On Thursday, the Texas Longhorns officially began a massive recruiting week heading into the early signing stage by securing the promise of five-star linebacker Anthony Hill, once a stalwart with the Texas A&M Aggies.
Hill was originally scheduled to visit Austin and College Station this weekend, but a home visit from the Texas staff helped change his plans.
The No. 1 linebacker in the country and the No. 4 player in the state has been a top priority for many teams, including the Longhorns, during the summer spate of visits. Hill made all of his visits and recorded the scene in Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, A&M and of course Texas. Hill named Texas and Texas A&M’s last two after the visits and planned to take his decision deeper into the cycle, but made a surprise commitment to the Aggies after two brief visits to College Station.
After Hill announced he was stepping down from A&M, a flurry of predictions began pouring in that suggested he would end up in Burnt Orange.
Hill, currently ranked 22nd overall by 247Sports, would be the highest-ranked defensive player signed by Texas since linebacker Malik Jefferson in the 2015 class, who was ranked 10th overall. His inclusion in the class puts Texas third overall in teams with 22 commitments, behind only Alabama and Georgia.
Hill will enter a Texas linebacker space in need of Day 1 difference makers with DeMarvion Overshown and Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey, both of whom are fifth-year eligible players.
Analysis (by Daniel Seahorn):
Hill has been a household name since his freshman year on the recruiting scene and has since grown into one of the most decorated linebacker recruits in the country. A two-time high school All-American with a state championship on his resume, he is the heart and soul of a talented Denton Ryan football team. Hill is listed at 6ft 2, 225lbs giving him good metrics for the position. He’s introduced as an off-the-ball linebacker, but sometimes they lead him to the edge in some situations. How athletic is Hill? The tape can be seen snapping a wildcat quarterback and boxing it in from 70 yards. As if that wasn’t enough, they lined up in a full house backfield look to run back and he takes the handoff from 50 yards. The big guy and a bit of running, and he could probably be featured in some next-level jumbo packs if a coach wanted to get creative. I don’t have him in the same category as last year for Harold Perkins (super rare athleticism for a LB) but he’s no slouch. Possesses a good closing speed once he commits and puts his foot in the ground. He is at his best when attacking downhill and has the athleticism to move from sideline to sideline. He’s a knockback tackler who also does a solid job of bagging and getting ball carriers onto the turf. I’d love to see more of him in coverage drops to check his comfort level and ability, but he had two picks in 2021 including pick six. Can sometimes get frustrated in pursuit but his ball production is very good so he makes far more plays than he misses.
Hill is the caliber of a player who has the ability to push for rotational snaps from the moment he arrives on campus and has the ability to be a character you can defensively build around.