Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 11, 2021 7 UNDER THE DOME White, Tagovailoa-Amosa and Hin- ish have been at the forefront. Each is heading into his third season as a starter. White has not missed a game since tak- ing over Mike linebacker in 2019. The same holds true for Hinish at nose tackle. Hinish will likely leave with the school record for most career games played. Tagovailoa-Amosa is sliding over to defensive end after starting 22 times at defensive tackle the last two seasons. "Between me, Myron and Drew, there's almost 150 games of football played," Hinish said. "That's a lot of winning football played here. A lot of football that has been done the right way." And a lot of time together away from the field. That trio also lives together in an off-campus house, with long snap- per Michael "Milk" Vinson as the fourth roommate. "We call ourselves the captain house minus Milk," Hinish said, grinning. "It's an ongoing joke." Yes, Vinson's room is in the base- ment. Spot one member of the captain house, and the others are usually in tow. "They're a close group," defensive co- ordinator Marcus Freeman said. "The example is when last week, when all of a sudden we got the news about Myron's dad, I think the first person with him was Kurt." Two years starting next to each other on the defensive line has a way of bring- ing two players together. So does off- season work with Balis, who has pushed buttons not previously tested since his 2017 arrival. Winter workouts are gru- eling. Summers are strenuous. All for the better. "It fosters leadership because you care for each other so much," Hinish said. "It's not just as a teammate, but you care for one another outside foot- ball." In turn, visions become aligned. Goals are the same. Standards are es- tablished. Cultures are formed. "It's a culture where we pay mind to a lot of little details," Hinish said. "In everyday life, a lot of people skip over that and don't understand those minor details amount to something so much bigger. "Not only that, but it's the way we're challenged in the weight room, the way we build bonds with each other, the way we care for one another. "I'm not saying the guys before us didn't have great culture. Notre Dame has been Notre Dame. I'm not saying we came in and changed the whole thing, but we have a culture of our own." And a few C's on their jerseys as a reward. ✦ Irish Wear Green! Scan To Shop Shop Online At NDBookstore.com, Pick Up In-Store. "I remember sitting on the bus after losing to Stanford my freshman year, and in the 2017 group chat, we were texting, 'We're going to change this whole program around.'" KURT HINISH