Justin Hill Set to Visit Oregon in January
With most of the top players in 2024 inking their college commitments last month during the early signing period, the 2025 class is now on the clock.
One player Oregon fans should know is Cincinatti (OH) Winston Woods EDGE Justin Hill. Hill has four trips planned for later this month and broke down the latest with Ducks Digest.
"In the month of January I got Georgia on the 13th, University of Cincinatti on the 20th and then Oregon on the 26th," Hill said. "And then I have on February 3 I gotta figure out whether I'm going to Ohio State or Penn State."
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound EDGE can also play inside linebacker, and the Ducks are looking at him to play inside linebacker, with the ability to kick outside on passing downs and get after the quarterback.
The No. 6-ranked player in Ohio (per 247Sports Composite) has been to Eugene before and will have a couple of priorities during his visit this month.
"Really I want to be around campus more," he said. "I was around campus a whole lot, but I just want to see everything I've seen the first time. I feel like when I went out there the first time, it was a great visit. But there was a lot of people. I want to be locked in with the coaches and really build our relationship in person."
Hill, like many recruits across the country, has been impressed by the product the Ducks have put on the field, but the people in Eugene are what really have his attention.
"The coaching staff is very underrated in my opinion. Coach [Tosh] Lupoi, Coach B Mike [Brian Michalowski], Coach [Jack] Smith, Coach [Dan] Lanning, all of 'em, they're just great. And their linebacker focus, Coach Lanning was a linebacker, I think he did play linebacker. Coach Lupoi played linebacker.
"They're pretty good at producing them guys and they've coached in a bunch of different environments under a bunch of different talented minds, talented coaches."
Building strong connections with multiple members of the coaching staff is part of why the Ducks landed in his top ten schools.
"I love the coaching staff and how they are. It's like a family," Hill said. "I get recruited by---I got a whole group chat of a bunch of coaches, so they're all recruiting me pretty well."
Hill was able to visit Illinois, Kentucky, Alabama, Ohio State and Penn State for games last season. He likely would've taken more trips, but he was focused on having the best year he could at Weston Woods.
As he begins to focus on his senior season, it doesn't sound like a decision is on the horizon.
"I feel like I want to visit every school in my top 10 like twice, one officially and one official. And then make my decision in the summer. If not my birthday, then one of my parents' birthdays: the end of July through the beginning of August."
There are a number of items he's putting an emphasis on as he navigates the recruiting process.
"Trust, development, a relationship with the coach," Hill said. "I want to be somewhere that's gonna be home for me, I don't feel unconformable in the environment."
It's not often that top players in Ohio leave the state and as expected the Buckeyes are heavily in the mix. Hill grew up dreaming of playing in Columbus.
"Really it was my dream school growing up, but I told myself I'm not going to give my fan bias to where I'm going to go to school at. I'm going to let every school recruit me and really Ohio State has been recruiting me pretty hard, so that's why they're up there. Oregon has as well. I'm letting things flow. I don't mind leaving the state. I don't feel like I'm gonna be a state lock. I can go anywhere."
Dan Lanning and Oregon will have another chance to impress one of the top defenders in the country later this month.
"Go Ducks," Hill said to wrap up the interview. "I can't wait to get back over to Eugene."