The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1083898
22 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019 BY BRANDON BROWN M ichigan's 2019 recruiting class finished at No. 10 in the nation and No. 1 in the Big Ten in the final Rivals. com team rankings. Jim Harbaugh's class has some very talented players, a lot of balance and, as always, some intriguing characters. MOST ATHLETIC Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington five-star safety Daxton Hill is a phe- nomenal all-around athlete. Coaches and people around him have said that he could've been just as good at run- ning back or wide receiver as he is at safety, where he's considered the top player in the country at the position. At Nike's The Opening, he had an electronically timed 40-yard dash of 4.3 seconds, which would've been the fast- est time at the 2018 NFL Combine and would have been tied for the ninth- fastest clocking at the pre-draft event since 2006. He also had a vertical leap of 43.6 inches — 43.5 is the sixth-best NFL Combine mark since 2006 — and a shuttle run of 4.22 seconds. His Nike+ Football Rating of 143.76 was the sec- ond best in the country. He finished the recruiting cycle as a consensus five-star recruit ranked among the top 24 overall prospects nationally by all three major recruiting services and has a very real chance to see the field next fall. MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED ON THE FIELD: Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian five-star defensive tackle Christopher Hinton could be called upon to make a big im- pact at Michigan early. At 6-4, he could be at or even north of 300 pounds by the time he gets to Ann Arbor in June, which is good because U-M needs help up front in the fall. Given the fact that Hinton's father was an All-Pro in the NFL and his mother was a Miss Basketball in Min- nesota before playing at Northwestern, he obviously has the natural gifts to be a big-time athlete. Throw in the fact that he's extremely dedicated and fo- cused, and he seems like a can't-miss prospect. Hinton was U-M's highest- ranked signee at No. 15 overall in the country by Rivals and many are bet- ting on him to perform like the blue- chip prospect that he is. OFF THE FIELD: Greenwich (Conn.) Brunswick four-star wide re- ceiver Cornelius Johnson's parents, Claude and Cassandra, both have ex- tensive academic backgrounds and are very successful. Claude is an author and historian, while Cassandra is a medical doctor. The apple didn't fall far from the tree either. Their son boasted a 1480 on his SAT and oozes intelligence when he speaks. The senior is ranked among the top 239 overall prospects in the land by all three recruiting services, but even if football is not a part of his future Johnson will be well-prepared 2019 SIGNEE SUPERLATIVES Wideout Cornelius Johnson boasts an array of impressive numbers on and off the foot- ball field, including a 1480 score on the SAT. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM 2019 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE