Melvin Hills is ready to announce a decision
Lafayette Christian Academy rising senior Melvin Hills is ready to wind down his recruiting process ahead of his senior season.
After releasing a top five, Hills tells The Bengal Tiger staff he will announce his college decision on July 12.
With LSU, Texas, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Auburn the final five teams standing, how will things unfold in the coming week?
Hills is confident in his Top 5 as a decision date nears
Hills spent the month of June taking in official visits to a handful of college campuses, all of which were included in his final five.
“I did my visits in June, and I went to Ole Miss, Texas and Auburn,” Hills said. “I was planning on visiting LSU again, but then the dead period got here. Same with Tennessee. They came down in the spring and showed much love, and they have been texting me and everything since then.
“Right now, I’m just full of blessing for a teenager to be in this position.”
Hills said he settled on the final five following a busy spring and summer of talks with college coaches.
“The reason I picked the top five was they are always (communicating with me),” he said. “There was more than five, but when July 4th hit, I got a text from them all. Knowing they took their time out of their day was nice, and it made me feel good about these final teams.”
Texas leads the way on the On3 RPM, but others are in the mix
The Texas Longhorns are the team out front for Hill on the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM), but Hills said other staffs have made a strong push as he inches closer to the finish line.
“Texas was a great official visit,” he said. “I message with (head coach Steve Sarkisian) and (defensive line coach Bo Davis) a lot. That relationship is good and strong. And the visit was wonderful. I got to see that it was a really nice program.
“Auburn is very Godly. It’s a spiritual feel. (Auburn defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett) is a Christ-like person. He’s someone who can deal with me as not just a player but a man.
“Ole Miss, it’s the same with (defensive line coach Randall Joyner). He is a great coach and a great man. Looking at all the schools, every one I picked has a coach that I really get along with.”
Hills already has a bond with new LSU DL coach Jimmy Lindsey
While LSU has gone through three defensive line coaches in three years, new assistant Jimmy Lindsey has a relationship with Hills that dates back to his time at South Carolina.
“Coach Lindsey has always been talking with me, because he wanted me at South Carolina, and he brought that to LSU,” Hills said. “When he got to LSU, he hit me up right away.
“With the new LSU staff, and Coach Lindsey being there, it’s been great. I feel like the relationship will build up more with them at this point. With (Lindsey) there, LSU’s definitely a school I’m considering. I feel like he wants me, and the fans and recruiting staff have always shown me love.”
Hills also has connections to a number of former LCA teammates now on LSU’s roster, a list that includes current players like Sage Ryan and Fitzgerald West as well as current commitments like Ju’Juan Johnson.
“With Ju’Juan being a major teammate, we talk about recruiting stuff,” Hill said. “We’ve talked about playing with each other in college. The chemistry on the defensive side of the ball would be great, because we have been playing together for a while now. And I know Fitz. We had a big brother, little brother relationship when he was here. I know he’s starting to shine over there, and we knew he would come out and be dog in college.”
Hills is using the next week to make a final decision
While the Longhorns lead the way on the On3 RPM, Hills said his decision isn’t set in stone just yet.
“I am still thinking about things,” he said. “These next few days, I feel like talks with coaches will be huge. Those conversations are really going to come out and show which one is really the school for me.
“I have faith it will work out. God will show me the way, which is why I feel good about committing July 12.”
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