The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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14 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Christopher Hinton Is Better Suited For Success By Brandon Brown Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington five-star safety Daxton Hill plays a sexier position, but Norcross (Ga.) Greater Atlanta Christian five-star defensive tackle Christopher Hin- ton is going to have a bigger im- pact at Michigan. At 6-4, 285 pounds before he even gets on campus, the big line- man is already physically ready to contribute next fall — and he'll be needed. Hinton comes from a phe- nomenal gene pool and his NFL All- Pro dad is going to ensure that he's prepared from day one. Hinton's size, strength and burst are all go- ing to improve while at Michigan, and should give him a chance to be extremely effective as a three- technique tackle. Hinton also plays a more consis- tent position. Hill may finish his Michigan career with more splash plays, but Hinton is going to have a chance to make an impact on virtually every snap. A deep safety might only see real action a handful of times per game, while an interior defensive lineman is involved on just about every run play and several passes per contest. Both players should have long, productive careers based on their talent level and how much they'll be needed the day they step foot on campus. It just makes more sense that Hinton will have a bigger overall impact over the next four years because of where he plays and how much he'll be needed as soon as he arrives in Ann Arbor. Daxton Hill Will Be One Of Michigan's Best Ever Safeties By Chris Balas For years, Michigan seemed to have trouble finding elite safeties to complement very good defenses. Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington five-star Hill is that guy Wolverines fans have been waiting for. U-M's safeties have to be able to cover, and that has been at least somewhat of an issue in coordinator Don Brown's de- fenses over the past few years — not nearly as dire as the fan base has made it out to be, but keeping pace with speedy wide receivers is not easy, even for outstanding cornerbacks. Hill has incredible speed and agility that will allow him to keep pace with some of the Big Ten's better pass catchers. His instincts are off the charts — he is always around the ball — and he can catch the football. He also has got a great chance to factor immediately on special teams, and it seems a good bet he will see plenty of action there while he gets acclimated on defense. Hinton is going to be an outstanding player, but it will take time. Even the best of the best of Michigan's rookie defensive linemen have needed a year or two to adjust to the strength of players in the trenches, not to mention the technique needed to handle being the first line of defense. Hinton will get there, and he will be great, but Hill is a once- a-decade type talent. POINT ❙ COUNTERPOINT WHICH FIVE STAR, DAXTON HILL OR CHRISTOPHER HINTON, WILL HAVE THE BETTER CAREER AT MICHIGAN? Christopher Hinton leads a defensive line signing class that was ranked third best nationally by Rivals. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Top-50 Rivals250 Class Year 5-Stars 4-Stars Signees Signees Rank 2019 2 13 2 11 10 2018 0 7 0 4 24 2017 3 16 4 16 4 2016 1 16 2 14 4 2015 0 6 0 4 49 2014 1 6 1 4 31 2013 1 16 1 13 5 2012 2 10 2 9 7 2011 0 6 0 5 21 2010 0 6 0 3 20 2009 1 13 2 13 8 2008 0 17 3 12 10 2007 2 5 2 5 12 2006 2 9 3 9 13 2005 1 10 N/A N/A 6 2004 1 12 N/A N/A 5 2003 2 11 N/A N/A 17 2002 1 10 N/A N/A 16 Comparing Rivals.com Rankings Of Michigan's Recruiting Classes After the dust settled on the 2019 football recruiting cycle, Michigan had the No. 10 class nationally according to Rivals — the program's ninth top-10 group since 2002. In the past four years, Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines se- cured two top-five hauls and an average class ranking of 10.5. Diving deeper into the numbers of the 2019 class, it stacks up comparably with Michigan's best hauls during the Rivals era. The recruiting service has ranked teams since 2002 and has rated the top 250 prospects since 2006. With the signing of defensive tackle Christopher Hinton and safety Daxton Hill, Michigan has now landed at least one five- star prospect in 13 of the past 18 years. The Wolverines also have 13 four-star recruits in this class, which is tied for the fifth most they have signed during the Rivals era. U-M's two players in the top 50 are tied for the fourth most since 2006. In Harbaugh's four full signing classes, he has signed 45 top- 250 players, 52 four-star players and six five-stars. — Andrew Hussey