OSU leads for RB

Jonathan Hilliman, the much talked about three-star running back from Jersey City (N.J.) St. Peter's Prep, has been steadily going about his business but is coming to a crossroads in his recruitment. He has a top five of Ohio State, Michigan, Rutgers, Alabama and Vanderbilt, in no particular order, but another school is also being considered and, even though he has a leader, Hilliman's timeline is getting murkier as time progresses.

"I took a visit to Ohio State and it was very productive, I got a lot of things done," said the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Hilliman. "I talked to a lot of coaches and got to hear about their philosophies and figure out what kind of coaches they are. At the moment I can say Ohio State is the leader.

"Rutgers has been coming on pretty stronger," he said. "They're the in-state school and they try the hardest to contact me through the mail or get me on the phone. Michigan is also definitely in the mix. They're having a great recruiting class and it seems like they want to add me to that. Vanderbilt is also in there."

Hilliman's top schools should be wary of the sixth school he is considering.

"Even though they aren't in my top five, the University of Miami is a very good fit for me," Hilliman explained. "They are great academically, they are on the rise and their recruiting class has gotten better as the year has gone on. I definitely feel like I could go down there and make some noise pretty early. I'm also pretty close with (recent Hurricanes commit) Courtel Jenkins."

Visits always play a key role in recruiting. Hilliman had rave reviews of his most recent visit.

"I went to Ohio State two weeks ago," he said, "It was an unbelievable visit and I had a great time. I'm scheduled to go to Michigan's Big House Bar-B-Que on July 28. That's the only scheduled visit I have right now. I still need to figure out visits to the other top schools."

Outside of more visits, Hilliman's timeline is unclear.

"I'm definitely going to take these unofficial visits and see where I could fit in the best," said Hilliman. "I'll either decide before the season or after the season, not during the season. If I feel it before the season, I'll commit but I have no problem waiting until after the season."

Hilliman was a top performer at the Rutgers Passing Camp last weekend.