Replace and Reload: Replacing Kurt Hinish Won't Be Easy For Notre Dame

Notre Dame has never had to replace a player who saw as much action as Kurt Hinish, who finished his career by playing more games than any player in Fighting Irish history. Hinish was a regular in the Notre Dame rotation from the moment he stepped foot on campus, and the Irish will have to find a way to replace his reps, production, energy level and his leadership.

Hinish was a captain for Notre Dame and was a vocal member of the defensive line for years. His replacement at nose tackle won't have to match that, but veterans like Jayson Ademilola, Justin Ademilola and perhaps Isaiah Foskey to a degree need to continue stepping into more vocal leadership roles.

CROSS AND LACEY WILL GET THEIR SHOT TO START

Rising seniors Howard Cross III and Jacob Lacey will get their shot to step into Hinish's starting role.

Cross was the No. 2 nose tackle in 2021 and his production was almost identical to that of Hinish. Cross racked up 22 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks compared to 28, 5.5 and two for Hinish, but Cross played 58 fewer snaps.

The New Jersey native lacks the girth and power that Hinish brought to the game, but he plays with great leverage, he's extremely quick off the ball and his hand play is strong. My question for Cross is can he be as productive in a starting role as he was in a backup role, and can he overcome his lack of girth (275 pounds) up the middle when teams try to run right at him.

If you look at Cross's 2021 season, he was at his best when his reps were limited.

Lacey bounced back from an injury plagued sophomore campaign to play quality snaps for the Irish. He dropped at least 15 pounds and was in better shape and was more disruptive, but now that he's down to 275 pounds he is in the same boat as Cross. Lacey can do a lot of good things, but right now his game might be better suited at three-technique on a more full-time basis, and smaller reps as a nose tackle.

I could see a scenario where the guy who plays the best between Cross and Lacey plays mostly at nose tackle and the other player rotates between nose and the three-technique spot behind Jayson Ademilola.

YOUNG GUYS PROVIDE THE BEEF

If Notre Dame wants to add more beef to the lineup, and frankly it needs to add more beef to the nose tackle position, it will need young big men Aidan Keanaaina and Gabriel Rubio to have strong offseasons.

Keanaaina is Notre Dame's biggest lineman at 6-3 and 310 pounds. He's a quality athlete for his size but he's been unable to crack the lineup during his career. The Colorado native earned just 33 reps this season, but he impressed in those limited reps.

Developing Keanaaina into the kind of player that can give more and more high-level reps would give the defense a huge boost, literally and figuratively.

Another talented young player to keep an eye on is current freshman Gabriel Rubio. A three-technique as a freshman, Rubio is a unique player that I think should get a look at nose tackle. He's got the size Notre Dame wants up the middle, checking in at 6-5 and 290 pounds as a rookie.

Rubio was an incredibly disruptive player in high school and he has legit pass rushing potential as a nose tackle, assuming he gets moved a gap inside. He could have a hard time getting reps at three-technique behind Ademilola and Lacey, but as a nose tackle he could eat up legit reps and give the defense a boost in size and production at the nose tackle position.

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