Name: Brandyn Hillman
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 191 lbs.
High school: Portsmouth (VA) Churchland
Position: Safety
Class: Freshman
Jersey number: N/A
Last year: Hillman was a senior in high school (LINK). He passed for 1,312 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he ran for an additional 1,236 yards and 22 touchdowns.
TTB Rating: 83
Hillman was a late flip from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. After signing with the Golden Domers, there was an issue with his transcript that wouldn't allow him to enroll. At that point he was released from his National Letter of Intent. Michigan, which hadn't even offered him during the cycle, saw he was available, threw him an offer, got him to visit, and then got him to sign. It was quite a stroke of luck for the Wolverines.
Hillman is an excellent athlete with quarterback experience, and quarterbacks often translate well to the college game. We've seen it with various players in recent years, including Desmond Morgan (QB to LB), Courtney Avery (QB to CB), Zach Gentry (QB to TE), Michael Barrett (QB to LB), and Luke Schoonmaker (QB to TE). All those players did well, but there is usually a period of transition to the college game; even Desmond Morgan, who played defense in high school, needed time to get ready. Furthermore, Michigan is in pretty good shape at safety with Makari Paige and Rod Moore as the starters, plus a few quality second-year players like Keon Sabb and Zeke Berry. Hillman has a chance to be a good player down the road, and I think he might start getting some experience as a backup and/or on special teams this season.
Prediction: Backup safety and special teamer
I don't share the optimism on safety depth. Michigan consistently uses 3 guys and last year were ended up with quinten Johnson playing critical snaps when whatever happened with moten happened.
ReplyDeleteSabb and berry are totally unproven and one or both could be passed by a freshman.
I forgot Johnson is still there. I guess I just wonder who is out there against OSU or a team like TCU that is going to push teams to rotate through 5 DBs on most downs with 6 DBs on the field regularly as well. If there is an injury, if Q. Johnson doesn't take a big step forward, if Berry/Sabb aren't ready. Someone needs to step up with Moten gone.
DeleteReports from this spring said that Johnson has taken a step forward, and I've also heard good things about Berry and Sabb. I think Michigan will be fine there. It's probably somewhat telling that Michigan hasn't been pursuing safeties in the transfer portal. I think they like who they have.
DeleteI like your optimism, especially since I know you don't hand it out willy nilly.
DeleteI don't buy the portal logic though - they have 2 proven starters and highly rated recruits behind. It's not an attractive opportunity to anyone coming from the outside. There's just not any opportunity for someone to step into. But that doesn't mean we aren't in trouble if an injury strikes or when depth is tested.
Not against Rutgers of course -- I look at it the same way you look at some other things -- what is going to happen against OSU or Georgia. If we're down 1 guy due to injury which 3 safeties are we going to play? Are we OK with Quinten Johnson seeing 70 snaps against OSU receivers? Does that extend to Sabb?
I'm not trying to say safety is big weakness I'm just saying that we're down here in the 90s and there's a few guys who have a shot of being out there in The Game and guys who, barring an unprecedented cascade of injuries, absolutely will not. It's probably a 5% shot, granted, but when the most important snaps of the season are going down we often have a 6th DB on the field and there's a good bit of uncertainty about who that is, especially if there's an injury. Given it's 6 guys - there is likely to be a 7th or 8th guy out there at that moment.
We just saw this last year. Quinten Johnson was, on paper, the 8th DB at best. We had 7 very talented and/or very proven DBs already on the roster -- Moten/Moore/Paige/Sainristil/Turner/Will Johnson/Green. Yet there was Q Johnson, out there covering a 1st Round NFL WR in a playoff game. Making (or in this case missing) pivotal plays.
This is just an annual comment from me that the guys who might be the 7th or 8th DB tend to get underrated a bit, as do the potential 7th or 8th OL. In my view these guys should be on the list ahead of the 3rd or 4th RB. It's all about who is out there on those critical snaps and in this year's bowl game we had a dozen backups that had more snaps than Mullings (#2 RB after Corum was shut down). Mullings made a critical error against TCU acknowledged - but so did Johnson. I don't see much difference.