3-star TE Dillon Hipp announces top 6 schools

Scottsdale (Ariz.) Desert Mountain three-star tight end Dillon Hipp is ready for a summer full of official visits. He’s also ready to narrow down what schools he’s interested in.

Those six schools include Arizona State, Auburn, Baylor, Ole Miss, TCU and Tennessee.

“The consistency with them made them stand out,” Hipp told On3. “Coaches from all six schools stay in contact and I have visited each, so I have taken everything in and seen what the culture is like at each school. I like what I have seen and what I’ve heard from the coaches.”

Hipp said that he’ll take his official visits in May and June then likely make a decision in late June or early July.

So far he has official visits set with Ole Miss (June 2-4), TCU (June 16-18) and Baylor (June 23-25) but said that he’s trying to set up an official to Tennessee the second week of June and possibly one to Arizona State in May.

Hipp’s visited Tennessee twice already and every other school outside of Arizona State once. He’s visited Tempe 10-15 times.

Scheme and the chance to play are a few factors Hipp said he’s looking for with the schools but more than anything, he’s looking for the right culture and relationship with the coaching staff.

“My official visits will give me a final impression and show me a little more, then I should know my decision,” said Hipp, the No. 886 player in the country. “I have a little bit of an order, but I really like all six schools. I think after the official visits, I will have a good idea about where I want to go.

“When going to a new place, you want to be comfortable so that’s important to me. Having a good relationship with the coaches is a big part of that. I want to be able to talk with the coaches about things outside of football.”

Hipp breaks down his finalists

Arizona State: “I like how close Arizona State is. It’s not make or break for me, but being close to family would be a benefit and I like their scheme as well. They know how to use the tight end and I like the fit there. The culture Coach (Kenny) Dillingham stands out and it is like a big family there.”

Auburn: “I had a great visit there and I like how they use the tight ends. Coach (Ben) Aigamaua and Coach (Hugh) Freeze were at Ole Miss with Engram and Knox played there, so they know how to get tight ends to the next level. It is an SEC school with another great fan environment. I got a good feel for how Auburn operates and that stood out.

Baylor: “Baylor has been recruiting me a very long time. They got on me early and Coach (Jeff) Grimes has been recruiting for a while. They text me every single day checking on me and that means a lot. They use tight ends a lot in their system and I like what the fit looks like. I have strong relationships with multiple coaches there, so going there would be fairly easy because I know them so well.”

Ole Miss: “I had a great visit to Ole Miss. They showed me a lot of attention the day I was there. The coaches have put a lot of effort into recruiting me and that meant a lot. They are an SEC school, they have great fans and they have a history with tight ends. It is not just at Ole Miss either, but Lane Kiffin has a great tradition with tight ends.”

TCU: “I loved the environment when I got on campus and I could tell that they have an energy surrounding their program. The campus was also very nice and being located in Fort Worth is a plus. The scheme is also beneficial for a tight end to play in and Coach (Sonny) Dykes has had a lot of success coaching elite tight ends in the past.”

Tennessee: “I have visited Tennessee numerous times and I like being around the coaches. I’ve been talking with Coach (Josh) Heupel and it’s cool to have a good relationship with the head coach. He runs a great offense, the environment is great and Tennessee is a school that got on me early too. Tennessee has one of the best environments in the country. Their fans are crazy and it would be great to play in front of them.”