Hilton recaps UNC visit

Three-star athlete Mike Hilton of Tyrone (Ga.) Sandy Creek said Sunday night after returning from an official visit to North Carolina that he remains firmly committed to Ole Miss. But, he added, the Tar Heels have given him something to think about.

"It went real well," Hilton told Rivals.com. "I really loved it. I can tell their fans are really excited about football and I loved it. I'm still solid to Ole Miss, though. I take my official there next week. We'll see how that goes. It'll be UNC or Ole Miss."

It should be noted that UNC, which has a new staff in place led by head coach Larry Fedora, has not yet offered Hilton.

"They've got to re-evaluate their recruits and who the old staff was recruiting," Hilton said. "They told me there's a good chance. They'll let me know something this week after they break everything down. After having that visit and having a good talk with them, I think there's a good chance."

Ole Miss has recruited Hilton to play cornerback. UNC wants him on offense.

"In that offense, they want me as a slot/running back," Hilton said. "I love it. I like to get the ball in my hands and make things happen."

Although Fedora is new to UNC, he isn't new to Hilton. Hilton made an official to Southern Miss last fall, when Fedora was its coach.

"He recruited me when he was at Southern Miss," Hilton said. "Real hard. He said I could be a big player in Conference-USA. Now, he says I can still be a great player, and that they're bringing a high-powered offense and need a player like me. I loved him. He's a high-energy coach. He's fun to be around and loves to win."

Hilton met with new Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze last week and was pleased with how things went.

"I love them," Hilton said. "That was my first time meeting him, and I was really impressed with him. They knew about my visit to UNC. They were like, 'We're pretty sure it's going to be a good visit. But you stuck with us this long and you've got our visit next week. This is your home.'"

Keith Niebuhr can be reached at Keithrivals@yahoo.com. You can follow him on Twitter @KeithRIVALS.