Michigan lands commitment from ex-Notre Dame signee Brandyn Hillman

Michigan’s big recruiting weekend has resulted in at least one commitment.

On300 Portsmouth (Va.) Churchland athlete Brandyn Hillman gave the Wolverines a verbal pledge during his weekend official visit.

“Michigan is a good school,” Hillman said. “I trust Michigan for sure. I like that they compete year in and year out. I like that they are in a conference and play for championships. Coming into a place where the defense is strong, and I can add to it is a great feeling.”

Hillman originally signed with Notre Dame as part of the Irish’s 2023 recruiting class. However, he was recently granted a release from his National Letter of Intent.

Michigan immediately offered Hillman, and safeties coach Jay Harbaugh made him a top priority.

“He’s a great coach,” Hillman said. “There is a lot of communication. Any time he can get me on the phone, he’ll try to. He’s a great guy. Anything that I would have wanted at Notre Dame, I can find at Michigan. That’s his pitch. I’m taking it and running with it.”

While Hillman was the starting quarterback at Churchland last season and got some looks under center, his biggest upside is on the defensive side of the ball. Michigan is looking at Hillman as a true safety after not landing one on signing day.

And Hillman completely fine with making the transition.

“I’m good with it,” Hillman said. “When I got to high school, I played quarterback, but I always grew up playing on both sides of the ball. I feel like it shouldn’t be that hard. I feel like I can pick it up fast.”

At 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Hillman is ranked as the No. 6 athlete and No. 206 overall prospect nationally, per the On3 Consensus. He is also ranked as the No. 5 overall prospect in the state of Virginia.

Brandt has an On3 NIL Valuation of $71K with 6.1K combined followers on Instagram and Twitter. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

Michigan now has 25 signees in its 2023 recruiting class — On300 athlete Brandyn Hillman, On300 defensive back Jyaire Hill, On300 offensive lineman Nathan Efobi, On300 offensive tackle Evan Link, On300 EDGE Enow Etta, consensus four-star offensive lineman Amir Herring, four-star running back Cole Cabana, four-star linebacker Semaj Bridgeman, four-star tight end Deakon Tonielli, four-star wide receiver Karmello English, three-star wide receivers Semaj Morgan and Fredrick Moore, three-star defensive linemen Brooks Bahr, Cameron Brandt and Roderick Pierce, three-star running back Benjamin Hall, three-star EDGE Aymeric Koumba, three-star tight end Zack Marshall, three-star athletes Kendrick Bell, Breeon Ishmail and Jason Hewlett, three-star defensive backs Cameron Calhoun and D’Juan Waller, three-star linebacker Hayden Moore and three-star kicker Adam Samaha.