Michigan Wolverines Football Recruiting: Chris Hinton & Family Talk U-M
Click HERE to sign up for a subscription to TheWolverine.com and get your FREE gift code for $99 in Michigan apparel and gear!
Chris Hinton Sr. played his first game at Michigan in 1979 when he was at Northwestern, and he spent 13 seasons in the NFL. He made seven Pro Bowls, is a member of the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor … so it’s no surprise that his sons, Chris Jr. and Myles, are also outstanding football players.
The entire family, including mother Mya, was featured recently on Sports Stars of Tomorrow in an excellent piece on the family.
Chris, a defensive lineman, is a U-M pledge, while Myles has an offer and is seriously considering joining his brother in Ann Arbor. Both are also basketball players, though it became clear long ago they were future football standouts.
“I was hoping one of them would slide more towards basketball. I lost out on that,” Mya Hinton said with a laugh. “Their DNA steered them more towards football, but it’s been exciting.”
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was visiting his school and recruiting others when he saw Chris Hinton Jr. He told his dad he wanted to be the first to offer him (in ninth grade), and he was.
Hinton Jr. admitted he wanted to commit on the spot.
“The thing that set me off with Michigan was playing in the Big Ten, playing top teams, great academics at the other end. I’m going to probably major in business, and they have one of the best business schools in the country and are one of the top public schools in the nation,” he said.
His dad had to slow him down.
"I told him, ‘relax; it’s a long journey,’” Hinton Sr. said. “But my first college game was in Ann Arbor, Northwestern against Michigan. I already told him I’m going to sneak on the field and touch the banner at some point.”
Atlanta Christian head coach Tim Hardy said the Hintons are close, but like brothers want to get the best of each other. He confirmed both are as good as advertised.
"The first thing [with Chris] is just his explosiveness. He can get off the ball right now," Hardy said. "He can get off the ball right now. He's powerful, explosive in his lower body, but also his hands and his upper body ... as a d-lineman he has the ability to get into an offensive lineman, to get off him, to get to a back, explode through a hole, but also his balance and his coordination. He's a big cat, if you will."
He loves the physicality and the competitiveness, Hinton Jr. said. Myles Hinton said that's one thing that stands out, noting he has a hard time matching it some days.
"It's time for him to really make a step forward, both of them to make a lot of of improvement from last year to this year, really understand the game of football," Hinton Sr. said.
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @Balas_Wolverine, @DrewCHallett and @Qb9Adam.
• Like us on Facebook