hill is 20?

[smazza]

how can that be?

what an advantage he has over grothe?

[Sitting_BULL]

7th grade was the best 3 years of his life smazza.

[Omniscientbull]

Actually I think he just turned 19 after football season and is why he's "too old" by FHSAA standards to run track.

I think the 20 yr old reference stems from the fact that he'll be turning 20 during his freshman year in college.

[BULLfreak]

That explains why he looks like a man amongst boys

[S p e n c e]

According to this article he turns 20 in May, not during his Freshman year.  I don't see it being a problem as long as he can qualify.

We "expect" to sign Ricky Jean Francois according to Brett in the Trib, based on what his father told him tonight:

QB Hill Elevates USF's Hopes

By BRETT McMURPHY bmcmurphy@tampatrib.com

Published: Feb 3, 2005

 

TAMPA - South Florida coach Jim Leavitt welcomed the visitor inside the Bulls' football trailers last year and invited him in his office.

``I don't want to tell you much,'' Eric Hinson said. ``Just put in this tape.''

Suddenly appearing on television was a quarterback doing things Leavitt had never seen before. Monticello Jefferson County junior Carlton Hill was running, throwing, doing pretty much anything he wanted.

Leavitt stopped the tape after a few minutes and asked Hinson, Hill's high school coach: ``You sure he can't come out this year?''

Leavitt, of course, had to wait a year for a chance at getting Hill. At 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, the wait ended when USF received Hill's faxed letter-of- intent.

``From that moment [we saw the film], we were on him,'' Leavitt said. ``When I saw that film, I knew he was that good.''

After a string of frustrating runner-up finishes to land a top-flight quarterback in past years - including Cornelius Ingram (Florida), Brent Schaeffer (Tennessee), Adrian McPherson and Chris Davis (Florida State) and Jay Davis (N.C. State) - the Bulls beat out Miami to be King of the Hill.

``It really feels good,'' Leavitt said. ``It really does. It's a nice feeling because we worked so hard.''

The Bulls also expect to add one of the nation's top defensive ends today or Friday. Miami Carol City's Ricky Jean- Francois will sign with the Bulls over LSU, his father said late Wednesday night.

He is rated the state's sixth- best player and nation's No. 3 defensive end by Rivals.com.

``Me and his mom don't want him to go to LSU,'' said his father, Celhomme Jean- Francois. ``Ricky was happy with South Florida. Those people [at LSU] washed his brain. That's not going to work. They make a mistake.

``We want him to go to South Florida. We want him to stay home in Florida. We want him to go where he's safe. South Florida has nothing to worry about.''

The addition of Jean-Francois would give the Bulls their biggest-caliber offensive (Hill) and defensive recruits in school history - in the same class.

Hill, a PrepStar All- American, threw for nearly 3,400 yards the past two years at Jefferson County with 35 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also ran for nearly 1,600 yards and 27 TDs.

Hill, who turns 20 in May, is ready to contribute immediately.

``I thought real hard about redshirting, but I feel I'm ready to play,'' the 6-foot-3, 210- pound Hill said. ``Because of my age I don't want to waste any time.

``The coaches say they want me to be the guy. I know I've got to compete, that would have been like that anywhere I would have gone. I chose South Florida because I could make the biggest difference here.''

Hill - called the ``crown jewel'' of USF's 23-player class by Scout.com's Jamie Newberg - was among 13 offensive players signed, including four wide receivers and three tight ends. USF also picked up nine defenders, including five defensive backs.

The Bulls also landed one of the nation's top kickers in Mike Benzer, who is expected to replace Santiago Gramatica.

USF's class included 18 high school seniors. Of those, 12 earned all-state honors - quarterbacks Matt Grothe (Class 4A first team) and Hill (1A first team), running back Moise Plancher (5A honorable mention), wide receiver Ishmeal Grant (1A first team), offensive linemen Chris DeArmas (6A third team) and Danny Tolley (3A first team), defensive lineman George Selvie (3A second team), cornerback R.J. Anderson (4A first team), defensive back Tyller Roberts (6A first team), Benzer (5A second team), free safety Jerome Murphy (New Jersey second team) and tight end Ben Busbee (Alabama 6A honorable mention).

Also, six recruits - Hill, Grothe, Anderson, DeArmas, wide receivers Taurus Johnson and Jessie Hester - were ranked among The Tampa Tribune's top 50 state recruits.

Leavitt said it's too early to evaluate the class, rated the fourth-best in the Big East and the nation's 50th-best class by Rivals.com.

``I'm so excited about this group,'' Leavitt said. ``There's so much hype about the recruiting class. Honestly, who ends up being the great players? How players develop is such a big thing. But we've got some awfully good football players.''

And the Bulls could add another great one in the next 48 hours with Jean-Francois.

Tribune correspondent Gregg Becnel contributed to this report.

http://bulls.tbo.com/bulls/MGBNGDKGQ4E.html

[Omniscientbull]

His freshman year will run from August through May and maybe even through July if he goes to summer school, he will turn 20 at the end but during his freshman year.  His sophmore year won't start until August of 2006.

[smazza]

i would be surprised if hill redshirts under any senario now that i know he is older

[S p e n c e]

Hill, who turns 20 in May, is ready to contribute immediately.  

Not to nitpick, but it says he turns 20 in MAY.  Which I would take as May of this year, 3 months from now.  So he will be 20 as a Senior in H.S. and not as a Freshman in College.

[Omniscientbull]

You may be right.  When I played (late 80's) the the rule was if you turned 19 during the season of the sport you could not play.

I think they changed the rule in 1998 to state an athlete can  "begin competition in any sport and retain his or her eligibility so far as age is concerned until the day he or she turns 19 years 9 months".

I'm editing to include the following I found in the 2004-2005 handbook:

"11.6.1 A student may participate in interscholastic athletic competition until reaching the age of 19 years 9 months, so far as age is concerned. Upon reaching the age of 19 years 9 months the student shall be ineligible for further participation in interscholastic athletic competition."

So, yes you are correct he could turn 20 during his senior year, after football season.

[beastiebull]

I don't think this gives him any sort of edge.  Grothe played 4A, Hill 1A.  I think Grothe is equally equipped to start at QB.

If anyone has an edge it would be Denson

If age was any indicator then PJ would be starting for us.