It was a routine Tuesday night, one of just two days in the week without football before MACtion heats up later this fall. Then, five-star Tulsa (Okla.) Booker T. Washington safety Daxton Hill decided to set the football world abuzz by dropping his commitment to Michigan after an official visit to Ann Arbor this past weekend. Hill was one of just 10 uncommitted five-star prospects remaining in the 2019 class before he announcing his college selection Tuesday.
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WHY IT’S BIG FOR MICHIGAN
Let’s first talk about Hill, the player. The safety position has produced some extraordinary talents in recent classes, from Derwin James and Minkah Fitzpatrick to five-stars Tyreke Johnson, Caden Sterns and Jaiden Woodbey in the most recent class. So, in order to break into five-star territory at the position, Hill and his fellow safety prospects in this 2019 class had a high bar to cross. We made the move on Hill following spring film that showed a complete prospect. Hill has tremendous size for the position, has elite speed, covers like a cornerback and hits like a safety. Besides those tangible traits, though, Hill just has an “it” to him that you see in many of the greats. It is not too unlike the aura another former five-star defensive back had coming out of college: recent Michigan alum Jabrill Peppers.
Let’s be honest, though: This commitment is also big for what it means to Michigan beyond the field. An early-season loss to Notre Dame had the Michigan faithful concerned about the direction of the program, unlike anything Ann Arbor has seen previously in the Jim Harbaugh era. After a couple wins over mid-majors the waters have calmed some, and grabbing a player the caliber of Hill is only going to ease the tension further. It also rejuvenates the future outlook for the program by adding another cornerstone-type player for future defenses. The Wolverines do have five-star defensive end Chris Hinton committed, but Hill has the personality and popularity that likely makes him the face of this 2019 class.
WHICH SCHOOLS IT HURTS THE MOST
Officially, Hill had a top six of Alabama, Clemson, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State that he had released back in April, but the biggest contenders outside of Michigan before Tuesday’s announcement were really Alabama and Oklahoma. The overwhelming sentiment for the last several months was that Alabama had set itself apart as the team to beat after a mid-June official visit to Tuscaloosa. Some Crimson Tide fans had Hill as a de facto member of this 2019 class already, so Alabama definitely is the program reeling most from this commitment. However, Oklahoma has a top 10 class with just 18 commitments, three of which are five-stars, and the home-state school always has to be respected for its potential to reemerge late in this recruitment. The timing of this commitment, though, suggests it will be tough for another school to catch Hill’s eye in the three months before the December signing period opens.
