Hill Chooses Hokies Over Heels

Salem (Virginia Beach, VA) defensive end Trevon Hill has verbally committed to Virginia Tech. The 6’4”, 220-pound rising senior, a 5A first-team all-state selection in 2013, revealed his decision this morning while on the High School Sports Talk radio show with Matthew Hatfield and Ed Young on ESPN 94.1 Norfolk.

Hill chose Tech over UNC, but his offer list also included Clemson, Duke, NC State, Virginia, Wake Forest, West Virginia and Wisconsin, among others. He easily reached double-digit offers in total. After making about 10 college visits, including one last weekend to Virginia Tech, the promising prospect indicated that Frank Beamer and company helped tip the scale in favor of the Hokies.

“The coaches there, they are amazing,” said Hill, who noted that Tech sent four coaches at one time to Salem to recruit him. He also noted that Frank Beamer was the only head coach to come watch one of his games. And, while visiting Tech last weekend, the coaches “showed me so much love it was ridiculous.”

According to Hill, a great uncle of his was the first African American to graduate from Tech. Trevon called it a “blessing” to be able to follow in his uncle’s footsteps. Hill also cited Bud Foster’s defense as a factor in his decision, in fact mentioning the “Lunch Pail” defense when he made his announcement.

Hill originally set a May decision date. Had he followed through, he admitted this morning that UNC likely would have been the choice. But after discussing the situation with his family, he decided to visit more schools. Hill had been to Tech for a Junior Day, but last weekend’s trip was an opportunity to more fully explore what the Hokies had to offer. This visit, it appears, cemented the Virginia Beach native’s decision.

ESPN ranks the Salem standout as a 4-star recruit while 247Sports, Rivals and Scout rank him as a 3-star player. Hill is the first defensive end recruit – no. 6 overall – to commit to the Hokies in this class. All six commitments are being recruited to play on the defensive side of the ball.

Despite playing much of the 2013 season with a torn labrum, Hill was a force for the Sun Devils’ defense, racking up 23 sacks in total. He had surgery in January of 2014 and expects to be fully healthy for the 2014 season.

Commitment Analysis

With Hill in the fold, the scholarship projection at defensive end for the 2015 season looks like this:

Seniors: Dadi Nicolas
Juniors: Dewayne Alford, Ken Ekanem
Sophomores: Seth Dooley
Class of 2015: Trevon Hill

With Vinny Mihota moving inside to tackle and Kevin Bronson now headed to South Florida, the need for defensive ends has become even greater for Tech in the class of 2015. Hill is certainly a good start, but look for the coaches to take at least four defensive ends in this class.

What I like about Hill first off is how he played through injury yet was still very productive his junior season. That shows toughness but also a sense for being able to get the job done when not at 100-percent. Hill seems to have a good feel for where the ball is going, and once he has a beat on a play he can really accelerate and make the hit. His size and speed is that of a typical Tech defensive end, and I think he has a lot of potential in Bud Foster’s system.

Click here to view highlights of Tech’s newest recruit.