The Back Alley Archives

Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep athlete Will Hill has made his decision and the verdict has little suspense. Hill, the nation's No. 17 player, took an official visit to Florida this past weekend and it's clear that the Gators will be getting a good one.

"He's announcing at the ESPN Zone in New York Thursday at 6PM," said St. Peter's head coach Rich Hansen. "It's between Florida and Southern Cal. He was supposed to take an official visit to Southern Cal this weekend but he can't make it because his mom can't take any more time off of work."

The announcement will be televised on ESPNU and will apparently be re-run on ESPN's Thursday Night Football on either ESPN or ESPN2.

"I think they're going to replay it at halftime of the game on ESPN2," said Hansen. "It's something he's decided he's ready for now."

Is there a chance that Hill will still take a visit to Southern Cal after his decision is made?

"It's not scheduled for now," was all Hansen could say. "I can't say for sure on that."

Hill first fell in love with Florida on a visit in July for Friday Night Lights. His official visit this past weekend, hosted by Tim Tebow, was clearly very impression and it looks like the future safety will be the first five-star commitment in the class of 2008 for the Gators and the eighth in the last three recruiting years for Urban Meyer.

It's great.

To be.

A Florida Gator!

Big get!... First Jeremy Brown, now Will Hill! This is going to to a sweet secondary class...

finch should be eligible for a medical redshirt too

They were just saying something on ESPN (Pardon the Interuption) that UF got a commit from the best player in the country. Is this what they were talking about? I'm in the hotel room and wasn't paying attention too well.

bringing the thrill into gainesville




Will Hill is coming to Gainesville.

Hill, the top-rated athlete by Rivals.com out of Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep, verbally committed to Florida over Southern California and many other programs Thursday at the ESPN Zone in New York City.

The glitz and glamour of a decision in Manhattan was perfect for Hill, an electrifying quarterback and safety who is expected to play defense for the Gators. Rivals.com rates him as the No. 1 player in the New Jersey top 30 and the 17th best player regardless of position nationally. He is Florida's highest-rated recruit this cycle.

"He's more athletic than (Florida State sophomore) Myron Rolle," Rivals.com recruiting analyst Mike Farrell said. "Hill is more physical, but he's not as physically ready. He's super athletic, closes really well and he's able to stick his nose in there in run support. He's going to be a physical kid.

"He's talented enough where if they wanted him on offense he could play there but Florida is not struggling to recruit athletes on offense. It's not necessary. To my knowledge they haven't talked to him about it. He could be their backup quarterback in goal-line situations if they needed him to be."

Last week in a 61-0 win over Memorial, Hill completed 5 of 6 passes, threw for a touchdown, ran for another score and returned an interception for a TD all in the first half.

As a junior, Hill finished with 682 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. He threw for 758 yards with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions and he returned two kickoffs for TDs. He did not participate at Friday Night Lights in July but he was the center of attention on the sidelines and spent a good amount of time chatting with coach Urban Meyer.

"Coach Meyer and coach (Steve) Addazio came up to my school, you could feel the energy, like how Florida is, they brought a lot along with them right up to Jersey," Hill told ESPN. "What I saw in coach Meyer and in the other coaching staff was that it's basically like a family like it is at (St. Peter's Prep) and, me, how I am with coach (Rich) Hansen and I saw that in Coach Meyer, it just lit up my day…

"Another reason that really confirmed my decision was a guy that committed already, Jeremy Brown, when I went down there for a visit he was there, he and I became real good friends and that kind of sealed the deal. But, last year, my father and I were on the computer, on Rivals, and I saw this guy, Major Wright, and I saw where he played and I told my father right off the bat I want to play with him. And, when he committed to Florida, I was like well the secondary looks like it's loaded up and I'm glad to contribute to it."

Hill, listed at 6-foot-3 and 203 pounds, becomes the eighth verbal commitment in Florida's 2008 class. He's the only five-star. He joins Brown, safety Dee Finley, running back Franklin Green, defensive end Chaz Sutton, defensive back Janoris Jenkins, defensive end Earl Okine and kicker Caleb Sturgis.

"He's Florida's first five-star this year and it should get the ball rolling," Farrell said.
"He's so rangy and he's better moving forward in run support. He plays (safety) on defense in high school. It's not like he's a quarterback who is learning the position from scratch. He's a natural defensive player.

"If he wasn't a physical kid he'd probably end up playing wide receiver. Numerous schools told him he could play quarterback. He's not afraid of contact. He's not afraid to hit. He's long and he's real good in coverage. He could also play strong safety."