Antwann Hill Jr., a four-star quarterback who drew curiosity from greater than two dozen main faculty soccer packages throughout the nation, has dedicated to Memphis.
Hill introduced his dedication Saturday, selecting the Tigers over Florida. Whereas most recruiting rankings providers do not return greater than 25 years, Hill seems to be one of many highest-ranked recruits in program historical past.
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound quarterback is coming into his senior yr at Houston County Excessive Faculty in Warner Robins, Georgia. He initially dedicated to Colorado final yr however decommitted and took his official go to to Memphis in early June. He had provides from throughout however had severely thought of Florida, taking an official go to to Gainesville earlier than his go to to Memphis.
He threw for two,732 yards with 31 touchdowns in 2023, his third yr as Houston County’s beginning quarterback. He threw solely 5 interceptions and likewise rushed for 3 scores. He is totaled 7,278 yards with 79 touchdowns in his highschool profession.
Alternative absolutely performed a task in Hill’s determination — Memphis’ incumbent quarterback, Seth Henigan, can be out of eligibility after the 2024 season. Memphis has three quarterbacks on the roster who may very well be again in 2025, however Hill actually has a path to fast taking part in time when he steps foot within the Bluff Metropolis. He will not flip 17 till July and can doubtless enroll early in January.
Henigan began as a real freshman and has been Memphis’ starter since. The 2025 season’s quarterback can be solely the third for Memphis since 2018, when Brady White took over.
Florida, in the meantime, has five-star quarterback DJ Lagway within the pipeline as a future starter. Lagway, a real freshman, was the highest quarterback recruit within the nation in some 2024 class rankings. Hill had 30 provides, in line with 247Sports, however appeared to decide on between Florida and Memphis in the long run.
The Tigers seemingly picked up steam of their recruitment of Hill all through the spring, even getting his highschool teammate — four-star offensive lineman Peyton Joseph — on campus for an official go to with him. Hill helped pique Joseph’s curiosity in Memphis after an unofficial go to earlier this yr.
Memphis additionally has had a formidable spring with switch recruitments, bringing in a number of former starters from SEC packages. That is little question been partly due to an announcement from FedEx in April that the corporate would spend $25 million over 5 years on Title, Picture and Likeness (NIL) offers with Tigers athletes.
Hill’s recruitment galvanized the Memphis fan base because the prospect of his dedication began to warmth up. Rappers Quavo (from Hill’s dwelling state of Georgia) and Moneybagg Yo (from Memphis) inspired him to decide to the Tigers with Instagram posts after his official go to. Hill made his announcement Saturday on an Instagram reside video with Quavo.
Hill is the No. 16-ranked quarterback in his class, in line with the 247Sports composite.
Attain sports activities author Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.