brandyn hillman

Previously: Podcast 15.0A, 15.0B, 15.0C. The Story. Quarterback. Running Back. Wide Receiver. Tight End. Interior OL. Defensive Interior. Edge. Linebacker. Cornerback. 

Depth Chart

Michigan lost RJ Moten in the offseason on a post-spring transfer to Florida that was entirely performance/playing-time related but otherwise rolls over the same depth chart from last season. Moten began 2022 as the #2 safety and logged considerable regular season snaps but by the end of last season was virtually unplayable at safety, so there is complete continuity from the Fiesta Bowl division of snaps. Caden Kolesar is back healthy after playing in just five games and the blue chip true freshmen safeties from last year are no longer true freshmen (but are still blue chip). 

SAFETY: Pax Safetifica

RATING: 4.5 

[Patrick Barron]

Last August in the final season preview podcast, your author was asked to name his "dude" for the defense, the player you are irrationally excited about. I chose ROD MOORE, predicting a terrific season for him that would see Moore seamlessly help replace the departed Brad Hawkins and rise to be one of the best defensive players on the team. At the time it seemed a bit bold and the other panelists on said podcast were audibly startled. My logic was two-fold: Moore was getting immense fall camp hype describing the rising sophomore like a 5th year veteran and Moore had, as a 3* true freshman, started at safety and done perfectly fine against an Ohio State receiving group that has a legitimate claim to being the best of all time. That doesn't happen often and typically indicates a player destined for super-stardom. 

In a victory for my takes, my willingness to put the thumb on the scale for Rod Moore was right on the money: 

The chronology of Moore's season was a terrific start pushing him on the brink of star status, an October lull that may have been injury-related, followed by an end-of-season rampage beginning with a historic performance against MSU. He never did get a star on the diagram, but after his showing against TCU, he will begin the 2023 season with one. Well earned. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: some clips]

Hello. I forgot to mention with the first one that this is an annual series profiling Michigan's incoming recruiting class. It's not with Hillman, but in most of these cases there's been a year or more of new information since the Hello post. It's also very useful for referencing biographical facts and the pre-playing career consensus on all these guys. You read them because it's the offseason.

A note on "YMRMFSPA": this stands for "you may remember me from such players as." It's not supposed to be a projection of how good a player will be, but rather who he'll remind you of in the event he works out. The players we use as comparisons all worked out. To use Brian's now very dated example: "I can't compare someone to Avery Horn because I don't know what Avery Horn played like."

Previously: Last year’s profiles. K Adam Samaha.

Portsmouth (Churchland), Virginia – 6'1"/191
[via Instagram]		247: 6'1/191                4.43*	4*, 94, #130 overall #7 ATH, #4 VA
		Riv: 6'1/200                3.74*	3*, 5.7, NR overall #54 S, #12 VA
		ESPN: 6'2/190                3.94*	4*, 80, #40 East #39 ATH, #8 VA
		On3: 6'1/190                4.53*	4*, 94, #137 overall #5 ATH, #4 VA
		Composites:     4.20* / 4.20*	4*, #214/206 ovr #9/6 ATH, #5 VA
		MGoAvg:                4.20*	4*, #271/782 Ovr, #21/53 safeties
		Other Suitors	ND, OSU, USC
You might remember me from such players as:	Dymonte Thomas
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello.
Notes	ATH: QB/WR/S/CB/ST. ND non-qualifier.
Film:
Senior regular season highlights: That with Kevin Sinclair narrating. Poly Bowl drills. Hudl.

This might be the record for quickest turnaround between a guy's Hello post and his summer recruiting profile. Hillman was a late riser that Notre Dame's excellent scouting department turned up. He signed there, but an "admissions hiccup" derailed his early enrollment and reopened his recruitment. Michigan jumped, Ohio State followed, and didn't get a visit.

Those of us who followed recruiting before 2002 will be familiar with the process of taking a guy going all Tom Harmon on mid competition, and projecting him to a hit-stick safety. Hillman was playing quarterback/safety/corner/punter in Norfolk, and wasn't really going to camps until the summer before his senior season. The Irish unearthed him that fall, tried to get him graduated early because they're in dire need of safeties, and Michigan used the snafu that created to move in for the steal. It's going to be awhile before we know what that looks like as a Big Ten safety, or even if he is one.

You thought the 2023 cycle was over? Well you were WRONG, just like Notre Dame was WRONG to think that they're allowed to have safeties. Sorry, Notre Dame! You're Notre Dame! You don't get to have safeties. Go drink Donovan Edwards's wake with Ohio State, the other school with an empty chair they thought Hillman would be sitting in.

Hillman was a late mover up the rankings who wasn't on radars until the middle of his senior year. Notre Dame—in mid-October(!!)—was his first major offer, and led from then to a commitment shortly before the December signing day. Hillman was expected to enroll early, so the timing of this, and reports of an "admissions hiccup"($), suggest the breakup was related to, or at least made possible by, that rushed early enrollment. Jay Harbaugh was in contact within minutes of Hillman going back on the market, quickly followed by Ohio State and USC, who were expected to get visits after the one to Ann Arbor. Instead he committed on his Michigan visit. Let's see what we stole.

GURU RATINGS

Hillman is still listed as an Athlete to 3/4 sites because he played quarterback for a high school in Virginia.

Rivals is the big outlier, with ESPN also dragging him down the composite lists. If you're picking which two services would see a top-150 player, these are the two. They're also the most reactive. 247's composite ranking saw him rise from unrated to top-250 in 4 months.

That was mostly fueled by On3 and 247, who had him an 88, #576 overall, and the 39th ATH, which equates to a 3.7 on my 5-star scale. It's a massive jump, explained by the fact that Hillman wasn't putting safety tape out originally. Going into his senior year he had one D1 offer, to Norfolk State.

One of our longstanding rules in recruiting is guys who move up late don't move up enough, and vice versa. That Hillman rose so quickly is an even better sign that Notre Dame's very well respected scouting department believed in him.

[AFTER THE JUMP: There's 5-star potential. It's also a few years away.]