Notre Dame DL Kurt Hinish Fired Up for Homecoming in Pittsburgh
Kurt Hinish will return to the Steel City this weekend as No. 3 Notre Dame will play Pitt at Heinz Field.
It's home, but it's also where Hinish developed a foundation of the man he has become.
"A lot of the people are blue-collar, hardworking people," Hinish said of Pittsburgh. "It's the kind of mindset me and some of my teammates from Pittsburgh bring to this facility every day - bring your lunch pail type of mentality every day. We kind of carry that blue-collar attitude on our sleeves."
The chance to return to Heinz Field has likely been circled on the senior defensive lineman's calendar since the schedule came out and he's no stranger to the home of the Steelers. Hinish is 2-1 at Heinz Field and hopes to add another win this weekend.
"It means the world to me to go back home and play Pitt," stated Hinish. "I grew up watching Pitt. I'm excited to play at Heinz Field for the fourth time. We played there in high school, so I've played there before.
"I"m really excited to go home and play in front of my family and friends. This game means everything to me."
Family and friends will see Hinish play, but some will be cheering for Pitt when push comes to shove.
John Petersen (LB), David Green (RB), Damar Hamlin (CB), Matt Altsman (OL), Gavin Thomson (WR) and Cal Adomitis (LS) all hail from the Central Catholic program Hinish and former Notre Dame teammate David Adams played for in high school.
"We're all really good friends," explained Hinish. "I'm good friends with Damar and Paris Ford. We actually went and played paintball with each other in quarantine, so we got to hang out with each other.
"It's friendly competition, but once we step on the field, we mean business."
And yes, Saturday is a business trip for Hinish. Notre Dame brings the No. 2 ranked third-down defense to town and that success starts with love.
"We talk about how hard we play and the effort we put on tape shows how much you love the guy in the room next to you," Hinish said. "In the defensive unit room, we talk about it all the time. How much love we have for one another and who we do it for. We do it for each other."
Hinish has been a crucial piece in the middle of the Irish defense since his freshman year and has another year of eligibility because of the NCAA granting fall sports an extra season.
However, Hinish hasn't given it much thought when it comes to returning.
"I don't know yet."