Tight end commits to Huskers

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By STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star

Although Ryan Hill lives a short drive from Boulder, Colo., he has been a Nebraska football fan for as long as he can remember.

Hill, a tight end from Arvada (Colo.) West High School, this past weekend carried his allegiance to Big Red to another level, giving Husker coaches a verbal commitment to accept their scholarship offer.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Hill becomes the ninth player known to have pledged to Nebraska’s class of 2007.

“I knew no matter what if I was going to play football in college, I was going to go to Nebraska,” Hill said Sunday.

Never mind that his mother is a University of Colorado graduate.

“She wanted me to go to Nebraska,” Hill said. “She liked the program. We were there in June on an unofficial visit, and she liked the academics and how nice people were. She said she was behind me no matter what school I chose, but she really liked Nebraska.”

Nebraska was the only scholarship offer from a Division I-A school that Hill had received as of Sunday, he said. However, several teams have been showing interest, he said, including Arizona State, Washington, Colorado State and Stanford.

Hill wasn’t rated with stars by either Scout.com or Rivals.com.

Hill thrived last season in Arvada West’s no-huddle spread offense as the team reached the playoffs in the state’s largest classification. In 13 games, he said, he had 44 catches for 880 yards and 15 touchdowns, his longest reception going for 78 yards. He reportedly has run the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds.

“I wasn’t a regular tight end — I was either in the slot or split out,” he said. “I wasn’t down in blocking situations.”

Hill said he played quarterback and defensive end on Arvada West’s freshman squad before starting for the varsity at safety as a sophomore. There was some talk of him playing quarterback this season, he said, but he’ll remain at tight end per his wishes.

Nebraska wide receivers coach Ted Gilmore played the primary role in Hill’s recruitment.

“He’s a funny guy,” Hill said. “I just liked being around him and talking to him on the phone.”

Nebraska lists 10 tight ends on its current roster, including one senior — Matt Herian.

Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.