Pod of Gold: Notre Dame Football

Two-time Notre Dame defensive coordinator Rick Minter joins the podcast to discuss how Marcus Freeman approaches defense, the differences between a three-man and four-man front, the benefits of using multiple looks, how to make the transition from Clark Lea easier, his experience with safeties coach Chris O'Leary and more.

Then Tyler James and Eric Hansen make predictions for Notre Dame's early enrollees in Place Your Bets (33:32) before answering questions from Twitter (40:59).

Jesse Temple, The Athletic's Wisconsin beat writer, joins the podcast to share his insights on Wisconsin graduate transfer Jack Coan, how he'll handle the chance to become Notre Dame's starting quarterback, his ability to run and throw the deep ball, the circumstances that led to him leaving Wisconsin, his best performances with the Badgers, an overview of Wisconsin's program in 2021 and more.

Then Tyler James and Eric Hansen make some predictions in Place Your Bets (20:56) and answers questions from Twitter (33:03).

Steve Wiltfong, national director of recruiting for 247Sports, joins the podcast to discuss where Notre Dame's 2022 recruiting class can realistically finish in the national rankings, how the Irish can close the gap with the top programs in the country, how new assistant coaches Marcus Freeman and Chris O'Leary have impacted recruiting, Wiltfong's favorite commit in Notre Dame's 2022 class, how meaningful the Pot of Gold event will be in the 2023 class and more.

Then Tyler James and Eric Hansen answer questions from Twitter (34:09).

Quarterback Steve Angeli, a 2022 recruit, joins the podcast to discuss his decision to commit to Notre Dame, how he learned about Notre Dame during a recruiting dead period, his connections to the program, his relationship with offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, how former Irish QB Brandon Wimbush helped him through the process and more.

Then Tyler James and Eric Hansen answer questions from Twitter (23:43).

Michael McCann, legal analyst and senior sports legal reporter for Sportico, joins the podcast to discuss what's delaying the creation of name, image and likeness rules at the NCAA level, the risk the NCAA has taken by not establishing them sooner, how soon they may be put into effect, how schools will handle them, if Notre Dame can benefit from them and more.

Then Tyler James and Eric Hansen answer questions from Twitter (20:10).

Rocco Spindler, a four-star offensive guard, joins the podcast to discuss why he's enrolling early at Notre Dame, living up to the standard his family set, how his grandpa impacted his appreciation for the Irish, why he connected with offensive line coach Jeff Quinn, his mindset as a guard and more.

Then Tyler James and Eric Hansen answer questions from Twitter on ND's coaching staff, transfer possibilities and other hypotheticals (26:03).

Tyler James and Eric Hansen discuss Notre Dame hiring defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman from Cincinnati, if Mike Elston will stay on staff, Terry Joseph heading to Texas, the NFL decisions for Aaron Banks and Tommy Tremble, the addition of grad transfer QB Jack Coan, the transfer portal exodus and takeaways from the loss to Alabama.

Then they answer questions from Twitter (43:25).

ND Insider's Tom Noie and Carter Karels give their thoughts on Alabama's 31-14 win over Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl semifinal on Friday. They discussed the game, the 2020 season, Irish head coach Brian Kelly's postgame antics, closing the gap on the Crimson Tide and more.

ESPN NFL Draft and college football analyst Todd McShay joins the podcast to discuss to talent gap between Alabama and Notre Dame, why Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah keeps moving up his draft rankings, which Notre Dame offensive players he likes the most, the upside of Kyle Hamilton, his recovery from COVID-19 and more.

Then Tyler James and Eric Hansen offer Notre Dame-Alabama predictions in Place Your Bets (22:17) before answering questions from Twitter (30:35).

Cecil Hurt, the sports editor for the Tuscaloosa News who has covered Alabama for the newspaper since 1982, joins the podcast to discuss Alabama's strengths and weaknesses, how its defense has evolved, the most important player on the Alabama offense, how Nick Saban built Alabama into its current powerhouse stage, how this team compares to previous versions and more.

Then Tyler James and Eric Hansen answer questions from Twitter (30:22).