Notre Dame Is Building A Strong Connection With Top Center Carson Hinzman

Notre Dame has built a strong connection with Wisconsin blocker Carson Hinzman, and the staff is hoping it pays off in the end

One of the main fixtures in a productive offense is usually strong offensive line play, and the Notre Dame coaching staff is well aware of that pattern. As such, the Fighting Irish staff, and particularly offensive line coach Jeff Quinn, are working to bring a contingent of talented, high-ceiling blockers to South Bend.

So far, Notre Dame has a pair of four-star commits in Zionsville (Ind.) tackle Joey Tanona and Groton (Mass.) Lawrence Academy tackle Ty Chan. Both have played tackle in high school, and Tanona could play outside or inside for Notre Dame. Now, Quinn and the staff are looking for other lineman to round out their haul in the 2022 cycle, and Hammond (Wis.) Saint Croix Central standout Carson Hinzman is one of the most important offensive line recruits left on the board.

To put it lightly, Coach Quinn is making it known that he'd like to see Hinzman as a member of the Fighting Irish when National Signing Day rolls around. Hinzman said that he hears from Quinn at least every week and sometimes every other day, so there is a direct line of communication between the two parties at all times.

“He says the same thing kind of every time, they want me to be their next center,” Hinzman told Irish Breakdown. “He predicts me to be one of the best, and I really appreciate that. After the official visit, I'll see where that takes us.”

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According to Hinzman, Notre Dame has been recruiting him since as early as his freshman year of high school, so he's had a lot of time to build a relationship with Quinn. He spoke positively of the connection that the two share before delving into how he plans on grading all the schools recruiting him.

“For me, I always like to talk to the players personally,” Hinzman said. “That's where you get the most information. Getting the feeling of the culture there.”

When it comes to Notre Dame, one of the players that Hinzman has reached out to the most is freshman standout Blake Fisher. Though Fisher is one of the newer Golden Domers, he knows what it's like working in the program and has been able to share his perspective thus far. Hinzman also mentioned that he's communicated with current quarterback commit Steve Angeli, so he's picking up first hand anecdotes all across the board and will get a chance to bond further with the Notre Dame pledge since they both will be taking official visits from June 18-20.

“Third week of June for an official visit,” Hinzman said. “Joe [Brunner] and Billy [Schrauth] are going down there that day too, so it'll be fun to connect with those guys.”

Hinzman, Brunner and Schrauth are the top three 2022 players in the state of Wisconsin according to 247Sports.com, and all three are big targets for the Fighting Irish. Over the years, all three prospects have gotten to know each other and have competed against each other, so there is a bit of a friendly rivalry developing at the moment.

“Every now and then I will talk to them, and they're great guys as well,” Hinzman added. “There is an 'I want to be better than you' kind of thing, which is fine. It breeds the best players. I'm looking forward to competing with those guys.”

If Notre Dame were to land all three Wisconsin recruits in addition to Chan and Tanona up front, it would give the Irish another strong offensive line class, but even picking up commitments from two of the three would be a successful foray. That remains to be seen, though, as Hinzman is still planning on taking official visits to Iowa, Wisconsin and Alabama before sitting down with his family and making a decision.

“I think when I make my visits, that'll be the narrowing [process],” Hinzman stated. “I was hoping to [commit] before our football season, so it's just depending on how things go. Right now, the goal is still to get it done before then.”

Right now, Notre Dame has the No. 4 recruiting class in the country with 11 commits, two of which are on the offensive line. 

Here is Irish Breakdown publisher Bryan Driskell's analysis of Hinzman from the April Under Armour Camp in Columbus, Ohio:

"Most offensive linemen only got a couple of one-on-one reps, so most of the analysis of Hinzman is based on size observations and individual drill work. The first thing that stood out to me about Hinzman was his build. He’s a very lean athlete that doesn’t have much chubbiness at all. In that regards he comes from the Liam Eichenberg, Robert Hainsey mold of young lineman. He’s got broad shoulders and a lower half that has plenty of room to develop. Hinzman has average arm length, but as an interior player that won’t impact him at all.

"Athletically I was impressed with how well Hinzman moved. On film you can see first step explosiveness, but at the camp he showed off impressive foot quickness and agility. His change of direction is top notch and his overall movement skills were outstanding. He got just two reps during one-on-ones, and he lost his first rep because he stopped his feet when he lunged. Hinzman won his second rep thanks to his athleticism and powerful hands.

"I loved Hinzman’s film, and after seeing him in person he has gone up even higher on my board."

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