Houston County’s Hill, Peach County’s Jackson showcase talents at Nike event
Article and photos courtesy of the Macon Telegraph –> Original Article Here
Houston County senior Trey Hill is widely considered one of the best guards in the 2018 recruiting class.
Hill proved that again at The Opening, a recruiting combine hosted by Nike annually in Beaverton, Oregon. Hill and Peach County’s Kearis Jackson took part in this year’s event June 28-July 3.
“I went out there and competed. I always feel like I’m the best guard. That’s just me,” Hill said. “It was a good experience, going out there and going against the best and just putting in a lot of work with those guys to get better and be ready to play on Saturdays.”
Hill is ranked as the No. 2 guard nationally by 247Sports, Scout and Rivals. He proved worthy of that ranking just behind Pace Academy’s Jamaree Salyer during The Opening.
“To start with, I feel Hill has absolutely cemented his place as the second best offensive guard in the nation. In many years, I think he’d have a very legitimate claim at No. 1, but Jamaree Salyer is about as good as anyone’s ever seen,” Rivals’ Jake Reuse said. “Still, no knock to Hill. He’s got such immense power, is sound in his technique and never backs down from anyone. In fact, the latter is probably his best trait, in my opinion. Hill takes every rep he can possibly get without regard for who the man across him may be, and more often than not, he wins.
“It’s well-placed confidence. In Oregon, we saw a continuation of all of those themes, and Hill seems to get incrementally better at each turn, which is a great sign for his next level prospects.”
Trey Hill (@hilldeontrey) with another nice set of reps. pic.twitter.com/03EtHKFQ9P
— Jake Reuse (@ReuseRecruiting) July 2, 2017
Hill is a hot commodity in recruiting, for sure, but up first is his senior season with the Bears. He used The Opening to prepare for that upcoming season, which begins Aug. 17 against Jones County at Mercer in the Corky Kell Classic.
“Just going out there and using some of the technical things that my coaches gave me to get better on Friday nights,” Hill said of what he took from the week. “There were a lot of NFL coaches out there, college players, and I think I learned a lot. It’s still the same things we’re already doing with our high school team, but it’s just more technical in what we’re doing and how to do it.
“There were a lot of great moments. There wasn’t just one specific thing. Overall, I think I did really well.”
Jackson also performed well during the week. He is ranked as the 21st wide receiver nationally by 247Sports, 33rd by Rivals and 39th by Scout.
“As for Jackson, I don’t feel he was utilized as heavily during this showcase. I believe some of that has to do with the level of comfort with the quarterback as he was playing with many signal-callers for the first time in Oregon,” Reuse said. “In Indianapolis, during the Rivals Five-Star Challenge, he worked with Justin Fields, a 7-on-7 teammate, and was a favorite target throughout the day. Even so, Jackson did show his characteristic combination of speed, power and pure athleticism, and he was a difficult assignment for any defensive back unlucky enough to draw his number.
“Had he flip-flopped places with Josh Vann, who was working with Fields and looked like a top wideout as a result, I think we’d be talking about Jackson a great deal more for his showing.”
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