Notre Dame athlete signee Brandyn Hillman granted release from National Letter of Intent
Notre Dame 2023 class athlete signee Brandyn Hillman has been granted a release from his National Letter of Intent (NLI), he announced on his Instagram Sunday.
“Due to personal reasons, I have asked for and been granted my release from my NLI with the University of Notre Dame,” Hillman wrote. “I would like to thank Coach [Marcus] Freeman and the Notre Dame staff for their interest.
“I ask you to respect my privacy and my family’s privacy as I explore my options on where to attend school this fall.”
Hillman, a senior at Portsmouth (Va.) Churchland High, committed to Notre Dame over Kentucky, North Carolina, Southern California and Virginia Tech on Dec. 7. He then signed his NLI with the Irish on Dec. 21. He was the last addition to the Irish’s 24-player signing class. He is now the first to depart it. Hillman was slated to enroll in June. The expectation was that he would begin his career at safety, though Freeman left the door open for starting him somewhere else.
“That’s one of those guys you kind of watch the film and say, ‘OK, he’s a football player,’” Freeman said on signing day. “Get him into your program and figure it out. He’s tall. He’s long. He has great athleticism, and he’s physical and tough and intelligent. That guy will make us better. Where? To be determined. But that guy will make this program better.”
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The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Hillman reported his Notre Dame scholarship offer from the Irish in September of his senior season, when he caught attention on the recruiting trail. He had just one offer – from FCS program Norfolk State – before September. He ended up hauling in 14 other offers before zeroing in on the Irish. Notre Dame was one of six teams to offer him on Sept. 28.
Hillman had an On3 Industry Ranking as the No. 206 overall player, No. 6 athlete and No. 5 player in Virginia. He was the No. 10-rated player in Notre Dame’s class. He is the No. 137 overall player in the final 2023 On300.
Notre Dame signed two other safeties in the 2023 class: Cincinnati Lakota West four-star Ben Minich and Irvington (N.J.) four-star Adon Shuler. They are the No. 303 and No. 294 players in the On3 Industry Ranking, respectively. Both enrolled in January.
