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Out of Saint Croix Central in Wisconsin, 2022 4-star OL Carson Hinzman is a prospect that easily could have flown under the radar early in the process, yet he’s already earned early attention from blue-blood programs across the country including LSU, Alabama, Oregon, Penn State, Notre Dame and others.
By putting out some strong film during his first year of varsity football in his school’s run-first offense and staying active on the camp circuit, Hinzman has been recognized by many as one of the top OL’s in the 2022 class, as he is considered the #2 guard in the country and the #81 prospect overall by 247Sports.
“I’m just really blessed to have some insane opportunities right now, and I’m really excited to get out there and see what they’ve got going on,” Hinzman said. “I’m just so fortunate and lucky to be here, God’s been great and it’s a blessing to have these opportunities.
“Once things open up, I’m planning to get to as many schools as I possibly can just to figure out what kind of culture suits me. It’s a lot easier to narrow down to that one place you want to go to if you have a lot of experiences and a lot of options, because I’ve always heard once you go to a place, you’re just like ‘Wow, this is the place for me’.”
Even with many big programs after him, Hinzman made clear he only plans to interact with the schools he can truly see himself ending up at.
“I’ll never be one of those guys that’s excited to collect offers just to get offers, because at the end of the day, you can only go to one school, it really doesn’t matter,” Hinzman said. “I don’t want to waste other coaches’ time and my time if I’m not really interested.”
One school he is interested in learning more about? That would be Miami Hurricanes, as OL coach Garin Justice offered him a scholarship just last month.
“I’m just super grateful for a place like Miami to notice me, they’ve obviously had their fair share of championships,” Hinzman said. “It’s a really big honor to even be thought of for an offer, I really appreciate it. Plus, I know ‘The Rock’ went there, so that’s pretty cool.
“[Justice] was explaining a little bit about the culture at Miami, he was talking about how their program is looking to get back and make a big splash in college football. He was telling me what his plan is for the O-Line down there and how he plans to move that group forward. He just wanted me to really take at look at them and wanted me to take the opportunity to come down and visit, which I think would be awesome, it sounds like a fun time.”
Coral Gables is a location that the 6-4 270 pound prospect is targeting for a visit once campuses open up, and Hinzman says building a better relationship with the staff at UM is a priority for him.
“Being from Wisconsin, it’s so far away so I don’t know too much, but that just makes me more motivated to go down there and learn more about it,” Hinzman said of UM. “I have a couple family members down in Florida too, I’m looking forward to it.”
While Justice did not specify where exactly he sees Hinzman’s future position-wise, the Saint Croix Central star made clear that he’s spent his whole career as an interior lineman in a run-heavy system.
“I’ve never played tackle, I’ve only played guard or center because in our offense, that’s what we need the most,” Hinzman said. “We never do anything pass-related, our coaches make a joke that our RPO is to run people over. All we do is mid-line, triple, and veer, that’s our bread and butter. But I always tell coaches I’ll play wherever I can for them, it’s just wherever I can help the team the most.”
While Hinzman’s high school offense sounds worlds away from the spread system the Canes are moving to under Rhett Lashlee in 2020, Hinzman says he isn’t worried about what style of offense a school runs.
“I like to think I’m a pretty decent learner when I’m being taught by a coach and then being able to apply it to the field,” Hinzman said. “I know [the spread] is a little bit different from what we do, but just from studying spread teams in general, I have an idea what it might be like and I’d look forward to that challenge. I know others that have gone through the same thing and have done really well, so I’m just ready to do what I need to do to help the team and do what it takes to become a great lineman in any system.”
With Wisconsin being the local school for Hinzman and a place known for developing offensive linemen at a high rate, it would be easy to believe the Badgers might have a leg up to ultimately land Hinzman. Is staying close to home going to be a big factor for him?
“Obviously, it’s a little bit of a factor, but it’s not the biggest factor for me because I know that sometimes that the closest school to you isn’t necessarily the best fit for you,” Hinzman said. “Yes, it is your home, but it’s more about the culture of a program and a place that goes to work and is not glitzy or flashy or anything.
“I’m into looking at the overall atmosphere. When you go there, you know and understand that these people really care about what they do here. That’s going to be the most important thing for me, a place that is home to me and somewhere I love to be at. I’m just not sure where that is for me yet - it could be Syracuse, it could be Hawaii, I really have no idea.”
As a sophomore in 2019, Hinzman helped pave the way for a prolific rushing attack that led the Panthers to an 8-3 record and he also landed on first team All-Conference for his efforts.
“Off the field, people tell me I’m a teddy bear – I don’t hold any grudges, I don’t ever get mad at anybody,” Hinzman said. “But on the field, obviously it’s a little bit different. I call it ‘the dark place’ – no abstract thoughts, all you want to do is run people over. I just love going out there with my buddies and laying a lick on someone. You just become a different person on the field, and it’s fun to release some stress.”
By putting out some strong film during his first year of varsity football in his school’s run-first offense and staying active on the camp circuit, Hinzman has been recognized by many as one of the top OL’s in the 2022 class, as he is considered the #2 guard in the country and the #81 prospect overall by 247Sports.
“I’m just really blessed to have some insane opportunities right now, and I’m really excited to get out there and see what they’ve got going on,” Hinzman said. “I’m just so fortunate and lucky to be here, God’s been great and it’s a blessing to have these opportunities.
“Once things open up, I’m planning to get to as many schools as I possibly can just to figure out what kind of culture suits me. It’s a lot easier to narrow down to that one place you want to go to if you have a lot of experiences and a lot of options, because I’ve always heard once you go to a place, you’re just like ‘Wow, this is the place for me’.”
Even with many big programs after him, Hinzman made clear he only plans to interact with the schools he can truly see himself ending up at.
“I’ll never be one of those guys that’s excited to collect offers just to get offers, because at the end of the day, you can only go to one school, it really doesn’t matter,” Hinzman said. “I don’t want to waste other coaches’ time and my time if I’m not really interested.”
One school he is interested in learning more about? That would be Miami Hurricanes, as OL coach Garin Justice offered him a scholarship just last month.
“I’m just super grateful for a place like Miami to notice me, they’ve obviously had their fair share of championships,” Hinzman said. “It’s a really big honor to even be thought of for an offer, I really appreciate it. Plus, I know ‘The Rock’ went there, so that’s pretty cool.
“[Justice] was explaining a little bit about the culture at Miami, he was talking about how their program is looking to get back and make a big splash in college football. He was telling me what his plan is for the O-Line down there and how he plans to move that group forward. He just wanted me to really take at look at them and wanted me to take the opportunity to come down and visit, which I think would be awesome, it sounds like a fun time.”
Coral Gables is a location that the 6-4 270 pound prospect is targeting for a visit once campuses open up, and Hinzman says building a better relationship with the staff at UM is a priority for him.
“Being from Wisconsin, it’s so far away so I don’t know too much, but that just makes me more motivated to go down there and learn more about it,” Hinzman said of UM. “I have a couple family members down in Florida too, I’m looking forward to it.”
While Justice did not specify where exactly he sees Hinzman’s future position-wise, the Saint Croix Central star made clear that he’s spent his whole career as an interior lineman in a run-heavy system.
“I’ve never played tackle, I’ve only played guard or center because in our offense, that’s what we need the most,” Hinzman said. “We never do anything pass-related, our coaches make a joke that our RPO is to run people over. All we do is mid-line, triple, and veer, that’s our bread and butter. But I always tell coaches I’ll play wherever I can for them, it’s just wherever I can help the team the most.”
While Hinzman’s high school offense sounds worlds away from the spread system the Canes are moving to under Rhett Lashlee in 2020, Hinzman says he isn’t worried about what style of offense a school runs.
“I like to think I’m a pretty decent learner when I’m being taught by a coach and then being able to apply it to the field,” Hinzman said. “I know [the spread] is a little bit different from what we do, but just from studying spread teams in general, I have an idea what it might be like and I’d look forward to that challenge. I know others that have gone through the same thing and have done really well, so I’m just ready to do what I need to do to help the team and do what it takes to become a great lineman in any system.”
With Wisconsin being the local school for Hinzman and a place known for developing offensive linemen at a high rate, it would be easy to believe the Badgers might have a leg up to ultimately land Hinzman. Is staying close to home going to be a big factor for him?
“Obviously, it’s a little bit of a factor, but it’s not the biggest factor for me because I know that sometimes that the closest school to you isn’t necessarily the best fit for you,” Hinzman said. “Yes, it is your home, but it’s more about the culture of a program and a place that goes to work and is not glitzy or flashy or anything.
“I’m into looking at the overall atmosphere. When you go there, you know and understand that these people really care about what they do here. That’s going to be the most important thing for me, a place that is home to me and somewhere I love to be at. I’m just not sure where that is for me yet - it could be Syracuse, it could be Hawaii, I really have no idea.”
As a sophomore in 2019, Hinzman helped pave the way for a prolific rushing attack that led the Panthers to an 8-3 record and he also landed on first team All-Conference for his efforts.
“Off the field, people tell me I’m a teddy bear – I don’t hold any grudges, I don’t ever get mad at anybody,” Hinzman said. “But on the field, obviously it’s a little bit different. I call it ‘the dark place’ – no abstract thoughts, all you want to do is run people over. I just love going out there with my buddies and laying a lick on someone. You just become a different person on the field, and it’s fun to release some stress.”
