One of the more intriguing and anticipated recruits who will land on the Southside in early August is George Hill.  He is a 6’0″ 205# ATH and has earned his bona fides on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

There is a real benefit in recruiting high school football players who are listed as “ATH” (labeled as such for an unspecified position he would play in college ball).  Foremost it implies the kid is so good he can play multiple positions well which is always a good thing.

The website Bleacher Report defines the ATH label by this:

“In recruiting, you’ll often see a recruit be labeled “ATH” by some publications, as this means “athlete.”

Yes, all these players are true athletes and have athletic ability, but we mean differently when they have the “ATH” tag as their position.

This means the recruit is such a versatile player that he can do so many things, and that anywhere is possible where he lines up. It’s a tag for us evaluators that kind of tells the college coaches, “You guys decide, because this guy can play an array of spots.”

So 4* George Hill from Hubbard, OH, has been hung with that designation and in this instance it fits and is a plus.  That’s because we may need Hill more on defense than we do at RB.  Here is how he ended up at Pitt:

George Hill of Hubbard, Ohio, moved on from his Ohio State commitment about a month ago.   In the time since, everyone felt it was a foregone conclusion that Hill was going to end up with his former high school teammate L.J. Scott at Michigan State.

That didn’t happen.  On Friday, Hill announced his decision to commitment to Pitt over Michigan State at his high school. 

Hill was once part of a running back trio in Ohio State’s 2016 recruiting class that also included four-star prospect Kareem Walker of Wayne (N.J.) DePaul and four-star prospect Damario McCall of North Ridgeville, Ohio.

McCall is the only one of those three prospects remaining in Ohio State’s class.  Walker committed to Michigan on Thursday, and then Hill picked Pitt the day after.

Well, he did jump around a bit there didn’t he? I wonder if it was because 1) OSU recruiting more good RBs and Hill felt crowded and/or 2) Narduzzi told him he could play defensive back when he got to Pitt.  I suspect it is the latter because Narduzzi has said as much.

As for the talent and skills that are factored into the ATH label here are Hill’s from a MaXpreps recruiting scout’s chart:

Skills:  Build  7.00 out of 10;  Speed  7.00;  Feet  8.00;  Change of Direction 8.00 ;  Explosiveness 7.00;  Power 7.00;  Tackle Breaking  7.00; Vision  8.00.

However, Hill made his name in HS playing on offense where he did this:

Regardless of those RB numbers Hill himself wants top be on the defensive side of the ball. That last bit may be the most important thing for Pitt and Hill in the long run.  We know that for the 2016 season we have Conner and Ibrahim returning, Ollision did well hid true FR season and Darrin Hall and newcomer Chawntez Moss looks to have a future also.  Those are a lot of RBs to rise through to get playing time as a rookie.

But on the defensive side of the ball the path to the two-deep maybe easier.  Here is the “2016 Positions Outlook” of the defensive backfield as listed in the 2016 Spring Prospectus: (BTW – it’s not a bad idea to read through this publication to get ready to really start discussing Pitt football before camp start so you don’t sound like an idiot!  See… who has your back?)

SECONDARY

Pitt welcomes back a veteran nucleus in its secondary.  At strong safety, Jordan Whitehead was one of college football’s high-impact newcomers last year. Whitehead led the Panthers with 109 stops, the most by a true freshman in school history. He was named the ACC’s Rookie of the Year, becoming the first defensive player to earn that honor in nearly two decades. 

Sophomore Dennis Briggs will provide competitive depth behind Whitehead after lettering as a corner last season. Also in the mix at the strong spot will be redshirt freshman Rimoni Dorsey and junior Rob Boatright.

Pitt has a luxury at free safety with the return of seniors Reggie Mitchell and Terrish Webb. Both players are proven commodities from both an experience and playmaking standpoint.  Also competing at the free will be redshirt freshman Jay Stocker.

At boundary cornerback, junior Avonte Maddox led Pitt with three interceptions and 12 pass breakups last year. Maddox has played in every game the past two seasons, making 19 consecutive starts. Senior Ryan Lewis, a three year letterman, provides veteran depth. At field corner, Lafayette Pitts is gone after making an incredible51 starts during his career.

Sophomore Phillipie Motley will look to fill the void after lettering as a backup last season. Motley will contend with a pair of redshirt freshmen, Malik Henderson and Dane Jackson.

What do we already know about those mentioned,and those not mentioned, like 4* Damar Hamlin?  For one Manny Stocker is now, cross your fingers here, our QB2 going into fall camp.  So drop him off Hill’s competition list.

If indeed Hill is going into camp as a DB he is really only competing with Lewis, Motley, Henderson and Jackson… and Damar Hamlin apparently, as Avonte’ Maddox will retain that starting position for 2016.  IMO Lewis and Motley can be beat out. Henderson and Jackson havn’t seen the field yet since they redshirted last year so the staff will evaluate those two alongside Hamlin and Hill as prospective two-deep players.

Perhaps the best route to seeing the field in ’16 would be for Hill to slide over to the Safety position.  I think that if any position on defense is well suited for a RB to transition to Safety is it.  The skill set is much the same and the vision has to be that sharp also.  We know Whitehead has a lock on his position but right now the plans are to have Dennis Briggs move over and , as stated above, provide depth there.

With star player SO Jordan Whitehead, SR Terrish Webb in there along with  rsSO Dennis Briggs, and Reggie Mitchell, both from perennial powerhouse Shadyside Academy,  it will be tough to get an elbow in there to make room for himself but if he’s as good as advertised that may well happen.

More on recruiting – Pitt is currently ranked 51^st in the nation for the 2017 recruiting class.

Here is a piece in the City Paper by Mike Wysocki talking about Pittsburgh’s sports teams’s mascots:

“It’s almost impossible not to love mascots. They’re fun, furry, gregarious and have an incurable optimism. People who don’t like them probably don’t like America either. Mascots serve as team cheerleaders and temporary babysitters for kids and even add enjoyment to the game. Our city has plenty of sports mascots ranging from the beloved to the kind of annoying. So as you take in a game of any sport this year, here is a rundown of our city’s finest, sorted by age.

Roc the Pitt Panther. Although he adopted the name Roc in the 1990s, the Pitt Panther is the oldest of the Pittsburgh mascot fraternity. He began his career in 1909, so his enthusiasm for all Pitt sports is even more remarkable considering he is 107 years old. Roc was named after Steve Petro, a former student and coach, not the short-lived TV series starring Charles S. Dutton, just to clear up any potential confusion.”