Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 23, 2024 17 "Part of it is the way he was raised. He's a tough dude who really has worked his way to be a really good player." Donovan Hinish's mindset on every play: "Prove them wrong." He knows the offensive linemen he faces are usu- ally around 6-foot-5, 315 pounds. His entire life, he said, he's been doubted because of his size. He plays with a chip on his shoulder as a result. Kurt Hinish did the same, and he continues to do it with the Texans. He was one of three undrafted free agents to make the team's opening-day ros- ter in 2022, and he ended the 2023 sea- son with sacks in back-to-back playoff games. Kurt Hinish, a three-star prospect in the class of 2017 like his brother would be five years later, didn't have as many offers or headlines when he came to Notre Dame as most players in his class. But he became a three-year starter in South Bend, and eventually a captain. "In my head, my whole life, is, 'I'm gonna put my head down and keep go- ing forward no matter what,'" Kurt Hin- ish said. "I'm gonna play as hard as I can every single play, and there's nothing you can do to stop me." "That's where that nastiness comes from," Donovan Hinish said. "My brother instilled his mentality in me." The Hinishes credit their dad, also named Kurt, with much of their style of play. They were raised in Pittsburgh with a blue-collar attitude. "My dad used to tell us all the time growing up," Kurt Hinish said. "He would say, 'Go out there and play until you die.'" The logic behind that, according to Kurt Hinish: You will pass out before you die, so you have nothing to worry about. He played with that relentless effort at Notre Dame, and so does his brother. "I'm trying to do the same thing, because we're roughly the same size," Donovan Hinish said. "We're not bigger guys, but we're going to be tough guys." Donovan Hinish was listed in the On3 Industry Ranking 462 spots be- hind the other interior defensive line- man the Irish took in the 2022 class, the 6-foot-4 Tyson Ford. The former broke into the rotation as a sophomore, still not garnering the same headlines as his higher-rated peers. Ford was placed on medical schol- arship this summer and is now in the transfer portal. Hinish plans on sticking around. "He's always had my confidence," Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden said. "We say it all the time: Keep recruiting guys that love the game as much as you. All you have to do is turn on the tape and you'll understand his passion for the game." 'YOU'RE DONOVAN, I'M KURT' When he first stepped foot on cam- pus, Donovan Hinish admitted, he was nervous about following in his brother's footsteps. Maybe even more than nervous. "It freaked me out a little bit," Dono- van Hinish said. Notre Dame marketed his arrival as, "That's Kurt's brother." Kurt Hinish had just finished a five-year career with 61 games played, 83 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. Donovan Hinish was worried he wouldn't live up to those ex- pectations. The best advice he got at the time, of course, came from his brother. "Above all things, go out there and have fun," Kurt Hinish said he told his brother. "You belong there. You're made for this moment." Donovan Hinish rose to the moment when Cross went down against Florida State. It wasn't always when he pounced on top of the Seminoles' quarterbacks, either. Two plays after his second sack, Hinish occupied two blockers while junior linebacker Jaylen Sneed looped around and brought down Kromenhoek. It's what he constantly does in the run game, too. That's the Hinish way. But the other part of Kurt Hinish's advice to Donovan was, "Be yourself." They're different players, first and fore- most. And Kurt Hinish knew it would be a fool's errand for Donovan to spend his college career chasing his brother. "I'm your brother," Kurt Hinish al- ways tells Donovan. Not his predeces- sor. And in three years, perhaps the next No. 41 in blue and gold will try to be the next Donovan Hinish. "He said, 'You're Donovan, I'm Kurt,'" Donovan Hinish said. "'It's up to you to create your own legacy. I tried to leave mine and it's up to you to leave yours.'" ✦ "As you look at what Kurt did and the impact Kurt Hinish had on our defense, without hesitation, you say, 'Hey, Donnie might not be 6-3, 6-4, but we know what we're getting out of him.'" IRISH HEAD COACH MARCUS FREEMAN ON HINISH Hinish picked up the first 2 solo sacks of his career against Florida State Nov. 9. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER