Score one for the Michigan football and head coach Jim Harbaugh here on the first day of the early signing period. They’ve stolen a recruit from Alabama.
Michigan received a commitment from five-star safety Daxton Hill, weeks after the Oklahoma native had turned from the Wolverines to Alabama.
Following a 62-39 loss by the Wolverines to arch-rival Ohio State, Hill, who had verbally agreed to attend Michigan, switched to the Crimson Tide and head coach Nick Saban. But somewhere over the past few weeks, between preparing for Peach Bowl and Florida, Harbaugh was able to get Hill back on track to attend school in Ann Arbor.
Wednesday morning, Hill made it official, inking as one of the first commits to the 2019 class. He is the younger brother of Justice Hill, a standout running back at Oklahoma State that recently announced plans to enter the NFL Draft.
It’s a win, albeit a small one, for Michigan and Harbaugh against Alabama and Saban, as the Crimson Tide continue to remain atop most rankings for the top 2019 recruiting class.
Hill, who was a standout at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa, is 6-foot-1 and weighs 187 pounds. He was clocked running a 4.3 40-yard dash, which could make him a cornerback at the next level. Along with offers from Michigan and Alabama, he also held scholarships to schools such as Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Ohio State, LSU, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State among others.
This past year, Hill recorded 93 tackles, including 67 solo stops, along with nine tackles for loss, two interceptions, nine pass breakups, three forced fumbles and a sack. He was named the 2018-19 Gatorade Player of the Year in Oklahoma and also recorded 13 catches for 360 yards and seven touchdowns as a wide receiver.
Michigan’s current 2019 class, according to ESPN, holds 26 commits, with half of those residing in the ESPN 300. Along with Hill, the top-ranked safety in his class, defensive tackles Mazi Smith and Christopher Hinton, along with outside linebacker Anthony Solomon, are all expected to join the Wolverine program in the coming months on the defensive side of the ball.
The Michigan offense has the likes of running back Zach Charbonnet, offensive tackles Trente Jones and Trevor Keegan, guard Nolan Rumler and quarterback Cade McNamara in the mix.