Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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52 MARCH 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2023 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY PATRICK ENGEL The position where Brandyn Hill- man will begin his Notre Dame career is one he didn't play at all in his first three years of high school. In fact, he didn't even play on that side of the ball. Hillman, an "athlete" destined for safety upon his June enrollment, was ex- clusively a quarterback until his senior season at Portsmouth (Va.) Churchland High School. He played safety in grade school, but not in game action for three years after that. His team needed him on offense and couldn't risk fatigue or injury from playing both ways. "He was my only quarterback on the roster," Churchland head coach Dontrell Leonard said. "But this year, I was like, 'He's a senior. He's not coming back. We're going to get everything out of him we can.'" The defensive experiment started with finding targeted sit- uations for him and working him there in preseason camp. Hill- man made enough of an impact in those specific spots, though, to warrant an every-down role. Churchland got the most out of him at safety. And he got the most out of it, too. Hillman — he of zero FBS of- fers before his senior season — garnered 13 between late Sep- tember and late November 2022. Notre Dame was among the six teams that offered on one Sep- tember day. Tennessee, USC, Kentucky and North Carolina were some of the others to jump in the mix, all intrigued by his film at safety and his intangibles. "He could play safety," Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden said. "He's big enough to be a rover. Anytime you can get a quarterback, you're ba- sically taking a player that his high school coach has already deemed good enough to give the keys to the car." No t re Da m e h ea d coa c h Marcus Freeman even floated the idea of Hillman playing receiver, but the expectation is he begins his career at safety. That spot, after all, propelled him to a top-300 national ranking and showcases arguably his greatest attri- bute — a love of contact. "He's physical, ball-hawking on de- fense, punishing," Freeman said. He was far from the only college coach to notice it. "In one game, he torpedoed a kid — straight helicoptered him on a screen," Leonard said. "A tunnel screen with Brandyn coming downhill. Brandyn tells the story and goes, 'Coach, as I'm pur- suing him, we locked eyes.' The kid says that Brandyn got all these offers from hitting him." ✦ Adding Safety To His Résumé Fueled Brandyn Hillman's Late Rise Hillman had zero FBS offers before his senior season but picked up 13 between late September and late November 2022 after he started playing safety. PHOTO COURTESY HILLMAN FAMILY BRANDYN HILLMAN ATHLETE 6-1 · 191 CHURCHLAND H.S. PORTSMOUTH, VA. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 137 5 4 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ — 33 8 ✪ ✪ ✪ — 54 12 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 129 7 4 STATISTICS • Threw for 1,312 passing yards and 11 touchdowns, while also running for 1,236 yards and 22 scores dur- ing his senior season. Defensively, posted 41 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 sacks and 4 passes broken up. • Accounted for more than 2,400 all-purpose yards and 31 touchdowns as a junior. NOTABLE • 2022 Polynesian Bowl participant. • 2022 and 2021 Virginia Class 4 Region A Of- fensive Player of the Year. • 2022 all-region second-team defensive back and punter. RECRUITMENT • Committed to Notre Dame on Dec. 7, 2022. • Picked the Irish over Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky and others. • Heading into his senior year, only held one offer — coming from FCS program Norfolk State. • Recruited by defensive coordinator Al Golden. • Visited Notre Dame once, for his official visit on Oct. 14, 2022. 2023 PROJECTION • Could play quarterback, defensive back, run- ning back and/or receiver for the Irish. He could be a surprise contributor at a skill position this fall. THEY SAID IT Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden: "He can play safety. He's big enough to be a rover, if you will. But what's not to like about him? He's a team captain. Anytime you can get a quarterback, you're basically taking a player that his high school coach has already deemed him good enough to give him the keys to the car, right? That high school coach and their staff's career and success depends a lot on that quarterback. When you make that guy your leader and make him the face of your program, that says a lot to me. "And when you look at the competitive nature of the kid and his makeup and the type of family background he has, I'm really excited about him." National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming: "He's a very good athlete who runs well and has good body control and balance. He could be a wide re- ceiver, slot, running back or cornerback and could return kicks. He has explosive moves. Notre Dame could use someone who could return kicks. "It's a very good, late catch for Notre Dame. Un- less you steal someone from another school, all the good players are already off the board. You can never have enough athletes, and he's an athlete. They'll find a spot for him."