Iowa offer makes Hilliards day

Cincinnati (Ohio) St. Xavier three-star running back C.J. Hilliard had received scholarship offers before, but Thursday's offer came with a twist - the Hawkeyes were offering both he and his brother.

"I didn't have a really good day, but then I went home and my dad told me I had been offered. It cheered up my day," Hilliard said. "They told my dad that me and my brother had offers."

Hilliard's brother, linebacker Justin Hilliard, is a class of 2015 prospect who had also received an earlier offer from Indiana, and there is no sibling rivalry when it comes to recruiting.

"I think it is awesome," Hilliard said. "We have always grown up playing football and baseball together. Now we are being recruited by the same schools and it's pretty cool to be in the same boat right now."

The opportunity for the Hilliard brothers to continue their careers together is appealing, and Iowa has put themselves in a good position for C.J. with Thursday's offers.

"I am really interested in Iowa right now," he said. "I know they are a really good academic program, they are coached by one of the best in the nation, they are always at the top of the Big Ten during football season… there's a lot of things about the place that I like."

The next step in Hilliard's recruitment with Iowa is making a visit out to Iowa City, and plans for that are being discussed now.

"I plan on going to Iowa maybe later on spring break," Hilliard said. "They just started practice so I have a lot of time. It may be at the end of April. I want to look at the athletic facilities and the campus."

Spring break at St. Xavier started Friday, and Hilliard has a couple other schools he is interested in checking out next week.

"I am trying to go to Duke right now, but if that doesn't work out I might go to Boston College," Hilliard said. "I have been talking to Duke and BC a lot. Duke said they are very interested and it is possible for an offer. Boston College just wants to see me run around and an offer could be coming up soon."