2012 N.J. athlete likes Pitt

Palisades Park, New Jersey wide receiver Elijah St. Hilaire is one of the top rising junior skill position players in the Garden State and he has drawn a good amount of attention from colleges so far.

His first game is on September 10 and plenty of coaches will either be following his performance in that game, plus the rest of his games throughout the 2010 season, or asking for film in a few weeks.

Though St. Hilaire is excited about the possibility that he may be a highly sought after recruit, he's equally excited about the prospects for his high school team this season.

"I think we're gonna do pretty good," he said. "I think if we win that first game then we have a great chance of winning the division. It's against the team that's supposedly the hardest team in our division, so if we win that I think we'll win the division. Last year we were 7-2."

A lot of colleges have been looking at St. Hilaire as a wide receiver but he may be seeing some time at running back this year. That's where he played as a freshman in high school, and depending on how he transitions to the position in the two weeks between now and the start of the season, he could well find himself there again.

"I'm thinking I'll be a receiver [in college]," he explained. "That's usually my main position. I like getting out into the open field. I'm pretty strong but running backs are big and built."

This summer St. Hilaire attended camps at Temple and Pitt, plus a 7-on-7 event at Rutgers.

Though he claims he does not have a clear favorite at this point Pitt may have an early edge.

"Coach [Jeff] Hafley, the defensive backs coach, has been writing me. He's the New Jersey recruiter [for Pitt] and he's from the same area I'm from now.

"I actually really liked it [the Pitt camp] compared to Temple. They showed us literally every route their receivers run. They had us run forty's [40-yard dashes] and it was just more organized and together.

"I wouldn't say I have a favorite but I'm really liking Pitt so far," St. Hilaire explained. "Coach Hafley gave me his number so I'll be calling him every now and then to update them on my season."

St. Hilaire carries a 3.5 grade point average.