Mike Elston stood with his hands in his pockets and shoulders slightly shrugged. He let out a sigh before tackling another National Signing Day press conference inquiry.
The question: What do you think of the early signing period’s effect on the college football coaching carousel?
The response: “I’m just the D-line coach, man. I have no idea about that stuff.”
It was as candid as you’ll see a coach in a formal press conference setting. The room burst into laughter between the first and second sentences of his short, snappy, whimsical answer.
Comedic genius aside, Elston looked the part; shiny brown shoes, crisp khakis, a light blue dress shirt and a navy blue Notre Dame vest. Underneath it all, though, was who Elston said he is: just a D-line coach. One who took in three potential difference-makers in his position group during the early signing period.
Notre Dame fans are well aware of the name Kurt Hinish. He has played more games (60) in an Irish uniform than anyone else in program history. Within the next three to four years, the total number of games for a player with the last name Hinish on the back of his jersey could eclipse 100.
Three-star defensive tackle Donovan Hinish, Kurt’s younger brother, signed with Notre Dame to continue the Hinish legacy in South Bend. Elston said if the younger Hinish is every bit the hard worker the older one proved to be, Notre Dame is set on the interior of the defensive line for the foreseeable future.
“He’s a more athletic Kurt,” Elston said. “And he’s probably a little bit stronger than Kurt was coming out of high school. So I’m super excited for him. He’s going to be a pit bull, a bulldog inside like his brother has been with maybe a little bit more athleticism in there.
“I’m not afraid to say that because Kurt knows I would say that.”
More humor. Why not?
Elston said head coach Marcus Freeman helped close the deal on four-star defensive end Tyson Ford of St. Louis John Burroughs School. Elston said the 6-4, 262-pound Ford will be a developmental project because he hails from a small school, but he can’t wait to mold him into the next great Notre Dame edge rusher.
The molding process will be well received from Ford, too.
“He’s really a sponge in football,” Elston said. “He wants to know football. He wants to sit there, sit next to you, watch film, [ask], ‘What should I be doing here? What should I be looking at? What should I be thinking about?’ That’s going to be huge.”
Elston said it’s rare for players as talented as Ford to have such an appetite for the off-field grind of the game. Ford has it, and he’s only going to improve that much more during his time at Notre Dame as a result.
Elston said Notre Dame’s top targets at defensive end in the class of 2022 came down to two recruits. Ford was one of them. Chantilly (Va.) High’s Aiden Gobaira was the other. Notre Dame signed both of them Wednesday.
Elston and Freeman studied Gobaira closely. They watched him at a camp on Notre Dame’s campus over the summer. They watched film from another combine he attended previously. They looked at the tape of his junior season.
The clips spoke for themselves.
“We knew exactly what we’d be getting,” Elston said. “A big, tall, athletic, high-motor player that has great athleticism that’s going to be an elite pass rusher. He’s exciting for that vyper position.”
Elston said his next order of business is trying to get the likes of Isaiah Foskey and Jayson and Justin Ademilola to return to the Notre Dame defensive line for next season. But if he can’t convince him to do so, he’s still pleased with the depth the Irish have on the way with Hinish, Ford and Gobaira.
----
• 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, @MikeTSinger, @PatrickEngel_, @tbhorka, @GregLadky, and @ToddBurlage.
• Like us on Facebook.
