Hamilton picks up his second offer

Birmingham (Mich.) Brother Rice linebacker Tim Hamilton picked up his first scholarship offer of the process back in February, but he had to wait nearly two months to garner his second. Central Michigan was the first school to offer Hamilton, and his second offer has now come from the Chippewa's biggest rivals, Western Michigan.

"I was at lunch today at school and Coach [Rich] Nagy from Western Michigan was there. He told me they were pretty much going to offer me, then the defensive coordinator called me and he made it official," Hamilton reported. "They said that they could play me at any of their linebacker positions, and sometimes I could play stand up defensive end too. They just liked that I am a physical and versatile athlete."

Hamilton's communication with Western Michigan started long before he received the Broncos' offer on Monday. He made a recent recruiting visit to Kalamazoo where he was able to evaluate several aspects of the university.

"I went a couple weeks ago and saw a spring practice," Hamilton said. "I just think they are on the come up. They have some new coaches and the way they are running their program I like a lot. I liked all their facilities and I like the school too. I'll probably be going to their camp this summer too."

As a junior, Hamilton was a force in the middle of the Warrior's defense, registering 155 total tackles on the season. Several schools, besides the ones that have offered, have been attracted to that type of production and showing strong interest in Hamilton this spring.

"Actually, Michigan State, Western Michigan and Ball State were all in today. I believe Minnesota and Central Michigan will be in (Tuesday)," Hamilton reported. "Coach said they were interested in me and were going to keep in contact with me. Michigan State wanted to see me in camp."

Besides Michigan State and Western Michigan, Hamilton plans to attend camps at Missouri, Illnois and Boston College. He was recently at Illinois to check out an Illini spring practice.

"We saw their practice and their facilities were really nice," Hamilton said of his Illinois trip. "I got to talk with Coach [Keith] Gilmore, my recruiting coordinator, and Coach [Ron] Zook too. They wanted to see me at camp."

Hamilton's next chance to showcase his abilities will take place this coming weekend when he travels to Ohio State to attend the NIKE Football Training Camp.

"I just want to show people that for a big guy I can move well and that I'm not just a run-stopper," he said. "I want to compete with some of the top guys around [the Midwest], get better and do my best."