The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 51 ❱ COMMIT PROFILE B randyn Hillman experienced a unique and "heartbreaking" situa- tion on the recruiting trail. The On300 athlete from Portsmouth (Va.) Churchland High signed his Na- tional Letter of Intent with Notre Dame in December as part of the Irish's 2023 recruiting class. Hillman was set to en- roll at Notre Dame this summer — until he wasn't. Hillman was notified there was an is- sue with admissions in early March and was granted a release from his NLI soon after. A top student in the classroom, he held offers from prestigious aca- demic institutions like Michigan, USC, Vanderbilt and Virginia, making the situation that much more perplexing. "I could get into any other school," Hillman said. "I have all my credits. I just don't know what happened with admissions. "At first, I was heartbroken. I picked Notre Dame for a reason. It felt like home. But I'm just glad I got another opportunity to keep playing football at the next level." Hillman moved forward with the pro- cess right away and quickly earned a flurry of offers. Michigan was the first school to jump in the mix. Then came Ohio State, LSU, USC and several others. U-M quickly locked the 2022 Virginia Class 4 second-team all-state selec- tion in for an official visit and earned a verbal pledge before he left Ann Arbor. "Michigan is a good school," Hillman said. "I trust Michigan for sure. I like that they compete year in and year out. I like that they are in a conference and play for championships. Coming into a place where the defense is strong and I can add to it is a great feeling." Hillman signed with Michigan just a few hours later, making him the 25th and final member of the class. While his path to Michigan was un- expected, the Wolverines will gladly welcome him with open arms. After all, U-M didn't sign a true safety and saw Hillman as the perfect fit for the posi- tion. He was the starting quarterback at Churchland last season and got some looks under center after passing for 1,312 yards, rushing for 1,236 yards and scoring 33 total touchdowns (22 pass- ing, 11 rushing). However, his biggest upside is on the defensive side of the ball. And Hillman is completely fine with making the transition. "I'm good with it," Hillman said. "When I got to high school, I played quarterback, but I always grew up play- ing on both sides of the ball. I feel like it shouldn't be that hard. I feel like I can pick it up fast." Hillman will have an opportunity to learn and grow under the guidance of Michigan safeties coach Jay Harbaugh, who is known as a superb developer of talent. Harbaugh led the way in Hill- man's recruitment, and it's clear the versatile prospect already has respect for his future coach. "He's a great coach," Hillman said. "There was a lot of communication. Any time he could get me on the phone, he tried to. He's a great guy. "Anything that I would have wanted at Notre Dame, I can find at Michigan. That was his pitch. I'm taking it and running with it." Hillman, who has a 6-foot-5 wing- span and a 40-inch vertical jump, earned his second straight Region 4A Offensive Player of the Year award in the state of Virginia as a senior last season. He was also a second-team all-region defensive back and punter, and partici- pated in the 2022 Polynesian Bowl post- season all-star game. At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Hillman is ranked as the No. 6 athlete and No. 206 overall prospect nationally, and the No. 5 overall prospect in the state of Vir- ginia per the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average of the four primary re- cruiting media services (On3, 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN). On3's analysts rated Hillman even higher, slotting him as the No. 137 overall prospect nationally. — EJ Holland Talented Virginia Athlete Brandyn Hillman Becomes Late Addition To U-M's 2023 Class Hillman, a strong student who originally signed with Notre Dame, was released from his National Letter of Intent in March. He was ranked the No. 137 overall prospect nationally in the 2023 class by On3 and is projected to play safety at Michigan. PHOTO BY EJ HOLLAND PLAYER EVALUATION STRENGTHS: Hillman is an intriguing prospect who can play multiple positions at the next level. A high school quarterback, Hillman shows the ability to be dynamic with the ball in his hands. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a senior and has a sturdy build to play running back at the next level. However, he has tremendous upside as a safety. In limited action in the secondary, Hillman flashed tremendous closing speed, a willingness to be physical and superb athleticism. AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT: Michigan recruited Hillman strictly as a safety, and it's going to take some time for him to adjust to the move at the next level. While he has all the athletic attributes to be successful in the secondary, he is still raw from a technical standpoint and needs to improve his overall coverage ability. MICHIGAN PLAYER COMPARISON: Hillman is listed at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds but looks closer to 200 and can easily add 20 pounds to his frame in Michigan's strength and conditioning program. Hillman may very well be a thicker, physical safety in the same mold as R.J. Moten, who stands at 6-foot, 223 pounds. As mentioned, Hillman is very physical in the back end, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him spend a lot of time in the box as well. — EJ Holland