On location with Michael Hill

Hill (76) says he hears from Clemson and South Carolina the most but has no leader.

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu May 17 20:09:17 GMT-04:00 2012

PENDLETON, SC – Clemson defensive line coach Dan Brooks was on hand to watch Pendleton High School go through its next-to-last practice of the spring Thursday afternoon.

Brooks was, of course, there to watch defensive tackle prospect Michael Hill Michael Hill
Defensive Tackle
6-3, 315
Pendleton, SC
View Full Profile , the 4-star prospect who is rated by many services as the fifth-best defensive tackle in the nation.

Hill has 11 offers on the table – Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, LSU, Georgia Tech, Michigan, Ole Miss, Ohio St., South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt

First off, a quick scouting report on Hill from what I saw today. He is a big kid, but has lost weight while participating in track this spring and looks slimmer than the 315 pounds he is listed at. He told me following the practice that he is actually down to 290 pounds on his 6-3 frame.

He looks like the perfect 3-technique on the collegiate level – where he lines up on the outside shoulder of the guard – but could line up anywhere on the interior. He uses both his size and strength to his advantage. It was my first time seeing him in person, and I was really surprised at how well he moved his feet. A lot of times, you will see a kid that can just use his size to dominate at that level get lazy and want to not use technique, but he uses both his feet and his hands very well. You can tell he has been well-coached at Pendleton.

I asked Hill after the practice what he thought his strengths were and what he felt like he needed to work on.

“My strength is my bull rushing. I need to work on my pass rushing and outside containment,” he said. “I have to work on that this summer because I’m going to defensive end this year. We changed to a 3-4 defensive scheme this spring, and I moved to end because we don’t have that many defensive linemen. So I have to work on my defensive end skills.”

Hill said that despite what some websites have reported, he has no leaders and hears from the two in-state schools the most, and then he said what he liked most about the Tigers.

“I hear from both of them,” he said. “Clemson and Carolina tie at the top for sending me the most letters. There are no leaders. I have a great connection with Coach Brooks. I can tell by the mail they send me and how they talk to me that they really want me and need me.”

And South Carolina?

“Coach [Brad] Lawing is a really good defensive line coach. They’ve got a really good defensive line coming up and coming back.”

He also said he hears from Ohio St.

“I talk to Coach [Everett] Withers and stuff, but I really don’t know yet because I haven’t visited yet. I’m going to visit this summer,” he said.

He said the one offer he received that surprised him the most was from Alabama.

“It was just hearing from Coach [Nick] Saban,” he said. “When they first offered me, it was my second out-of-state offer. They just came off of a national championship and they offered me so I was happy.”

Hill said he and head coach Paul Sutherland are still planning their summer visits, but all three of the above schools are on the list, and he is still looking at the other schools he wants to visit.