Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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46 MARCH 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY LOU SOMOGYI Every time Notre Dame defensive tackle recruit Kurt Hinish stepped onto the prac- tice field at Pittsburgh's Central Catholic High, he approached it like a state title was on the line. That's part of the rea- son why Central Catho- lic won the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 4A state championship his junior year and was runner-up two divisions higher this past year while posting a 29-3 record the past two seasons. Another reason was the entire Vi- kings starting offensive line will be playing Division I college football next season. "When you stepped on to the prac- tice field it was an atmosphere of aggression and tenacious activity," Hinish said. "It was a very, very high intense atmosphere which I enjoy be- ing around. Going against them every single day made me a lot better. "Honestly, there were some weeks where the practices were harder than the games. My biggest opponent all year was my cousin, Jacob Hinish." Jacob will be playing at Yale next season, as will Donovan Slater. Meanwhile, C.J. Thorpe signed with Penn State and Jake Trautman will suit up for the Fordham Rams. That offensive line also included Hin- ish as the right tackle, but he has been ear- marked as an interior tackle in new coordina- tor Mike Elko's defen- sive alignment at Notre Dame. Central Catholic head coach Terry Totten said Hinish and Vikings team- mate David Adams, who will enroll as a Mike linebacker at Notre Dame this summer, were among the few players in his 15 seasons at the program that played both sides of the ball. "He was in condition to do it, too, and be effective," Totten said of Hinish. The "conditioning work" for Hin- ish, included working for his father's construction company during the summer. The job description included pouring concrete, and on one particu- lar day it was estimated he shoveled seven tons of stone that he had to haul into the back with a wheelbarrow. "They're blue-collar kids," Totten said of Hinish and Adams. "They come from that kind of working-class family with a good work ethic and are just a pleasure to coach. Just really good, solid kids." Hand-timed at 4.97 in the 40-yard dash at Central Catholic, Hinish began lifting weights in the eighth grade, and his benchmarks include 605 pounds in the dead lift, a 505-pound squad and a 335-pound bench press. Admittedly, Hinish said it was dif- ficult to turn down in-state Big Ten champion Penn State and rising pro- gram Pitt — which defeated the Nit- tany Lions and handed the national champ Clemson Tigers their lone de- feat — but Hinish had his reasons to remain with Notre Dame since com- mitting last spring. "Basically it's the Mecca of college football and college athletics as a whole," he said. "This year, what hap- pened to Notre Dame was an anomaly. "We're definitely going to have a bounce-back year, and I'm excited to get up there and get after it." Just like he did every practice at Central Catholic. ✦ KURT HINISH DEFENSIVE TACKLE 6-2 • 280 CENTRAL CATHOLIC H.S. PITTSBURGH RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ — 38 11 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 26 8 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 40 11 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 28 10 MEASURABLES • Ran a 5.17 40-yard dash, recorded a time of 4.7 seconds in the pro shuttle drill and posted a 27.9- inch vertical jump at Nike Football The Opening Regional May 7, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. • Has registered 605 pounds in the dead lift, a 505-pound squad and a 335-pound bench press. STATISTICS • Recorded 27 tackles and three sacks as a senior while helping Central Catholic to a 14-2 record and the Class 6A state championship game. Also played offensive line and contributed to an offense that totaled 4,034 rushing yards, 6,074 total yards and 48.1 points per game. • Posted 32 total tackles as a junior while con- tributing to Central Catholic to finishing 15-1 and winning the Class 4A state title. HONORS • Named to USA Today's All-USA Pennsylvania first team following his senior season. • Tabbed as a 2016 Class 6A all-state performer by the Pennsylvania Sports Writers. • Selected to the PAFootballNews.com all-classifi- cation all-state team in 2016. • Named to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 and to The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Terrific 25. ALL-STAR GAMES AND CAMPS • Participated in Nike Football The Opening Re- gional on May 7, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on March 20, 2016, following a Junior Day visit. • Picked the Irish over offers from Penn State, Ole Miss, Tennessee and others. • Officially visited Notre Dame on the weekend of Jan. 21. • Did not officially visit any other schools. NOTABLE • Born April 27, 1999. 2017 PROJECTION • Although a redshirt is likely, Hinish has the quickness and advanced technique needed to earn immediate playing time if the opportunity arises. THEY SAID IT Head coach Brian Kelly: "We really wanted that tough-guy mentality on our defensive line. Kurt brought that to us right away. Not only did he make plays, but he had a toughness to him. We wanted to upgrade that toughness across the board." Defensive line coach Mike Elston: "He's a very passionate football player. He's great at the point of attack and exceptional at coming off the football. He's one my favorite guys that I've ever recruited. Just fun, exciting and really driven. "When you watch Kurt on film, you see an ex- tremely athletic, powerful and explosive football player. You can tell he's a very intelligent football player and you know he loves the game from the way he plays." BGI football analyst Bryan Driskell: "Arguably no signee will benefit more from the hiring of de- fensive coordinator Mike Elko than Kurt Hinish. The 283-pound defensive tackle is a high-motor interior player that uses his quickness and instincts to make plays. "He shows a good burst off the line, he changes direction well, and he shows off good closing speed once he gets into the backfield. What Hinish lacks is the size and strength to eat up blocks, but he won't be asked to do that in Elko's defense. As a senior, he displayed much improved hand play, which allowed him to dominate on a more consistent basis." Kurt Hinish Thrived In A Competitive Landscape Hinish is listed as the No. 11 pros- pect in Pennsylvania and the No. 38 defensive tackle nationally by Rivals. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM