Notre Dame Commit Brandyn Hillman Is A "Special Player"
Notre Dame received an important pickup when it secured a commitment from Portsmouth (Va.) Churchland athlete Brandyn Hillman. The definition of a versatile athlete who can make an impact from countless positions, Hillman is a massive pickup for the Irish staff in the 2023 class.
The next question will be where Hillman projects best long term. In order to get a better understanding for his long term upside, quality of the young man and potential fit with the Notre Dame program, Hillman’s head coach Dontrell Leonard pulled back the curtain to what makes the Virginia standout tick.
Seeing Hillman’s trajectory from a young age, it didn’t take Leonard long to see that Churchland had something special. From a young non-assuming freshman, Hillman quickly grew into the confident athlete we all see today.
"It’s funny, the first time I was really around Brandyn was when he was a freshman and we were playing 7-on-7 ball,” Leonard explained. "He was so nervous. You could literally see his heart beating through his compression shirt. We were actually just joking about it the other day. He’s come a long way.”
Hillman then got the pads on. The confidence and swagger quickly exploded, and what was on the horizon became more and more apparent.
"There was a moment in practice that really showed how special Brandyn was,” Leonard said. "He was a freshman and he was running the football, he broke outside and he’s running right towards me on the sideline. There is a linebacker coming from the inside in pursuit and a safety coming over. I thought that he would just get knocked out of bounds but then Brandyn put on the breaks. The linebacker dove and completely missed, and went flying out of bounds.
"It was like when you first started playing Madden and you hit the wrong button on defense and you just go diving in the completely wrong direction,” Leonard continued. "Then Brandyn proceeded to hurdle over the safety and run for a touchdown. Me and an assistant coach just stood there literally in awe. I had never seen anything like that before. Brandyn just started telling me that that is what we have to look forward to for the next three years and he wasn’t wrong.”
The possibilities for Hillman on the next level are numerous. He could conceivably play some combination of quarterback, running back, wide receiver, safety or rover on the next level. Where he ultimately ends up at Notre Dame is still a mystery.
Coach Leonard believes that he can play quarterback for a team. He believes the talent warrants a long look under center.
"To be real, I hope it’s at quarterback,” he said. "He is truly a special player at the quarterback position. Brandyn has an innate sense as a passer. He can make plays in the pocket, outside of it, in the RPO game off of zone or power.
"Plus he's an incredible athlete and can make you look bad with what he can do with his legs,” continued the Churchland head coach. "For teams that run a lot of man coverage, he is an absolute nightmare.”
For a long time Hillman stayed firm about his intentions to play quarterback. Schools certainly showed interest but not many pulled the trigger and offered. Needless to say, that led to some frustration in the early stages of his recruiting process.
"It was very frustrating for me and I know it was very frustrating to Brandyn,” Leonard said. "We had schools continue to tell us the same story, they loved Brandyn but still didn’t pull the trigger. I kept telling these coaches that he was that guy and for whatever reason, they held other options at a higher level.”
Then Hillman opened up to play different positions, and that’s where his college options began to expand in a hurry.
"Things really started to change when Brandyn began to let teams know that he was open to playing defense on the next level,” he explained. "Suddenly teams started giving him real looks. He’s also a dynamic player at safety who can do a lot of things for a team. The physicality and awareness he has on the field is special.”
It’s been a long road but the process has led Hillman to this point. Once Notre Dame got involved, they quickly made the Virginia standout feel like a priority. Leonard believes that Hillman is a potentially tremendous fit with the Irish.
"As long as Notre Dame provides the necessary support, I believe Brandyn will thrive in South Bend,” he stated. "He’s a tremendous young man who will work his tail off. Like every young person going away from home, it’s a transition period. I think he’ll do great.”
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.
Hillman passed for 1,312 yards and 11 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,236 yards and 22 more scores. He went over 1,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in each of the last two seasons, and was named the 4A Offensive Player of the Year in each season.
The 6-2, 190-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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