The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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18 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2020 Physicality has never been an issue for Hill, assured his former defensive coordinator. "When you first meet him, you can tell he's special," Blitch said. "He just was. Even as a freshman, he had a more mature body. He's a tall kid, big, broad shoulders, lean. As he con- tinued to grow, he just continued to add muscle and speed, which is a testament to his work ethic. "He does the right thing, the right way, at the right time, even when people aren't looking. He's just one of those kids." Hill did all the right things his se- nior season at Booker T. Washington, when his team took on North Little Rock (Ark.) High. "They were a ground-and-pound type of team," Blitch noted. "Dax had 30 tackles in the first game of the season as a safety. We kept him in the box, put him on a tight end, let him just shoot the C gap, downhill. "That's a testament to his want-to. There are a lot of guys who can cover, but it's hard to have a guy who can cover and who will put his nose in there and hit you. He would lay the wood." Hill can both cover and recover, the Booker T. Washington DC assured. He can not only jam a receiver well at the line of scrimmage and then run with him, he can even miss at the line and employ the recovery speed to make up lost ground. "With his speed, he's so great roam- ing the middle of the field, because he can play sideline to sideline, which a lot of guys can't do," Blitch said. "But with his physical tools and his strength, he's so good. He's one of those guys that has the recovery speed. "He can give you a jam and still run with you. Not every back can miss at the line and still be able to re- cover downfield. He's got rare speed where, even if he makes a mistake, he can recover from it." Calip saw that ability underscored in dramatic fashion in one particular Booker T. Washington contest. "They threw one up to this re- ceiver, and I just knew, he was beat," Calip recalled. "I was like, 'He got beat!' And then he closed on the ball, picked it off, and he took it like 70 yards for a touchdown. "I'm like, oh my gosh, this guy is very gifted. I could name a dozen plays like that. Hill played in all 13 games as a true freshman and made three starts with 36 tackles and one interception, and through four contests in his sophomore year he had added another four starts and 28 stops. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY