Recent visit to UT makes strong impression on Rivals100 LB Anthony Hill
Top national 2023 linebacker Anthony Hill is no stranger to the University of Texas campus. The Denton Ryan product made multiple trips to the Forty Acres for recruiting events over the summer. On Saturday, Hill was back in Austin to take in the Longhorns’ win over Rice.
Hill and his father arrived in Austin early to get some time with the Texas coaches. Those meetings, along with the environment in the stadium at game time, were attention-getters.
“The atmosphere - I think it was 90,000 people there,” said Hill’s father, Anthony Hill Sr. “The atmosphere really stood out. We talked to the coaches before and after the game. We talked to coach Sark (Steve Sarkisian), talked to PK (Pete Kwiatkowski), talked to coach (Jeff) Choate. We had a meeting with coach Choate, PK and coach (Jeff) Banks.”
A Rivals100 member and potential five-star prospect, Hill checks in as the nation’s No. 30-ranked prospect in the 2023 class and he’s ranked as the country’s top inside linebacker prospect. The Texas staff has made him a priority target and let Hill know on Saturday that he’d be a perfect fit in the UT program.
“They pretty much said how they really have him high on the board. He’s one of their main targets, feel like Texas would be a good place for him,” Hill Sr. said. “They need a big, physical Mike and they feel he’s versatile enough to do that.”
Once the dead period lifted in the summer, Hill was on the UT campus for a junior day and the Longhorns’ pool party recruiting event. He got a good look at the Texas program on those trips, but last weekend’s visit allowed him to see the game atmosphere and see the completed facilities.
“It was a chance to see the game environment and check out the new facilities,” Hill Sr. said. “We had seen it but it wasn’t done. Anthony was very impressed - the weight room, the recovery center, everything.”
Up next, Hill is going to try to hit the Auburn-LSU game in Baton Rouge on October 2. He’ll be in College Station the weekend after that to see Texas A&M host Alabama. Hill will be back in Austin in November to watch Texas host Kansas State, if not earlier.
With more than a year to go before he can sign a letter of intent, Hill has maintained all along that he’s keeping a pretty open mind. He did recently real a top 12 consisting of Penn State, Texas, Southern Cal, Miami, Michigan, Texas A&M, Clemson, Alabama, LSU, Florida State, Ohio State and Oklahoma. There’s plenty of room and time for movement on that list, but the Longhorns are one of a handful of schools that are sitting in a good position.
“It’s kind of the same stance. Of course, there are maybe three or four schools really standing out to him, Texas being one of them. As far as anyone being on top, he’s still open,” Hill Sr. said. “He really likes Texas a lot, the family likes Texas a lot.”
The current UT staff has done a good job of getting the Longhorns squarely in the mix for the 6-2, 228-pound Hill. There was a time when the Longhorns weren’t in as strong of a position as they currently are, but the Texas coaches and support staff has changed that.
“We have a good relationship with the staff. Coach Banks, coach (Chris) Gilbert too. At first it wasn’t as strong, but that’s a credit to coach Gilbert and coach Banks,” Hill Sr. said. “Coach Banks offered him at Alabama so he’s known him for a while.”