[GoRU]

Rutgers lands Rollers' Hill- PennLive.com

Two weeks ago, Steel-High rising senior Jordan Hill had his chaos in order:

He would take his football recruiting trips, four, maybe five, then pick a favorite.

On Friday, that controlled chaos became sudden order.

Hill, the 6-4, 290-pound fast-as-a-back defensive lineman chose Rutgers as his college home.

It was a five-hour visit, but Hill made his decision 45 minutes after he exited his vehicle in Piscataway, N.J.

"I wanted to get it over with before the start of my senior season," Hill said Friday, shortly after his return. "But it was tough making that decision. But once I got to Rutgers, I knew it was the place I wanted to go."

So, just like that, Rutgers, which had made landing Hill a high priority, won the battle over Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Boston College, Penn State, Notre Dame and Alabama ... in no particular order.

"I just felt so comfortable around everyone at Rutgers," Hill said. "I felt nothing was fake about them."

Hill, who played linebacker and defensive end for the Rollers last year en route to Steel-High's PIAA Class A championship, is projected as a down lineman at Rutgers.

"I think I have an opportunity to play right away, too," Hill said. "They use an eight-man rotation [for down linemen], and right now they only have three guys coming back who were a part of that."

"Jordan was a priority recruit for them," said Steel-High head coach Rob Deibler, who accompanied Hill on the trip to New Jersey. "We talked with the coaches and they made it clear they really wanted Jordan.

"Then, when we were in talking with [head coach Greg] Schiano, Jordan said right there that he wanted to commit to Rutgers," Deibler said. "Schiano's eyes got real big; you could tell he was happy to hear that."

Hill said Rutgers' strong criminal justice program -- his intended major -- helped clarify the decision.

"They have one of the best criminal justice programs in the country," Hill said. "Right now, I'm thinking about being a probation officer, but I might want to go a little higher than that."

Hill is one several starters returning from Steel-High's state championship team, a team expected to make a strong run toward the 2008 district and PIAA titles.

I'm a little surprised by this. We've picked up two similar players recently and they all seem to project to DT.