Tag: Delano Hill

Recruiting Update: December 17, 2012

Westerville (OH) South safety/linebacker/receiver/quarterback Marcus Ball (image via This Week News)

COMMITMENTS
Detroit (MI) Cass Tech offensive guard David Dawson re-committed to Michigan.

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech cornerback/safety Delano Hill changed his commitment from Iowa to Michigan.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2013
Westerville (OH) South linebacker Marcus Ball was offered by Michigan.  Ball is a 6’3″, 205 lb. prospect who is being recruited by Michigan as a linebacker, though most other schools have told him they want him as a safety.  Back in November he committed to Wisconsin, where his brother Ray is an offensive tackle (and was recruited by Michigan a couple years ago).  He also has offers from Arizona State, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State, West Virginia, and others.  As a junior in 2011, he threw for 1,300 yards, ran for 500 yards, and had 7 interceptions on defense.  He played safety in high school but appears to be a SAM linebacker prospect, and no matter where he ends up playing, I think he would outgrow the safety position. (Highlights.)

Spotsylvania (VA) Chancellor cornerback Chris Holmes was offered by Michigan.  He’s a 6’2″, 187 lb. prospect who could play boundary corner or safety.  Holmes committed to North Carolina State back in July and holds offers from Clemson, Illinois, South Carolina, and West Virginia.  The Wolfpack just replaced head coach Tom O’Brien with former Northern Illinois coach Dave Doeren, so there might be an opening to create a relationship. (Highlights.)

Brantford (Ont.) Pauline Johnson offensive tackle David Knevel was offered by Michigan.  He’s a 6’8″, 290 lb. prospect who is supposed to announce his college decision on Tuesday, which is reported to be between Alabama, Nebraska, and West Virginia.  It’s unclear whether Michigan’s offer will change that announcement date or factor into his decision, but he has not visited Ann Arbor and has already used all five of his official visits allowed (to the three above schools along with Washington State and Wisconsin).  Of course, Ontario is significantly closer than any of those other schools, so a 3.5- or 4-hour car ride might be feasible.

Arvada (CO) Ralston Valley offensive tackle Dan Skipper was offered by Michigan.  He’s a 6’10”, 295 lb. prospect who would likely be limited to tackle.  Skipper committed to Tennessee back in June and holds offers from Arizona State, Colorado, Northwestern, and Oregon State, among several others.  Tennessee and the home state Colorado Buffaloes are going through coaching transitions, which might open the door for Skipper to join the class.  Despite the re-commitment of Dawson, Michigan appears to be considering taking a sixth offensive lineman in the class, likely a tackle. (Highlights.)

Belton (TX) Belton tight end Durham Smythe decommitted from Texas.  Michigan does not appear to be back in the hunt, but it looks like a re-commitment to Texas is probably out the window.  Florida, Stanford, and Notre Dame all appear to be strong possibilities as of now.

ADDED TO THE BOARD: 2014
Broken Arrow (OK) Broken Arrow running back Devon Thomas was offered by Michigan.  Thomas is a 5’10”, 190 lb. prospect with offers from Clemson, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and others, but he committed to Oklahoma State on Saturday.  Thomas is the teammate of 2014 quarterback Coleman Key, who has visited Michigan and is supposedly on the short list of quarterbacks being evaluated for an offer. (Highlights.)

OFF THE BOARD
Fort Lauderdale (FL) University School defensive tackle Maquedius Bain committed to LSU.  Bain never visited Michigan and was not a serious option at this point, although I do really like him as a prospect.

MISCELLANEOUS
Here’s a list of players who visited this past weekend.

St. Clairsville (OH) St. Clairsville linebacker Michael Ferns, a 2014 commit, released his junior season highlights.

Delano Hill, Wolverine

Jourdan Lewis and Delano Hill at The Opening last summer

Detroit (MI) Cass Tech safety Delano Hill committed to Michigan on Saturday.  He had previously been committed to Iowa while also holding offers from Illinois, Pitt, and Syracuse.

Hill is a 6’1″, 198 lb. prospect.  He claims a 4.44 forty, a 4.34 shuttle time, and a 32″ vertical.  As a senior in 2012, he had 60 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 1 touchdown return.

RATINGS
ESPN: 3-star S, 79 grade, #23 S
Rivals: 4-star S, #23 S
Scout: 4-star S, #24 S
247 Sports: 4-star S, 90 grade, #24 S

Hill visited Michigan back in the spring, but Michigan’s coaches didn’t give him a ton of recruiting attention throughout the process and did not appear to be on the path to offering him a scholarship.  Iowa, which does a good job of recruiting the Detroit area, swooped in with an offer that  he accepted back in July.  The Hawkeyes had a poor season, going 4-8 as the team adjusted to several new assistant coaches.  It’s unclear whether this lack of success had an effect on Hill’s decision, but he was offered by the Wolverines this past week and visited Ann Arbor for a bowl practice on Friday.  By Saturday morning he had selected the Wolverines.

Cass Tech head coach Thomas Wilcher claims that Hill is the best pure athlete on his high school team, which includes several Division I prospects like cornerback Jourdan Lewis, cornerback Damon Webb, running back/linebacker Deon Drake, and running back Mikey Weber (along with several others).  Hill reportedly ran a 4.40 at Nike’s The Opening in July.  His speed is well documented and shows up in games, too, which isn’t always the case for guys who have good forty times.  He has good length and leaping ability, which should prove to be an asset in coverage.

My biggest question mark about Hill – and this is significant to me because it might determine his future position – is his tackling ability.  While some scouting reports tout his tackling ability, I don’t see it on film.  He’s not a very aggressive tackler and doesn’t display a natural instinct to stay in front of runners.  Rather than squaring up ball carriers for solid hits, he tends to reach.  And while I have seen a clip or two of him being physical with shedding blocks during his senior season, that was a problem for him as a junior.

Normally, I am not a fan of moving a player back in the defense; witness the way Josh Furman has struggled with going from outside linebacker in high school to safety in college.  As a high school strong safety, moving to cornerback could be too much of a shift to overcome.  However, Hill’s lack of physicality makes me think that his best position could be boundary corner.  Unless he gets significantly stronger and more aggressive, he could be a liability as the last line of defense.

At this point in the recruiting process, Hill is the type of player that often fills out a roster.  While he’s not a truly elite athlete, he offers some upside due to raw athleticism and the potential to help out on special teams.  This is not a player whom you expect to come in and challenge for a starting job immediately.  He helps to fill the void left by Gareon Conley (who decommitted in favor of Ohio State) and potentially softens the blow of losing out on Seffner (FL) Armwood defensive back Leon McQuay III, an elite prospect who is also heavily considering Florida State, USC, and Vanderbilt.  This gives the Wolverines 24 commitments in the class of 2013, a group that should reach 25 or more.

TTB Rating: 71 (ratings explantion)