Brandyn Hillman Brings The Athleticism And Versatility Notre Dame Covets
With only a couple of spots left in the 2023 recruiting class the Notre Dame staff has their eyes set on a couple of talented athletes to round out what could be a historic class for the program. The top remaining target is Portsmouth (Va.) Churchland star Brandyn Hillman.
The Virginia native is set to make his commitment on December 7th, which is his mother’s birthday. Notre Dame is looked at as the favorite for the talented athlete and Hillman presents a ton of potential for whichever program he ultimately chooses.
The question that many Notre Dame pose: what position does he fit best? The better question may be which position can’t Hillman play? That may save you a lot of time. Bringing an impressive physical profile, Hillman is the definition of an athlete recruit. He offers a variety of possibilities, and massive upside at several spots potentially.
There are schools who gave Hillman a serious look as a quarterback, and for good reason. The Virginia native is a dynamic athlete from the quarterback position and has enough arm strength to provide that upside for some programs. While it most likely isn’t his future with the Irish, there are plenty of teams that would love to have Hillman behind center, and it wouldn't be completely surprising to see him get a shot behind center at Notre Dame in some capacity.
Offensively, a lot of coaches would drool over the opportunity to employ Hillman with the football in his hands. Would he be better used as a running back or slot receiver? The answer is, well, yes.
His physical style does project well at running back, where he brings an exciting amount of physicality and explosiveness to the table. Hillman is one of those players that you get the ball to in any way possible.
Defensively, there may be even higher upside for the Virginia star. He just screams rover, bringing tremendous physicality, explosiveness and growth potential to build off of. There are some direct parallels to former Notre Dame star Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah with how Hillman plays.
There is, however, no limit to his athleticism. Would he be better closer to the line of scrimmage? Perhaps, but Hillman also brings an interesting profile as a true safety on the next level. He could be a versatile defensive weapon who can cause opposing offenders a ton of problems. Could imagine a future safety tandem of Hillman on one side and Peyton Bowen on the other? I can.
If Hillman were to choose Notre Dame, there may be a transition period to figure out his best fit positionally. One coach who will be Hillman’s best friend early is special teams coordinator Brian Mason.
Whatever his role is early, Hillman has the physical profile to be a special teams standout the minute he steps on campus. Hillman, coming to a kickoff team near you, hopefully.
Hillman has steadily risen among the recruiting rankings. He is currently considered a four-star recruit by both On3 and ESPN. The Virginia standout is currently rated as the No. 291 overall player and the No. 12 athlete in the 2023 recruiting class according to On3. Hillman also graded out as a four-star recruit and a Top 250 caliber recruit on the Irish Breakdown board as well.
The 6-2, 200-pound athlete has an impressive offer list that has continued to expand throughout the process. Some of Hillman’s notable offers include the Irish, Miami, USC, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Vanderbilt, and Boston College among others.
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