Daxton Hill named by 247Sports as player to keep an eye on in 2020

There are numerous starting roles up for grabs on for the Michigan Wolverines in 2020 — at least three offensive line spots, one safety spot and, last but not least, the quarterback position.

It’s highly likely the favorite to start at safety opposite Brad Hawkins next season is Daxton Hill, who was recently named to 247Sports’ top 10 list of players to keep an eye on in 2020.

Here’s what they had to say about Hill:

Daxton Hill saw action in 11 games for the Wolverines this year and made 28 tackles — 1.5 for loss — and intercepted one pass. He’s only scratching the surface of what he could do in that Michigan defense, so fans in Ann Arbor should be excited about the future with him patrolling the defensive backfield. He’ll be a player to watch as he continues to develop under the tutelage of Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown.

Hill didn’t get much playing time on defense until the Iowa game. After that game, Jim Harbaugh announced Hill was the starting nickel corner moving forward. And it wasn’t long after that when J’Marick Woods entered the transfer portal, essentially locking Hill into the starting safety role.

He had his best game at Indiana, where he racked up 8 tackles (all solo) and 1 interception.

For Hill, this is all really saying something considering he was buried on the depth chart in August. He was behind Josh Metellus, Hawkins and Woods to open up fall camp. It didn’t take a ton of time to get him on the field on defense in a more consistent fashion, and he never let go of that grip he had on the starting role.

There is definitely a lot to be excited for when it comes to the young players at Michigan, but especially with Hill. He flashed athletic ability on both defense and special teams. Remember when he caught that 25-yard pass from Michael Barrett on a fake punt during the Army game?

I fully expect Hill to be an All-Conference type of player at some point in his career, perhaps as soon as next season. Of course, he will have to battle it out for the starting spot with Sammy Faustin and some others, but Hill has a chance to be a real special player in 2020.