It’s very rare that a prospect can say that the first offer he received was from Notre Dame, but Pittsburgh Central Catholic class of 2022 defensive tackle Donovan Hinish can make that claim.
“It was definitely a wild one,” he added. “I’m really excited. It means the world to me.”
The Hinish last name should be one that Notre Dame fans are very familiar with, as Kurt has been a mainstay in the Irish defensive line since his true freshman season in 2017. Now his younger brother has the opportunity to continue the family tradition of being a disruptive defensive lineman in South Bend.
Notre Dame hadn’t been in much communication with the younger Hinish prior to the Nov. 19 offer date, but Kurt caught wind of the interest.
“My brother told me earlier in the day that Notre Dame was interested and wanted to talk to me,” recalled Donovan Hinish. “I got a text message from Coach Elston saying that he wanted to talk. I called him after he texted, and we talked for a while.”
Hinish has met Irish defensive line coach Mike Elston on a handful of occasions throughout the years, whether that be on Kurt’s visits to Notre Dame as a recruit, Elston’s in-home visits with the Hinish family or during one of Donovan’s many visits to South Bend to see his brother play.
Their strong connection was obviously built well before Donovan Hinish became a target for the Irish in the 2022 class.
“He’s great; I love him,” Hinish stated. “I love his intensity and how his defensive linemen perform.”
When some recruits receive an offer from Notre Dame, they have to google what state the school is even located in. Hinish is about as knowledgeable of Notre Dame as a prospective student-athlete can realistically be.
“I’m really familiar with it,” Hinish said. “My brother has been there for four years. It’s like a second home now. I love it up there. The atmosphere and everything about it.”
Hinish has visited Notre Dame countless times, literally. When asked how many times he’s visited South Bend, the best answer he could come up with is “around 20.”
“I go up there every chance I get to watch my brother’s games,” he added.
Since receiving an offer from Notre Dame, Hinish picked up the local offer from the Pittsburgh Panthers. Both schools are enticing for different reasons, but Notre Dame is considered the strong, early favorite to land Hinish.
“I’m going to talk to my parents and these other schools and see how it plays out,” he said. “It’s all just getting started right now.”
Rivals ranks Hinish, who stands at 6-2, 270-pounds, as the nation's No. 28 defensive tackle and No. 15 recruit in Pennsylvania for the 2022 class.
----
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
• Sign up for Blue & Gold's news alerts and daily newsletter.
• Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts.
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @Rivals_Singer, @PatrickEngel_, @MasonPlummer_ and @AndrewMentock.
• Like us on Facebook.
