Willie Hill III (born March 7, 1990) is an American football player. He plays safety for the University of Florida. Hill was one of the top high school football players in the class of 2008. Scout.com ranked him #6 overall^[1] and Rivals.com ranked him #10 overall.^[2] Hill committed to the University of Florida on September 20, 2007.

[edit] High school career

Hill attended St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City, New Jersey. Hill intercepted a pass and ran it back for a touchdown on his first play as freshman safety for Prep's varsity squad. During his sophomore year, Hill quickly became a key asset to the team as a two-way starter at both quarterback and safety. Perhaps one of his greatest achievements was leading the 2005 Marauders to a 22-15 miraculous victory over the Don Bosco Ironmen in the Group 4 Parochial state championship game at Giant's Stadium, making St. Peter's the #7 team in the nation and #1 team in the Tri-State. In his junior year he played receiver, quarterback, running back, and safety. He ran for 682 yards from both running back and quarterback positions and threw for 758 yards. He had 3 interceptions and 68 tackles playing free safety and had 444 yards receiving.^[3] As a senior Hill had 947 yards passing and seven touchdowns, he rushed for 960 yards and 19 touchdowns and had 43 tackles, four interceptions and three pass breakups on defense. He was a first team all-state selection. He was 2007 New Jersey Offensive Player of the Year.^[4]

[edit] Recruiting

Hill chose Florida over Florida State, USC, Rutgers, Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Michigan. He announced his decision to attend Florida on national television from the ESPN Zone in New York City. ESPN, Rivals.com, and Scout.com all rated Hill as the #1 safety in the nation. ESPN rated him as the #3 overall football prospect in the nation. Rivals rated Hill #10 overall and Scout rated him #6.

[edit] College career

As a strong safety and special teams star for the Gators, Hill has recorded two impressive interceptions and a number of solo tackles. He was chosen to be on the 2008 SEC Football All-Freshman Team.^[5] Hill had 48 tackles and 2 interceptions as a freshman for the Gators. He recorded the first tackle of the 2009 BCS Championship Game.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Scout.com Profile
• Rivals.com Profile
• Florida Gators Team Site Profile