Singer: Why Brandyn Hillman is such an important target for Notre Dame football

In watching Notre Dame football this season — as well as the past several years — it’s been clear that the Fighting Irish need to improve at skill positions on both sides of the ball.

And in the 2023 class, the Irish have impressive reinforcements set to join the team next fall.

The receiver class is outstanding, with four-star recruits Round Rock (Texas) Stony Point’s Braylon James, Austin (Texas) Westlake’s Jaden Greathouse and Folsom (Calif.) High’s Rico Flores Jr. all set to join the team next year. Notre Dame is also considered the team to beat for Hayward (Calif.) Tennyson’s Taeshaun Lyons, a highly sought-after pass catcher.

The Irish also have three impressive ball carriers committed. St. Louis Christian Brothers’ Jeremiyah Love, a top-100 player, committed to the Irish just a couple weeks ago. He joined Derby (Kan.) High’s Dylan Edwards and Lake Stevens (Wash.) High’s Jayden Limar on the running back commit list, but it should be mentioned that there’s great versatility among the trio, as they could help as slot receivers as well.

Notre Dame’s clear hole in the 2023 cycle is at the quarterback spot, as there’s just less than two months until National Signing Day, and the Irish have a lot more work to do recruiting the position.

So, where does Portsmouth (Va.) Churchland’s Brandyn Hillman fit in to this discussion? How about all of the above.

Hillman could play receiver for Notre Dame. He could play some running back. He’s played quarterback at the high school level and would likely give that position a try to start out his Notre Dame career, if he does indeed choose the Irish.

Defensive coordinator Al Golden would want to have a say before letting the offensive staff take Hillman, as the 6-1, 190-pounder has shown off impressive skills in the secondary as well.

Hillman is exactly what the doctor has ordered for Notre Dame. And if he works out as a quarterback at the next level, he could be special with his athleticism.

“He can make every throw at the quarterback spot,” said Churchland head coach Dontrell Leonard. “And on defense, he can cover the middle of the field as a one-high safety or play on the hash as a two-high safety. He has the ability to do anything. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was used as a wildcat quarterback and receiver but could still vie for the starting quarterback position. We run a collegiate offense — RPOs and play actions — and he has excelled running that.”

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Notre Dame making Hillman a priority

Heading into his senior season, Hillman held just one scholarship offer, coming from FCS program Norfolk State. He’s a high school quarterback, but once his early senior season film got out there, which included him playing safety, Power Five colleges started taking notice.

Virginia Tech offered Sept. 27. The following day, Boston College, Virginia, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, East Carolina and Notre Dame offered him. Kentucky and Tennessee came the following day. North Carolina, Oklahoma and Miami have offered in recent weeks as well.

But from everything we’ve gathered at Blue & Gold, Notre Dame has been recruiting him the hardest. He hears from the Irish staff constantly.

“Every day,” he previously said about the Notre Dame staff’s contact. “Probably every 10 minutes I’ll get a call or a text from Notre Dame,” he said. “I’ll hear from Coach Chad [Bowden], Coach Golden, Coach [Tommy] Rees and Coach [Marcus] Freeman.”

Hillman is expected to unofficially visit North Carolina this weekend, but Notre Dame is considered the team to beat for him.

“Academics-wise, Notre Dame is a great school,” he said following his recent official visit. “You get an education from Notre Dame and that helps set you up for life. They were preaching that to me, and I’ve kept that in mind.”

Hillman ranks as the nation’s No. 416 overall player and No. 17 “athlete” according to the 2023 On3 Consensus.