Top Recruit’s Whirlwind Summer Vacation
MADISON- As children return to school in just a matter of weeks to start the 2018-2019 school year, talk among the students will include the proverbial question of what did you do on your summer vacation? For Bob Jones rising senior Jaydon Hill, his answer to the question could be one of the most interesting of all of those returning to the classroom.
Regarded as the top football recruit among North Alabama schools and seventh overall in Alabama, Hill could easily qualify for frequent traveling miles for his crisscrossing the United States in both car and plane. He attended school camps in Tuscaloosa and Auburn, as well as, in Tennessee and Georgia, and, not to mention, elite invitational events such as Under Armour in Atlanta, Adidas Rivals in Nashville and the very elite Nike Opening Finals in Dallas, Tex.
“The one in Dallas was held at the Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium where only 162 players from around the country were invited,” said Hill. “My mother, uncle and brother went with me and it was an awesome experience.”
At 6-foot, 172 pounds, Hill is rated the No. 12 cornerback in the country and is being looked at to lead the Bob Jones program this fall, which gets underway in less than a month with pre-season practices. His raw natural skills as a cornerback came after he played both offense and defense in his freshman and sophomore years before he asked his coaching staff to move him to defense fulltime. Once moved to defense, he quickly learned the traits needed to be an outstanding player by watching videos and training under the watchful eyes of coaches and elite trainers.
“I told my coaches I wanted to move to the position which would put me on the field faster,” said Hill. “This summer I have been working out with teammates at school and with two former NFL players Gerard Powers and Rashad Johnson, both of whom played with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals.”
In 2017, Hill had 43 tackles, five interceptions and 26 pass breakups for the Patriots, which made the first round of the Class 7A playoffs.
Hill has a 35-inch vertical jump and is the fastest player on the Bob Jones squad with a hand time of 4.48 seconds and a laser time of 4.55 in the 40-yard sprint. “To be an excellent cornerback, I’ve had to learn to have good hips, which allow me to turn and open up on the ball, to play the ball through the air and get in and out of breaks with quick bursts of speed.”
Hill moved to the Madison area with his parents, Kimberly Hill and Freddie Ingram, an older brother and his 20-minute older twin sister, Jasmine, who is a starter on the Lady Patriots basketball team. He played both basketball and football through the local youth programs and at Discovery Middle School before finally concentrating solely on football after his junior season at Bob Jones.
He has always been a winner in athletics as he helped his 8-under basketball team to a league championship the same year as Jasmine’s team did the same in Madison’s BAM program. He played three positions on offense in youth football at Palmer Park and helped Discovery to titles in football as a running back.
Taking to the defensive position in quick-like fashion is an extra eye-opening fact college recruiters have taken note of their assessments of Hill. In all, he has had offers from 36 schools, including Mississippi State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, South Carolina, Tennessee, Michigan and Florida.
Hill will make his decision known of his choice of college next month prior to the kickoff of his senior season. He will graduate in December and enroll into college in January and be set to go through spring drills in 2019 at the school of his choice. Once in college he wants to earn a degree in mechanical engineering.
“I’ve spent my summer attempting to better myself in the weight room and on the field and have been busy looking at different colleges as I narrow my decision process,” added Hill.
In between trips to football camps and countless hours of physical workouts, and a whirlwind of a summer vacation, Hill addressed why he didn’t remain with basketball where he was known as a good shooter. He said, “I found out football was better for me.”
