and then Chris Tyrie was the senior who was actually productive so like I hate to say like it couldn't be any worse but like it would be hard for to have a worse receiving core at Notre Dame than what they had sort of at the end of September early early October last year and I mean I I agree with Matt it just like Leonard feels much more like one of the guys than Hartman ever did um and I I feel like Hartman came to Notre Dame in a lot of ways to elevate himself um which worked out great because you know for what he was or was not as a football player he turned into kind of a celebrity um you don't do that at Wake Forest even if you have the same hair uh for Riley Leonard he's a lot closer to us awake than he was now yeah like Riley Leonard I think is much more about Notre Dame um and like when you spend time with them it can come off as like a little thick sometimes but I think that like it is authentic at the same time um I think he is about Notre Dame you know he you know references his great-grandfather all the time who played the 40s um you know when I when I sat down and talked with him the summer he even said like look I I would have come here the first time but I wasn't good enough like I get it um but I think a place like Notre Dame and like how Faith forward he is is like I think meshes really well with what Notre is about to like he's comfortable in that part of it so I think overall like I'm not GNA get carried away like I did with Sam Hartman last year especially after the first four games you're like holy this guy's going to win the Heisman Trophy and I was like wait a minute they played Central Michigan and Tennessee State Navy like okay um but I think Riley Leonard whatever happens on Saturday night is going to be a very very good college football player for Notre Dame this year uh and the kind of a guy that you can build uh you know a playoff level offense around eventually maybe not in game one but I think that they will get there by the end of the season I wanted to actually ask a question to you because you had a story I think this week earlier on the receiving Corp you had a line at the end that really caught my attention it said Rico Flores called the nerd Dame staff on his way out I want to go somewhere where I can win the bitof award um good on him for having the stones to say that but did that really happen and like well yeah it did really happen um yeah because I talked to the coach that he told it to um yeah I just think like last year's it felt a little disjointed you know Matt referenced the the hiring of Jared Parker that was very messy um and I don't I think that even with Sam Hartman they got off on the wrong foot it was very difficult to sort of get that back into spot and the receivers get hurt um and by the end of the year I think when you when Marcus Rin comes on the day after Stanford and says I want the entire coaching staff back and then 24 hours later fires the receivers coach like H something that is a little off here um so I think with Den Brock one of the big benefits of him there are many but one is like he's run and commanded a room before like there's not going to be any confusion about who the boss is on offense and I think last year there was like they were collaborative to a fault um and this year I think they they're going to have much more of a chain of command from denrock on down of guys like Gino guli and Mike Brown they've worked together before Cincinnati I think you you you sort of get ahead in that way too so overall it's um yeah I don't I don't know if any receivers will come into the coaching room and say like I want to win the bullet in a cop award this is why I'm leaving um I think they're a lot more realistic for sure coin first off nice shirt I think I had that's Esq right I had the same one different color at home um I think it's as good of a spot as you can be in like I don't I don't want to speak for anyone and say Mike denrock doesn't have head coaching aspirations because I'm sure in the back of his mind or heart he does but he's a guy who's at a stage of his career where he seems to be very content with you know what he's about and about the work much more than titles I mean they put for both these guys four years $ million contracts in front of golden and den brck to I mean I know it was a different era so to speak in college football but they let Mike ELO walk out the door after one year A&M because they were giving him maybe two yeah at the time which again was very big at the time but it was like we're not going to pay that now it's what do you need um and so I think ner Dame is adapted very well to the modern college football environment in that regard and they've got guys who want to be there obviously Den Brock is not looking to leave U you know last time he left he he was demoted um and so we let be become a play caller again at Cincinnati in Golden's case I believe his family's now in South B from Cincinnati as as son just finished up his senior year of high school football out there so I mean he's been there and done that as well I'm not saying he doesn't want to be a head coach one day but I think he's another guy who is has already scratched that itch so to speak and is very happy working at a place place where you've got smart kids for the most part this year at least you got really old kids who can speak your language understand your language and it makes for about a smooth of a cable environment as you can get yeah I would say Den BR in particular like we've I've asked him like head coaching aspirations and he's like you know I'd be lying if I didn't think about it sometimes but it's like it's kind of a young man's game now um you know I think the way the sport has trended you're seeing a lot more hirers like Marcus Freeman um who sort of like are culture Setters opposed to like these sort of grizzled teex ition type coaches um golden I think i' always been like harder to nail down but like I mean I was told that the University of Cincinnati reached out a couple years ago when they had an opening he's like I don't need to talk to you I'm not interested um I think it maybe if the right NFL job Came Calling like as a defensive coordinator there that would be intriguing to him um but I I would almost say like I I think Syracuse and was Boston College involved with him at all Al washing was the runner up for BC he went there but I don't I you know then Matt brought up a good point with his family sort of relocating himself then finally it would it would stranger things have happen in coaching uh moves but like that would make it more likely that somebody would stay than not but I'd say like you know Den Brock you're good for a while um golden I guess we'll s we'll sort of see I think after this year the way like I had a story on the athletic today just about like Watts Mills cross Kaiser All Coming Back Together uh and like you don't get that every year like the defense is going to be a rebuild of some kind next season because they they just couldn't be any older than they are right now um but uh that'll be interesting to sort of see how golden like all right do I want to take this on or am I looking for maybe the next I I will say in the Golden's case like he start stayed two years longer than I thought he would like that was a I wouldn't say questionable higher but definitely a curious higher when it was made because our last pace of Al golden at the college level was not all that successful but to see him come after the Super Bowl Cincinnati and just really assimilate himself really really well Notre aame I think has been impressive I did not think that defense was going to be as dominant last year as they were and this year I think they had the chance to be one of the best in the country if not the best with this game coming up from a micro perspective what least is pretty easy to answer um yeah it's like not's offensive line returns six career starts uh in their starting lineup they'll start a true freshman at left tackle red Sher freshman at left guard Junior Center Junior at oh no yeah Junior at Right Guard and then uh junior at left guard I think it's the first time I know it's the first time they haven't had a at least one fifth year senior in the starting lineup since 2016 we don't need to revisit That season um I haven't gone back to figure out the last time they didn't start a senior at all um but I I might be looking for a very very long time before I found a n Dame offensive line that didn't have that so that that I I don't think it is possible to sort of unell how concerning the offensive line is going into Kyle Field like if they were opening at home against Northern Illinois I think they would still have a lot to work out um on the road to A&M I think is you have to adjust your game plan accordingly um that would be advice to bet the under if you can um I would say I but I also like I don't like Notre Dame's defense is so old and so experienced third year without golden I have a very difficult time seeing A&M move the ball uh on them like I just I think this defense has a chance to be better than it was last year when they finished first in the country in pass efficiency defense and I think they were top five in scoring or top 10 in scoring so it's um I I I believe in noran's defense with a high amount of faith I have absolutely no idea what the offensive line is going to look like and how Den Brock manages that on Saturday night is going to be pretty fascinating to me yeah I'm with Pete I think it's the first time it's the second time they started a true freshman at left tackle in the first game I believe it's the first time they've started well definitely be the first time they started a red Shir freshman next to him at left guard six career starts on the first team ironically enough and if you're looking for a silver lining or like a reason for optimis with this line the second team unit according to the dep chart they put out this week if you added up all the starts I believe are 26 like there's a lot more experience behind them then there is in front of them which means these guys did do something to earn these jobs now clearly the first seers probably did some stuff to lose those jobs but coaches speak a lot about the meaning of practice and the important of practice and a lot of times they've got their minds already made up clearly like they took these last three and four weeks seriously during Camp Marcus Freeman Joe Rudolph trusted their eyes and were going with the guys who outperform who performed the best during that stretch and I think that's a positive sign I can't remember the depth of this program being in the position it is right now on both sides of the ball and to take that analogy another step further I mean Rod herd did not transfer from Northwestern for a six-year college football to be a backup and he's starting out as a backup because of Don Schuler who only rer freshman right beat him out in Camp which is another surprise so they're not taking any chances as coaching staff with this roster they're trusting the rise they're trusting their evaluation and if they believe that these guys based on what they've seen in practice are good enough to start at A&M that could be reason for optimism out it's still the weakest position offensive line on the team right now probably the worst matchup wise going up against this A&M front uh but that's definitely uh where I'd have the most cause for concern yeah it's um I think there was I was on like a Texas radio show Tuesday and they're like how much do you think not is going to be hurt by the weather I'm like actually it's quite a bit hotter in South End than it is in College Station um I don't you know it's like if it rains I don't think that helps one team more than another um but I think the fact that it's not a noon kickoff and it's 105 degrees is good for Notre Dame um you know last time I checked I think the high was 90 degrees on Saturday you know he got an evening kickoff I mean I think back to when Notre Dame opened at Texas in 2016 and how hot that was down there and I think Notre Dame tried to get through that game playing like six different defens of lineman in a double overtime game um which was a terrible terrible idea uh this year they go down there with probably eight or nine defensive linemen who can play um so I think even the way Notre dve is built in the in the defensive trenches at least would suit uh a warm weather game where you can rotate a lot and not feel like you have a huge drop off like I mean but one of my big questions is like how healthy is Howard cross going into the game um you know he had a hamstring in Camp you can you get 25 great snaps out of him or 35 or 45 like 10 more snaps of really good Howard Cross or 20 more Snaps are really good Howard cross could make a a significant differ difference in a game I think is going to be pretty tight I'm yeah it's um it's not good um you know that's not a good thing for an offense but it's like I don't know if it's any worse for Notre Dame than it is for A&M um but you know how a quarterback making his first start at Notre Dame handles the Zone Reed with running backs he's never played with and receivers he's never thrown to like that could be could be a little bit dicey um however Mike denrock was the offensive coordinator in 2016 uh when they went to North Carolina State and I think he got overruled by Brian Kelly Brian Kelly's not there to overrule him this time it's a thought you g ask your concern where's your tailgate because that would be a concern of mine if I were tailgating this game it's hard to say one would have a definitive Edge I will say first game under a new coach if you're A&M you're probably not going to be able to like leave it all out there and try all these tricks that you want to do and really get that crowd into it the way you always see them get that kind of boost I guess I would say the advantage goes a nerd a there but the way both these teams are built I think it's gonna be a low-scoring game either way the college football season is back and we're thrilled to keep our partnership going with robach on the independent you've probably seen their new license line of Notre Dame apparel hoodie quarter zip polos and how they partnered with Riley Leonard and Benjamin Morrison you can get all that gear plus everything else on rock.com for 20% off with the promo code Irish that's all your Notre Dame gear for tailgating game day and however else you want to get outside for 20% off just visit roback.com and use promo code Irish please to welcome in Carter carols uh may be a familiar name for not fans since he uh Texas A&M graduated in 18 covered Notre Dame then on to Florida State now Texas A&M sort of moving through the hierarchy of fanatical and slightly unhinged fan bases um now covering Texas A&M for 247 Sports uh cardo thanks for making some time for us on the independence good to good to see you after a few years um and I guess just this you mentioned sort of before we hit record this is a bit of your uh your personal journalistic Super Bowl what uh what are you feeling about this week as as no R comes down to your backyard yeah can't wait uh going to be cool to see everybody again and uh yeah I don't know if it's the if it's my Super Bowl if it's Mike elco's Super Bowl maybe it's Riley Leonard's Super Bowl like there's so many cool story lines with this game uh with with the connections between ryy Leonard and Mike elelo and uh just how similar these teams are um I mean I keep saying this game's going to be uh nine to six uh with these two defenses and two offenses that have a lot of questions so um yeah looking forward to this one Carter what what what's the buzz excitement like down there in College Station I I know this is old hat in some ways for notame fans because every game's a non-conference game but I feel like when they're going particularly to another part of the country there's a different kind of energy than I imagine it is for a traditional SEC or Big 12 opponent what what's the atmosphere like there in anticipation of this game yeah probably took a a little longer than anticipated because you know coming out of last season this is a fan base that was pretty de dejected you know they had a lot of High Hopes under Jimbo Fisher ended pretty horribly there and so I think uh you know they they get Mike goo you know at first they're kind of thinking ah we did we settle for this guy we we didn't get a a cayin deor Dan Lanning we got a guy who's a coach at Duke you know there was kind of this like uh entitled uh uh perspective on it and and then you know Mike Elco came in and retained a lot of the top guys on the roster uh brought in a really good transfer portal class and and and kind of said all the right things this offseason and just as the offseason's kind of uh aged for him I think this fan base has kind of rallied around him and and kind of changed their tune and and now going into this game they're looking at it and saying hey you win this game and and man what what a seon it kind of sets up for season one under Mike Elco and you know Notre Dame's kind of similar too right they win this game and I mean they really get like a three- game schedule this year so you win this game and you're probably in the playoff right so uh I think both fan bases look at the opportunity of you know obviously a ranked matchup obviously 105,000 in the stadium going to be a lot of fun but the CLE well playoff implications are are going to be immediately there in this game so we'll make it even more fun I was interested like how you feel like A&M fits together as like they're kind of a portal team this offseason that a ton of EX outgoings and a ton of incomings what what were the the outgoings that you think hurt them the most and who are the incomings that you think may impact this season the most for the Aggies yeah outgoings uh there were two that really hurt and and that was Evan Stewart uh why receiver went to Oregon you look at this wide receiver core right now do they have a number one receiver do they have a guy who can have a thousand yards in the season I don't think so and you look at the offense Evan Stewart's joining in Oregon if he can kind of put it together across the whole season uh that's a kid that you know this guy's the limit Walter Nolan another one defensive tackle went to Old Miss one of the top players in his class in 2022 and and in the and you you look up front for A&M very impressive defense there was one question it's kind of know the run defense you know replacing Walter Nolan replacing McKinley Jackson Edan Cooper cons consensus All-American lineb from last year there there's kind of a void to fill in that run defense and they're lacking sort of that uh big body guy right you got Shamar Turner but he's more of that 290 300 PB guy they're kind of lacking that 320 PB guy who can really plug the middle and I think Walter Nolan was that LT Overton was another top contributor for the team uh went to Alabama certainly should make an impact there uh outside of that though I don't think they felt like they lost a whole lot to the transfer portal obviously the the numbers would suggest otherwise but but from an impact standpoint really only a few there that are going to be big misses um and likewise with the incoming transfers you know you're bring in a 25 trans for class you can't expect all of them to to contribute you know half of them probably won't even play very much uh but the top of the class is is what you want to talk about here Nick scorton being kind of the headliner uh out of Purdue Le the Big 10 and Sachs second Team all SEC is a kind of a a HomeTown product out of of Brian high school and um and they feel like this is you know a first round pick in 2025 and and could really anchor uh this defense cases Howell is another guy to mention out of Bowling Green led the the mac and sacks last year and and he's probably not even going to start that that's how good this defensive line can be um armad Reed Adams on on the offensive line out of out of Kansas he's someone A&M's thought pretty highly of this off season has the versatility to play Right Guard or right tackle um few other names to mention but but really the the one other key area I want to highlights that the secondary because uh a lot of change from last year uh 10 newcomers for the group seven out of the transfer portal I think if you looked at that uh group last year man I mean Pete could have had nine catches 80 yards and a touchdown against that group they needed a lot of change and and did they get any Superstars I don't think so but did they tremendously improve the group I do think so and and with that defensive line helping them out I think it's a group that can hold their own for the most part and not be as glaring of a weakness as they were last year so I think top to bottom they filled a lot of the holes on the roster they they improved their depth but the biggest one for sure is Nick scorton and he's certainly a name to know for Notre Dame Carter 55 total newcomers on this A&M roster heading into week one from last year uh obviously the the headliner among the Freshman is Terry busy the festar athlete I believe he's listed as kick return turn on the depth chart everything we've read and heard coming out last month is he could be a receiver he could be a corner how do you expect A&M to deploy him in week one yeah it could be something where you know week one I don't know if the truss will fully be there because you know arrived in June it wasn't like he was an early en rolly uh and for the first half of Camp he was working at quarter cornerback before he moved to offense so could be a tall ask but he from everything I heard had an incredible second scrimmage for the aies a couple weeks ago in preseason camp and could be kind of building more trust in and with where they're at with their skill positions right have some questions at receiver have some death concerns at running back I think he's your guy that you know will he have a ton of yards you're one maybe not but could be a guy that they use kind of as a gadget player in certain situations you know a name you hear is like cadarius Tony right could he be used in jet sweeps and motions and just kind of be that guy that can be used in a lot of different uh ways I think again game one against Notre Dame does that happen does he have five plays on offense we'll see but from a kick returning standpoint he's going to be the guy uh back there at kickoff and at Punt and and I think he has the potential to be a special kick returner so even if he's not too involved with offense I think he's an to know because the first scrimmage that he had for Texas A&M he returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown uh and it wasn't quite Kyle Hamilton three picks uh like we saw in 2019 that was crazy that that first camp that first practice we saw of him but he's definitely kind of got that similar Fascination behind him where it's like hey this could be the guy that could really rejuvenate a group that needs it uh and so um again will he play a ton offensively I'm not sure but definitely one to know about can you explain how good Conor wigman is or is not quite yet because it he's somebody that that pops up and even on thetic um sort of in a a first round you know projection like a top 30 overall player um statistically though like you just take the the Miami and Auburn games last year like he's good good um but maybe not great so like what what kind of quarterback does A&M have do you and do you have much of a sense of like you know where his game needs to go next like because I I feel like there there might their games might not be similar but Leonard and wigman both you know sort of out at midseason um but both sort of have some like uh draft shine uh going into the season that's interesting ESPN the athletic but you know both of them see him as a first round pick uh I think a lot of it is potential right five-star recruit there have been games I mean you look back at his true freshman season you look back at the LSU game he had where you Brian Kelly and and llcu were hopeful to make the playoff and and they kind of spoiled those chances the Old Miss game when he came in that was an A&M roster and team that was in shambles and and he put together together two great games against two great teams uh last year Miami I think he had a good game Auburn was definitely the game where he struggled but uh so a lot of its projection uh but I think for Conor wigman the strength it's a couple things right I think he takes care of the football uh only had two picks in his career so far uh and he also has really good pocket presence and an ability to extend plays and avoid sacks you know is not a guy who is going to rack up a ton of rushing yards on you but he's athletic enough he's quick enough to uh you know move around in the pocket and and you know former Short Stop could have could have played college baseball for the agies if you wanted to someone who can kind of release it at different angles and and and uh you know use different arm slots and so uh definitely gifted as a as a passer from that standpoint but uh last year before he went down was I believe according to PFF the most pressured quarterback in college football and I want to say he only took one or two sacks uh at that point he really had this great ability to avoid sacks extend plays I think maybe where his game needs to take The Next Step Beyond just staying healthy because obviously injuries have been a concern for him uh since high school uh maybe with that deep ball just getting a little bit more of his timing uh you know we've seen it on some deep posts we've seen it on some you know deeper routes where he's throwing it a little bit late that the anticipation is quite quite not there uh certainly he's had some good deep balls in his time at A&M but just consistently uh I think that's maybe been an issue and when you're playing an elite secondary like Notre Dame that timing that you know3 second difference can be the difference between a touchdown or an interception so uh I think that'll be something to watch in this game can he have that timing uh especially after you know in the spring you know he's came off a pretty significant injury last September where he had to have surgery had that broken bone in his foot and you know he decided hey I'm gonna play I'm gonna play the whole spring but he wasn't really himself he was you know limping around he couldn't really put weight on his you know he could put weight on his foot but he couldn't quite plan it uh his accuracy was off uh I think for him he felt hey I just gotta be out there uh it's a new offense it's a new team I'm the leader of this team I got to be out there uh and so definitely admirable for him to do that but um I feel like in preseason camp it's been different and that now he's fully healthy now the timing's there for him uh and and being out there in the spring kind of paid off for them so um if there's any rustiness we'll see but I think maybe just the biggest thing we've seen career-wise is you know can he connect on that deep ball consistently and can that timing be there Carter you know that know that place better than anybody the facilities the support the fan base we saw Jimbo get into it with nerd aame a little bit a couple years ago after hauling a big recruiting class all the ingredients are there for this place to be an absolute Powerhouse what from your Vantage Point has been missing and can Mike ELO fix whatever that Missing Link has been yeah you could point to a whole bunch of things um I think one thing is probably alignment from a university standpoint there there's been a lot of ads there's been a lot of presidents uh here over the last 20 years um you know Jimbo Fisher what went wrong with him is just kind of the failure to adapt and and the failure to you know make the right hires you know when Mike goo left strength coach left when his offensive line coach left you know he's replacing him with Steve adio you know he's he's keeping certain guys on staff that shouldn't be there right and and and offensively we we saw just sort of how things became so seemingly difficult for the quarterback to where they having to process way too much and and not really playing to the strengths of the offense uh I think was was kind of a problem and and certainly the the uh discipline and the accountability in the program I think was was off I mean if you spoke to Mike Elko about just what he had to do when he took over this roster um they were they were in in Peril like they they were everybody was in the transfer portal or or had a foot out the door uh and all the players were showing up late to meetings and it's a voluntary workout well that doesn't mean I that means I don't have to go right so like that was the main issue with this program over the last couple years is sort of you know staying with the times and and keeping the important things important and and I think what Mike ELO's done a good job is is you know went out and hired Tommy Moffett the strength coach at uh the former strength coach at LSU and kind of bringing that you know uh importance back to the program when it comes to showing up on time and and holding guys accountable you hear it a lot with with new regimes with new Strength coaches it becomes kind of a cliche but it really was the case with this program where I mean you you just saw the chaos of of every offseason and and and all the off all the off the field distractions with Jimbo going after Nick Sabin and you know all these things so uh I think that what Mike ELO's prided himself in this offseason is kind of being a boring offseason kind of being a out of the news off season I think that's the way he wants it and I think that you know I talk about alignment you know they just brought in a new president Mark Welsh they just brought in a new ad Trev Alberts it's hard to have alignment in college athletics these days but A&M's certainly been one of the worst uh from that standpoint over the last 20 years so that will be important and and Mike goo kind of continuing that trend of you know uh staying out of the news I think would be good for this program what if you're a not fan coming down to this game um or a media member like myself it's my first time in College Station like can you explain Kyle Field to somebody who's never been there um I'm going to be writing about just like how loud do Kyle Field this week working on a story with Sam Khan who you know um and just like the renovation in 2015 um you were there as a student I think when that had was finishing um how just can you explain how loud that place can get when it's Alabama or somebody you know somebody like Notre Dame coming in for a night game yeah uh loud I I I don't know if it is quite LSU I don't know if it's quite Georgia but top five top 10 definitely there from from a noise standpoint um this may not affect the Notre Dame team as much but I think what will stand out to Notre Dame fans is just sort of the traditions and the uniqueness of the crowd you know the from the yells that the the students do to students stand in the whole game and uh um that kind of atmosphere is definitely different than what you get in typical college football um think you know A&M traditionally you know when you go back to the RC slokum days you know kind of prided itself on on defense and and kind of uh you know being loud on third down and and that sort of thing and so I I think I'm really fascinated to just see the the helmet communicators and you know we were watching Florida state Georgia Tech last week and haes King couldn't hear in Ireland yeah see when you hear this see this like the the hands over the helmet to try to get the speaker that was the first thing I thought of was like what is Riley lonard going to look like on Saturday night Yes yes again yeah Ireland if that's a crazy crowd I can't imagine 105,000 Kyle Field I mean a night game uh first year coach I I really think this has got the chance to be uh one of the latter crowds uh that we've seen in Kyle Field um it's one of those things you can't quite explain what one thing that you guys will have to prepare for uh the Press Box at pfield I don't know who designed or or built it but it was not quite done right and the S point of when they're waving the towels pregame and when they do the Aggie warham uh which you guys will probably learn about when you see it but the Press Box will shake and will like it'll feel like someone's tugging beneath it and and it feels like you're about to fall to your death a little bit so you know that's something to watch for as you guys are you know you know 100 million feet high up in the Press Box uh so you know may may bring a parachute if you guys want to but um no the the the warh him's really cool because you know the fans sway back and forth and it's kind of a cool visual so I think what the sentiment you hear from a lot of posing fan bases you know when you think of Texas A&M I don't think you think of Ohio State Michigan LSU Georgia but the opposing fan bases that do come to Kyle Field I think they think man this place is as impressive as any other place we've been to and so I think Notre Dame fans will be blown away just by the tradition the the noise the uniqueness of the whole atmosphere Penn State's Press Box would shake when I was a student there I don't know if it's still like that now but uh I found it to be fun when I was 22 I don't think I'll find it to be as fun when I'm 35 and fearing for my life uh and that same vein though Carter first time for both of us and college station and I'm sure for a lot of nerd a fans where's the places to go to eat to drink to listen live music uh where to go on game day uh when when they come into town for the game yeah the big place at at Texas A&M if you want to ever get a drink of alcohol at A&M you can only go to one place pretty much it's it's north gate uh north side of Campus there are a million bars there a million restaurants there but it's all packed into one small area so it will be crazy there will be a ton of people there so you may want to get there early but the cool thing about it is it's a 15minute walk to the stadium and you can kind of walk through the whole campus and see the whole thing there's the memorial Student Center across from cyfield place where you know it's going to be hot you want to go to air conditioning to hang out there watch some games uh and then right outside Kyle Field um I'm not good with my directions so I couldn't tell you North southeast west one of the sides uh is kind of the main tailgate area and and they've really put a lot into that you know six years ago it was one of the worst tailgate scenes that I've seen just because it was so uneven it was mud everywhere you'd have to get a new pair of shoes every time you you went over there but they really invested in that area kind of I don't know how but they made the grass where it's all even and uh it's a pretty cool site they've got a bunch of you know uh uh altars I guess you call it where they you know have live music sometimes and uh it's a really Lively scene and and one of the better ones now in college football that you'll find so uh the KY Park uh and again couldn't tell you North southeast west but you'll if you see it you'll know it all right can I wrap it up more towards the game itself I won't ask you for a prediction but like A&M wins if notame wins if like what what would be the keys to sway one way or the other I think A&M wins if uh Notre Dame's offensive line is as questionable as as we kind of Wonder right and and A&M's defensive line is as good as we think you know I think back to the A&M Arizona State game seven or eight years ago where you know evenly mat it seemed like an evenly matched game and then all of a sudden desan Hall has four sacks and it's like oh W this defensive line is really dang good I mean it could be one of those games where Nick scorton has three sacks Jamar Stewart has a sack jar Turner has a sack and then all of a sudden it's like doesn't really matter what else happens because they're so disruptive and and certainly A&M's skill positions I think is a big weakness the offense is the question if they're a little bit better than anticipated uh certainly you know could be a first to 20 wins kind of game uh Notre Dame I think they win if you know A&M just can't get anything going offensively right I think Conor wigman we've talked about him I think he has the potential to be a really dang good quarterback but you look at the weapons he has around him no receiver on his team has had 700 yards at a power at a power for school in a season none of his running backs have had 600 yards in a season none of his tight end have had 400 yards in a season so does he have an elite option to go to and then when you're going against the secondary as good as Notre Dames going against Howard cross and this defensive line you know can you put up 20 points so Notre Dame wins if they just completely shut down this A&M offense okay you out of here on this Carter guest picker prediction I can't think of anyone other than football but my A&M knowledge is not exactly uh yours so who do you think it should be as as I was just say as the father of an 11 year old boy I have some strong opinions on who it should be I'll see if Carter picks up on that yes I know you're probably saying dude perfect should be yes yep yep maybe I have heard Johnny Manel will be in town but he's been in town a lot the last couple years just got a bar on M gate the Johnny Manzel Money Bar maybe that's a spot that Notre Dame gota go there yeah we should have done a live show there yeah exactly you know see some history there right uh but I'm gonna guess Johnny Football um definitely the biggest celebrity I don't know maybe I'm wrong dude perfect might have surpassed his celebrity at least among you know 10 and 11 year olds and kids I mean it's funny yeah 10-year-olds these days they don't know who Johnny Manzel is they're just like who's that you know but perfect yeah every every household knows who that is so but I'm gonna guess Johnny Football I hope NFL Network newest analyst Manti Tao comes and we'll have all three top Heisman vot Getters from 2012 and place Johnny Football man Tao and Colin Klein that be an incredible scene that's great video that's great video so all right well Carter thanks for taking some time to join us here on the independent we will uh we'll see you up in the Press Box on Saturday night uh with a parachute in hand and it sounds like binoculars also would be a good thing to have so uh until Saturday Carter thanks for joining us here on the independent I think a fun Story coming 360 uh out of the team this year and it's um kind of play on a couple different things hey it's always good to have Championship pedigree in the locker room right now we've got a couple guys in the locker room that won national championship lacrosse uh Bon and now Tyler Buckner um I think it's hilarious and kind of a cool story that Tyler's back on the team um I'd be curious what role you see him playing um do you think he'll actually get any playing time this year at wide receiver uh you think'll throw any giving plays in there with him kind of a really interesting story with him coming in Full Circle back I gotta be H that's the first time I've heard that name since he wrote that essay saying he was coming back I haven't heard him name from anyone's mouth at practice I mean maybe as a gimmick play like again was a big highly recruited but I mean he would have been a great receiver on last year's team by the end of the season yeah yeah I think he might have started last year receiver um yeah it's I mean the depth of receiver it's you go out to practice and you watch the receivers go through drills and cam Williams who's from uh you know the Chicago BBS who was like a festar prospect freshman is like he's the 11th receiver um like they they have not had that level of like quality deps and I'm not like cam Williams is not ready to play but like as a developmental guy like man that's that's a nice guy to develop uh that makes me think that Tyler Buckner will not have a shot for any real reps this season um M Marcus frean was asked about it I think last week and just like you know because it it's a really cool human interest story um about coming back to Notre Dame and graduating from Notre Dame and sort of like maybe realizing that one sport that you thought was going to take you somewhere didn't and it took you away and like You' come back to find something else like that all that part of the Tyler Buckner story is great and I hope to sit down with him sometimes write it um but in terms of like the actual box score element with Notre Dame fall this fall I I have a hard time seeing like a spot for him to actually get reps yeah our army later the year all the we all know they like up like the is you guys see a new style Notre Dame offense kind of big picture for this season um because you know you'll watch it in the Big 12 they throw the ball all over the place and whatever so I'm just curious then Brock is going to bring any sort of new scheme that we'll see it kind of a little different given that it's it's Notre dally yeah I so when Den Brock came back we sort of asked him about like how have you evolved as a coordinator and he said like his first time around it or Second Time Around in Notre Dame he was much more like the DNA of this place is run the ball we have to do that uh and he had like some shade for Brian Kelly about like sometimes the head coach needs like two or three years to figure that out himself um so but when he came back he said we asked him about sort not that specific but just sort of about how he saw offense he's like you know I got to it was like essentially I got to a point where like banging your head against a wall to establish the run is just banging your head against the wall uh and he wants to spread you out horizontally to pass it the problem with that or the opportunity with it it depends on how You' recruited the position is like you need a wide receiver room that can actually help you do that um like you can't have Javon McKinley and Ben scanic be your two number one receivers and like air it out um you know last year with you know that room you couldn't air anything out so I think if they can have receiver rooms like they have now then you're going to be much more open to doing that um you know it's when Mitchell Evans leaves after this year do they have another like NFL like stud Surefire tight end probably I like I like Cooper Flanigan a lot but like in the past like you'd have mayor and Evans or you know you'd have like multiples of those guys um so I think even that lent itself to like being more like Bully ball in the box but um I know Den Brock is open to it um and wants to go that way it's just you got to have the roster to do it yeah I mean you look at LSU's receiver room not just last year but in years's past I mean it made life very easy for jayen Daniels not taking anything away from him so I don't think you'll see him airing it out at that at that rate and else you had a terrible defense last year as well I think ner Dame will rely on the run more just to because they know they've got a defense at least in a game like this one that can get them through it uh but I do expect them to spread it out a little bit more they don't have the offense line they've had in years's past they've have much better receivers than they've had in your years's past uh and they've got a quarterback who's proven he can do it with his legs and at least in 2022 when he was fully healthy had a decent enough deep ball where I think they're going to try to take advantage of that yeah way you spoke about the tight end you think he's going to be staying back helping the offensive line up more particularly this Saturday and tied to that which of the running backs third down and long is better that's a good question I would say you know the tight ends you're going to have to chip a lot more uh on Saturday night uh the problem is like because it's so loud the tight end's not going to be able to hear the snap or the ball um so he might be a beat late getting off the line of scrimmage but I think you have to help out Anthony knp and Amil Wagner um you know in varying degrees that the back who's best blocking I don't know that um it would have been Jabron Payne he tore his ACL over the summer so he's out for the year so it's you know ideally it's it's Jeremiah Love or jarian price because those are the most two most talented guys um Devon Ford stuck around moved to safety move back to running back he's the coaching staff loves him um can he fill that role where you the fact that you're passing is not a tell um maybe but uh I think an ideal world it's love or price I'm just I'm just not sure which one is probably best suited to do that I would guess love just based on his bill but I I haven't heard anything specific that would would support that but it makes you appreciate a guy like Kiren Williams who I think back to that Clemson game obviously the guy has a tremendous running back and is doing it at the NFL now but I thought what really separated him and allowed him to break out that second year in 2020 was his ability to block and his willingness and kind of the way he loved to block um I thought was very very crucial and they're going to need someone to do that in that backfield this year be return I know kick kicks or punts uh anything they can get the ball in his hand BAS speed wasn't his thing too like not they slow but like he was not like a burn by you back but I I did see that not to be the dead there was an ACC coach just last year that I believe said receiv remember that correctly what happen players seems to be a large turn position quarterback what happened why are these expectations so high what I was going to say like I think the expectations for the receiver room have gone from like bottom of the barrel to like pretty good pretty good um not it's not like will Fuller and Michael Floyd um but I think that you you you bring in Bo Collins Chris Mitchell Jaden Harrison last year alone they had over 200 catches I'm sorry over like 130 catches 2,000 yards 13 touchdowns like guys who have done it um like Notre Dame was hoping Tobias Mary was was going to do it they were hoping Rico Flores was going to do it now you have guys who have done it um so you you fix a recruiting mistake there by having old guys in the room uh and then among the younger Talent they've sort of winnowed out the guys who couldn't um I think that if you ask the coaching staff who's the best receiver on the team Jaden greous is a guy um I think Bo Collins is right there too but like Jaden Grey house you've got for at least two more years maybe three um so it's I I think they they had some recruiting misses um they were banking on guys who had never done it in college games to produce in college games that that blew up in their face um now they they bring in three guys who have done it uh and they have you know Jaden Thomas is back as well he's somebody who's produced he's he's healthy um you know and the the entire room won't collapse when one person strains their hamstring which is sort of what happened last season so they actually have quality depth there is that's a that's a big big change yeah I think the investment in the portal bringing in those three proven guys who on their own done more than anyone on this roster has done in quite some time uh I think great great House of he's Health he has a lot of potential and Jordan fison end up probably being I mean he won the bowl game MVP I believe he end up being probably their best and most riable receiver at the end last year he was a freshman walk out like now he's in a role that where he's still really good and still outperformed his non- recruiting ranking but you're not counting on him to be the bread and butter of your wide receiver core and I think they're just much deeper even chany got fired and I know he coached last year's group but the class he brought in to ended up signing I think at least recruiting wise is much better than what they'd had in years's past and gives them some depth and some cushion there that they did not have at all last year by the way is that quote Anonymous or did someone like go up at a podium that the ACC coach okay of course yeah tell me oh they told you that right now I'm thinking of your network about I you know I think that Cooper Flanigan and Eli Ren maybe are a little bit closer um in sort of how the coaches see them uh but I think both are like your prototypical Notre tight ends um so I I would say it's like it's Mitchell Evans one when he gets fully back Health uh but I think BR and and Cooper Flanigan probably are closer together I like when you look at Eli Raider you're like holy crap this this is like slightly shorter version of Kyle Rudolph but um I think him playing through multiple ACLS is is not an uncomplicated situation um and I think I think Flanigan when you talked to last year's coaching staff he would ask like who who are the guys on offense you think could be guys down the road you hear Flanigan you hear Ashton Craig and you hear Charles jasaw the left tackle who got hurt so but Flanigan would be on the list of guys who I think by the end of the year' be like okay I really like what not Dame has in him for the Long Haul yeah I'm with Pete I mean they were an or in the second team dep chart this week I think Flanigan's long-term potential is really really high and I like R him but coming off the the multiple injuries he's had I know that's kind of the job hazard's playing that position uh and he'll be out there but I do wonder what he'll be able to give them this year you think it's still opal in or there yes there's a lot to change our name yeah we've already rebranded our podcast once um yeah the the B the Big 10 just doesn't really have a ring or anything like that for a podcast name I just like no can afford it now um you know I think one of sori's sort of outgoing achievements was the NBC deal with peacock um I think Matt's heard from Baka that it's you know between SEC and the Big 10 in terms of how what the payout is and that was always not always but I think in the last few years being independent it wasn't just like a scheduling issue or a playoff issue it was like a balancing the budget issue uh and N can they can balance some budgets with their NBC deal so I I think Independence is as long as you can fill out a schedule you you definitely keep going with it agree wholeheartedly um I I would have my eye on the ACC right now just as far as what happens to it because if that thing were to collapse and these lawsuits between Florida State Clemson and well who knows what else is down the pipe come you need to keep your options open for your Olympic sports and that could lead to some complicated conversations but right now um you know ja for made this rule up like he was one of four people who developed the 12 team playoff that has Notre Dame as a part of it and I think all of us we're going to learn a lot more about how this system works in real time because you look at the preseason rankings I think you taught 13 is the highest ranked Big 12 team they would be a three or four seed so let's say hypothetically Notre Dame goes undefeated they're a five seed they're probably hosting a group of five team in first round so instead of a conference Championship game they're playing a team that they're going to beat at home and then in the next round they're playing on the road at a three or four seed that might be ranked outside the top 10 neutral site though oh neutral side neutral I'm sorry yes that might be ranked outside the top 10 U I think Florida state was the highest ranked ACC team coming in the year maybe they still will be but they don't look unbeatable right now and N name's going to see them for themselves uh in November Utah obviously a good team but not a top 10 preseason team but whoever wins those two leagues are going to have the three and four seeds and so you look at notd Dame situation I know they don't get that by but they get Conference Championship weekend off which I think a lot of teams a lot of playoff teams are going to want to have off because they're going to be it's just one more game and one more wear and tear on your body against a good opponent um and again we'll we'll learn more as this happens but I think as you get to the stretch rad of this season the first time we have that 12 team playoff there are going to be some decisions to be made I think for a lot of these teams when it gets to conference Championship weekend and I think nerd a is in a very ideal position to take advantage of that also you had a I cut you off I don't know if you had another part of that okay [Music] I mean b bu is really popular with the younger linebackers um and he's really popular with the media too because he just is like whoes like football guy U when he comes in um I if he was not promoted I think he would be the linebacker coach of the defensive coordin at Boston College right now um I think he was he was on his way out if he was not on his way up at Notre D um yeah he's from yeah I I don't think that I don't know what Jonathan Smith at Michigan State what his defensive quarter situation was but I know Bill O'Brien he played with him Joe Rossy from Minnesota spray took over at Oregon State and didn't coach um yeah so uh Bill O'Brien the BC head coach coached both with the Texans when he's in the pros so that's the connection there but uh yeah it's the linebacker room is is curious to me they they're incredibly high in Kingston vama Assa um they have been from recruiting on when he showed up and every step of the way he's exactly what they think he is um I talked to Jack Kaiser about him in the summer and it's like he picks things up so quickly um that I think he'll be good like he has to do it on the field but all signs point to that being a hit um I know they like Drake Bowen a lot I just and I don't think they'll take Jack Kaiser off the field much this season because he kind of can stitch everything together and when you're playing nickel you only have two linebackers Jack Kaiser's out there he can tell the other one exactly what to do and the other guy is a nickel back who you know Jordan Clark or Rod herd who they've been around forever so uh I I think buolo will be will be good uh long term what in it's like you've got El golden who's really a linebacker coach and Marcus Freeman who's really a linebackers coach so the linebackers I don't think they get away with anything um you know between those three guys coaching yeah I was just gonna picky back off Pete I mean golden was coaching linebackers before and Freeman's a linebacker himself um coaching wise I'm not worried about position group it is a little young and thin right now uh but they like osburg they like Sneed uh they like bow and I think kingville I'm Lio kba yeah we're gonna MTA coaching Bri with Brian Kelly now at lcu uh if there's a freshman who's going to break out on this defense it's going to be fresh oh I I think good college player um I think that's the ceiling like I I think he's just somebody who's finally reliable um there was a moment in the offseason where he actually addressed the team to like you know talk about like why it's important why he's back that's not something I ever would have conceived of him doing in his first second or third year um so I think that a reliable guy in the defense that defensive line the two stars are the interior guys you just need your Edge guys to be good um and I think batell RJ Obin they're good I think Bubba karari could be great down the road maybe by the end of this year Bryce young could be great probably not this year but in the future so uh that I think they just if you can just get good reliable but I think nor him would sign up for that in heartbe yeah it uh everything I've gathered from this offseason is the guy seems to have like that proverbial Senor light switch click on and I think I've said on this podcast before that kind of happened with Chase Claypool and obviously he had a tremendous final two years in AME I'm not saying Jordan Vell is gonna be that good but it was a guy who I think handly had some maturity issues and couldn't always be counted upon and it seems like that's been kind of worked out and coached out of him and they expect him to be a good football player this year with uh going back to receivers um my question is about Mike Brown you know he was brought in you know it was kind of an odd situation mention how marus Freeman talked about bring the coaching step back and then like later stucky's gone and they bring him Brown highly regarded good to development um but you know after after a rough recruiting cycle this year um and fact that they're losing four or five sers out of the room receivers um you know it feels like we could be heading down Road for like round day and I'm wondering if if there's confidence that given a full cycle that brown can Rec recruit on a a level more appropriate for Notre Dame um if he and you said before that you know recruiting re finding transfers receiver port lot easier than some but how much can you count on bringing in three dudes each year I feel like that's yeah um like you can count on bringing one guy every year I think that's that's really realistic um you know even when the covid waivers go away after this year and like you're not going to be able to get these six year seniors I think you'll be able to find receivers to to make the move to undername um but you don't you can't do three every year um you know the freshman class is good I think the soft class is good you're I totally agree with you the recruiting class they're putting together right now is not um they've had some missteps some bad evals along the way um drik Meadows was the a big- Time guy that they were leading for early in the process and that fell apart at the end when he you know committed LSU um I I do know that early like about a year ago like I got together with Stucky and we were talking about recruiting is like man the 2025 board is not good um it was it was a year where they expected to struggle at receiver and recruiting maybe not to the level that they actually have um but there wasn't like a an obvious cam Williams Micah Gilbert type um and we'll see what they do at the end like Logan Sate they like a lot right he wasn't in the class at this time last year they flipped him from Oregon State at at the very end so they're they're going to have to really Scout and then flip one if not two people in this class I think they have a a good enough recruiting class but I think the way the the class has sort of been organized you sort of sense the pacing of the offers and the visits and like how notame feels about guys this one is just it it I'm with you it just has felt a little bit off I do think long term this season's going to dictate that one way or another I'm kind of surprised they've recruited as well as they have with how poor they've been receiver wise in recent years um and I think have and Mike Den Brock have probably a more open and traditional offense than what they've used they've used to having if that's a success and if they make a playoff run I I imagine there will be benefits of that down the road yeah you do Wonder like I think for the most part like Notre Dame classes don't swing wildly with season results the way that they do at a lot of their programs but in 2012 like that recruiting class that had Jaylen Smith M lyy Fuller Coran folston you know I know Max Redfield didn't work out but he was a big time recruit who committed late Greg Bryant didn't work out big time late um that if if Notre Dame is that good I think that they they will turn some heads of people and and like Derrick Meadows might be one of them um but if this season goes as well as notame thinks it can this it might be one of those few seasons that like people are making a football decision to come to their name opposed to like an everything else decision um when you can put those two things together it can be pretty powerful I will add I know I talked about the playoff schedule a little bit earlier if nerd Dame's playing into January there's going to be a lot of coaching movement that already happened everywhere else and there's going to be a lot of recruits upper grabs and a lot of people transferring and I'm just not sure all of us we the media the coaching staffs everyone have fully grasped just how chaotic that's going to be because if you're a group of five head coach you've got a playoff caliber team are you already looking at your next big job kind of like we see with March Madness the minute Cinderella loses they got a new job the next day and oh look he one foot out the door that's why they lost um I want to see what the recruiting impacts of that and again if nerame has a deep playoff run this year they're going to be stabilized in a way that a lot of programs aren't talking about a lot of ifs here your personal opin almost a quarter Century one of us you do you do remember right anyway yeah yeah 14th yeah oh you're good schedule from the outside looking be one of the most manage we say modern history of with that being said all other it touched on what's what's your floor for this team what's youring the schedule's terrible like we I think we need to call spade a spade if they beat A&M they should go undefeated they're the only Power program in the country playing for a group of five teams this year two of them are militarys in Florida State we'll see what happens but they don't look like World beaters after week one of as well I mean they play three true Row games only two of which are out of state the first game and the last game um they they I mean they need to win this game because if they win this one it'll be smooth sailing the rest of the way but it's one of those years where 10 and two might not get you in I know it's a TV show and it's a big brand but um this schedule and I know Miami was supposed to be on it this year I forget what happened with the ACC where they mooved that next year and Miami should be pretty good this really this year they had like some conflict where they I think the Florida game they wanted to play Florida or Notre Dame but not both okay so the ACC let them get out of it oh ceiling 12-0 deep playoff run um I'm not gonna say they're going the national championship just because when you look at that offensive line on week one I just it's hard to picture where they are now and where they have to be to do that at the end of January but I think they are capable of winning two maybe three playoff games which would get you to the semis International Championship if everything went right and if Riley Le stayed healthy uh Flor I can't see them losing more than two games of the schedule unless Ry Leonard gets hurt um yeah so I I I think this season is set up to be a huge stepping stone for Marcus rean one way or the other yeah I agree floor is 10 and two barring like the you know catastrophic type injuries um the SK the schedule is terrible um I you know it's not manageable it's terrible uh so and I well I'll be interested to sort of see like if if notame good it's not going to matter who they're playing because people will come out for it um but you that but the the weakness in the schedule this year it's a it was a really bad year to go 10 and two uh especially if you lose the first one and the other secd schools that also finished 10 and two maybe they beat A&M or they beat somebody who beat A&M and they say like hey hey hey we did this they didn't like you're GNA you might lose that argument if you're Notre name um ceiling 12 and0 um I I think two playoff wins would be great uh a third is put you in the national championship game um but I I think realist like to me I think that they will go 11 and one they'll make the playoff and they probably will host um but as Matt talked about a minute ago like if you go 12-0 then you're the five seed you're hosting a group of five team you win that game you play a neutral set against the ACC or the Big 12 champion and in the quarterfinals you probably probably win that game and then you take your chances with Georgia Ohio State you know teams like that um I just like I really want to see Notre Dame in that game I I you know it's like I know they haven't won that game in a long long time but I want to see Notre play that game because you can't win it unless you play it um and so that's those are the most fun games for me to cover is like when you get to see notame go to Georgia or play Alabama or play Clemson in the playoff they gone the way that they've gone but you got to keep knocking on that door and I feel like this is this is a team built to like go through the door they just need to get to that opportunity I will say at least on paper at the outset of the season I I I really think it's just Georgia and Ohio State and everyone else now I'm not saying it's gonna play out that way but I don't see any other team where you get those that wide-eyed look that n Dame will get years ago when they would play Alabama or Clemson um and again dep's really going to matter uh at least on defense this is a really deep team and I think when you get to game 14 game 15 deep in the playoffs that's going to matter and these college coaches these college staff especially in the N Island Porto era have never had to keep their players interest for that long it's easier to do that when you're playing for a championship but that's still a tall ask and it's the first time any of these staffs are asking it so I'll be curious to see how that plays out when you talk about the depth on defense if you go back when Julian love got hurt against in the playoff game how much of a better chance could this team have had against that CL much better yeah much much better I mean that would that would be it would all fell apart as soon as you lost one player uh and like to you know somebody asked about linebackers if Jack Kaiser got hurt they might be in some trouble there especially early before those younger guys get up to speed um but in the secondary I don't I don't think a physician had a better training camp than notam secondary um Not only was Benjamin Warson healthy but you had a Don Schuler beating out a really good Brad transfer from Northwestern and Rod herd you had um you know Christian Gray beating out Jaden Mickey which I think is a real positive um you know you get two freshman Corners who you know Carson Hobs um they they the staff likes them as hit so I I feel like they're much better off that like defensive line is in good shape like how many years would they lose a player like Gabe Rubio and I was like well now you're playing like a freshman walk on like they actually have guys to run out there now so uh um yeah that with the exception of inside linebacker with Jack Kaiser it's it's an incredibly deep defense mentioned if they win this weekend running the table um obviously until you put the the ball down you play you never really know how good the teams are but the preseason rankings even before you know Charles Jaga went down had the Irish in top 10 you got A&M at I think around 20 or so had all the betting lines even going back a month have A&M as a favorites what are we missing is it just the effect of Kyle Field is it something different You' got a program like Notre Dame who has been pretty well established for a while gone Toe to Toe with Ohio State the last few years Ann has been kind of a mess um and now they're they're bringing in Elco which should lift them up a little bit but from a a prognosticator standpoint from Vegas like what what are we missing that that they're seeing if I had a good for that I'd be in Vegas right now and I wouldn't be doing this podcast uh I would also say this past week and in week zero there were four games with four double digit spreads and all four underdogs covered one of them outright wining so that's a good sign your nerd a uh but yeah I think there is an SEC or and and and Boogeyman kind of aspect to it not necessarily Vegas but this happened what two weeks ago man Teo goes on good morning football and talks about basically how they were intimidating by Alabama running out of the tunnel like they can't be that way anymore and I know those were two different teams in a different era but like I feel like even with Sav and gone the SEC is still like living off that rep a little bit and you can't let the environment or the opponent or the name beat you before it gets there uh I can't speak specifically to why the line is the way it is I mean we were all surprised their was favored over undefeated USC last year and look how that turned out um pretty good for Notre Dame so uh same thing I remember when they lost to Michigan in a blowout I think Michigan was favored that game Michigan was not very good that year um again I don't know if they knew the forecast would be what it would be but um I am a little bit surprised by the line especially as it keeps I think it's up to three now I'm surprised sex am three-point favorite and I'd be surprised nerd Dame was more than a three-point favorite I don't think this game's GNA go beyond 2017 174 unless it's overtime and you win by a touchdown yeah I agree it's I think winning on the road is hard you know it's like say it all the time but it's true uh the last three top 10 opponents have come to Kyle Field have all lost to A&M and those have not been necessarily good A&M teams so um and I you know I think Notre Dame probably gets dinged maybe rightly so like Notre doesn't win this game a whole lot you know they they don't go on the road and beat ranked teams a lot um you know when they do sometimes it's Michigan State Duke or Duke um you know it's not Clemson uh it's not Georgia you knowm I feel like is sort of in between like they're they're definitely not Clemson or Georgia but like they're not Michigan State either so I um like this is a game not absolutely can get um but with the offensive line the way it is I I do sort of get why they they are underdogs even if like if they played at the end of the year I think nor Dame is or on NE neutral site I think n is better team uh niord for sure Turner yeah pry much a h yeah Nick scorton you know he'll be I don't know if they do sort of field boundary if he'll match up with Anthony nap more or with Emil Wagner more but um he transferred to Purdue from Purdue to ANM he's from College Station led the big tenant sacks last year at Purdue um you know so I think that says something because people aren't throwing the ball in Purdue a whole lot because they're just running out the clock um so it's that that one that one concerns me a lot um you know I'm blanking on busy's yeah busy is a freshman first name I'm blanket Terry Terry busy reverse a freshman like allpurpose back type guy um jet sweeps maybe it'll be punt return maybe it'll be kick return um just a speed player that concerns me a little bit just from the standpoint like if you can get a young linebacker to like not know which direction to go and and play a little bit more East West maybe his speed catches Notre Dame off guard for a gadget play um that's sort of a deeper cut guy that I'd be uh concerned about but Nick scorton for sure is uh he's he's big time so that's gonna be a huge challenge for Notre Poss he would worry me it's his first college game we don't know what position he's going to play they put him as kick or Turner on the depth chart but everything you've heard out of A&M is he was recruited as a corner but he's catching passes now as a receiver and when you look at the difference in those games the Clemson games the Georgia games it's usually that SEC speed and I I put that in air quotes but when you've got a guy who's a number one recruited athlete in the country that's a guy that that would definitely be on my radar I mean defensive line obvious is obvious those guys are proven and ND D's offensive line is not but BS is a guy I would I would be worried about got a better chance of blowing one team out all three phases uh if it was a blowout that's a good question I I don't say this because of personality I if it's I don't think it's going to be a blowout so I haven't really thought it that deeply but it's usually the home team right the road team shows up like nerding at Miami and 17 and they're they're shell shocked and everything goes to hell USC at under last year yeah I mean I don't think that's going to happen but if one were to blowout out I would guess A&M but I just even if it were blowout I just don't see them scoring a lot on nerd's defense blowout would be 24 t or something you know I yeah it's like my concern for N I think if Nan could play it smart offensively and you like you don't get that tipped pass the line of scrimmage that squirts to a linebacker who then brings it in for a you know a 30-yard pick six like you could avoid that really fluky catastrophic play like I think ndame will be able to play this smart smart enough to win it um a like I don't think any A&M is to the point where like they would know how to win a game like that um I would think like A&M would almost need to have a some kind of fluky touchdown or short field to win the game oras I'm not I'm not sure I feel that way about Notre Dame even with the offensive line the way that it is um I just don't I don't think A&M's going score a whole lot um you know it's like def it definitely feels more like a first to 20 kind of game than U you know if it's a first to 20 kind of game almost by definition nobody's getting blown out 55 newcomers for A&M they just I don't want to say they don't know how to win but it's a group that together like if they're in that close game I do wonder how in sync they'll be that scenario just descri yeah it was almost like uh South it felt like South Florida 2011 right but like DAV was living that nightmare um yeah that like that those kind of plays it's kind of hard to sit there you know you go through the scouting report and like I think this is GNA happen I'm going to do a feature on this guy and that and then just it's college football like it's hard to know what college kids are going to do um you know you that's but to me that if you can avoid that kind of play if you're Notre Dame then man I I feel like they have a great chance to win the game on Saturday 100 predictions and I wrap up sure go you go ahead I'll go nerd a 1714 but I don't think it's actually going to be that close I think it'll be like 177 and scores a cheap touchdown at the end um I I think nerame wins I trust that staff I trust r Leonard I don't trust that offensive line but I think they'll be good enough uh and I I I just short of something catastrophic happening I just have a hard time seeing A&M putting a whole lot of points on the board Mike Helo is a hell of a football coach but it's his first game with a roster that is completely remade and I just I have a hard time seeing A&M winning this one short of nerame having a complete meltdown which they should be passed by now so I'll go nerd a 1714 I did say if they win this one they'll go 12-0 so 12 and0 you said one so what's the one yeah God I yeah I guess I'll I'll be contrarian then like I think this will be the one um I think Notre Dame will go 11 and one but there'll be 0 and one to start um I think that there's there's I don't know and I think it'll be kind of like a 174 1713 kind of game um which obviously could go in the other direction but I just think if of all the games on the schedule this is this is the one that it sets up worst for Notre Dame um new coach game day night game Kyle Field offensive line you know Mike jra's talked about how the offense is going to be a work in progress for you know a while um I think this is this is probably where they just don't have enough they don't have the pieces put together yet um on Saturday night at Texas A&M but then I think they they will put them together because I think this defense and this offense once it gets caught up um this has a chance to be a really special team so I'll go A&M 1713 um that's a that's a cover 11 in one season on the yeah three points that's how the the expectations have been raised around you get booed for an 111 prediction there you go all right well we'll wrap up there on this episode of The Independent thanks to good Wang again for having us out at Esq clothing thanks to the audience for coming and asking great questions tonight um and we will be back Saturday night Sunday morning for our next episode of The Independent recapping uh that I'm sure Matt will be right and I'll be wrong what happens for Kiss of Death Notre name Texas A&M thanks for thanks guys [Music]