Whether or not Kurt Hinish will suit up at Soldier Field and man the middle of Notre Dame's defensive line against Wisconsin on Saturday seems as unclear as Irish head coach Brian Kelly’s answer to a question concerning Hinish’s health.
The question during Thursday afternoon's Zoom press conference: "There's been some speculation about Kurt Hinish's health, if you could address that?"
The answer: “There’s always going to be guys that are questionable during the week that have lingering injuries from the week before,” Kelly said. “But we don't rule anybody out unless they're clear that they are not going to play.”
What made the response murky was Kelly wrapping up an injury report on the two-deep depth chart no more than two minutes prior.
"The only guy we haven't made a decision yet on is Michael Carmody," Kelly said. "We had some chances to get some reps yesterday. We'll need to evaluate him today and tomorrow. I would say that's going to come down to a game-day decision."
Unlike with Carmody, Kelly never publicly stated Hinish is dealing with an injury issue of any sort. It's been common knowledge that Carmody sprained his ankle during the game against Toledo and has not played a snap since.
Hinish, meanwhile, seemed healthy throughout last week's game against Purdue. He even received the game ball from Kelly in the locker room after Notre Dame's 27-13 victory.
At the end of the day, it's football. Injuries occur throughout the week out of the public eye. And rumors are rumors. Kelly is not obligated to give the injury status of any player. Sometimes, though, it's warranted. Everyone saw Carmody exit the Toledo game without returning. Kelly was inclined to update his status, and he did.
With Hinish, though, it'll be more of a wait and see type of thing. Notre Dame could surely use the graduate senior defensive tackle against a Wisconsin team that loves to run the football and is highly successful when doing so.
The Badgers ripped Eastern Michigan up for 352 rushing yards after opening the season with 174 against Penn State. Wisconsin's 266 rushing yards per game ranks 10th nationally. Notre Dame ranks 75th in the country in rushing defense, and that's with team captain Hinish holding it down for the Irish at tackle.
Given the stakes of the game and Hinish’s importance to the team, he is more than likely going to do everything he can to get on the field. Most importantly, Kelly has not said outright he won't be able to.
“I think each week you'll find there are going to be some rumors, there is going to be some speculation as to some guys who may be available or unavailable,” Kelly said. “I'll let you guys know if there is somebody definitely not available leading into the game.”
No. 12 Notre Dame (3-0) and No. 18 Wisconsin (1-1) square off in FOX's Big Noon Saturday Game of the Week at noon ET on Saturday. ESPN's College GameDay will also be on site at Soldier Field previewing the game on Saturday morning.
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