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Oh, Goodbye: 4* CB Lavert Hill De-Commits From Penn State

The four-star cornerback has re-opened his recruitment.

By Bill DiFilippo and Nick Polak

Today in "news that isn't too surprising but it still makes us sad," four-star defensive back Lavert Hill decommitted from Penn State. Hill, the No. 126 player in America and the country's 11th-best cornerback in the class of 2016 based on his 247 Composite ranking, did what many people expected him to do and re-opened his recruitment.

Hill originally committed to Penn State on Jan. 31, 2015. It was considered a bit of a surprise, but getting a highly-regarded recruit from Detroit to come to the program over either of Michigan's major programs was considered a gargantuan win for James Franklin. Still, there weren't too many people who thought that the commitment would stick, as his Crystal Ball since his initial commitment was filled entirely with picks for Michigan and Michigan State.

Concerns about Hill's status popped up when he unofficially visited Michigan for the Wolverines' game against Northwestern. While that was nothing crazy, speculation began to ramp up when it was confirmed that Hill would go back for another unofficial the following weekend for the game between both Michigan programs. Some thought it was just to watch his brother, junior safety Delano Hill, play, but as it turns out, there was a little more to it than that.

He ended up taking a visit to Ann Arbor to check out 2015's edition of The Game, and saw enough from the Wolverines and Jim Harbaugh to decide to re-open his recruitment.

Fortunately Penn State is in pretty good position at corner. The current roster's cornerbacks, save for senior Trevor Williams, are generally young, and next year's team will feature the additions of redshirt freshman Garrett Taylor and incoming freshman Zechariah McPhearson. The Nittany Lions are also one of the finalists for Pittsburgh-based cornerback Damar Hamlin and New Jersey athlete Jordan Fuller, so there's a chance that James Franklin and company aren't finished bringing in corners just yet.

They also aren't done with Hill, as he is still scheduled to take an official visit to Penn State, as of right now. They will continue to recruit him as hard as ever, but will definitely be up against it, particularly with Michigan and Michigan State as the main competition.

We'll continue to update you on Hill and his situation throughout the rest of his recruitment, and we wish him all the luck in the world with this incredibly difficult decision.

*Update- Apparently, Jim Harbaugh and Mike Zordich Sr. (because just having Larry Johnson recruit against Penn State isn't painful enough) were at Hill's home tonight before his announcement. As if it needed to be stated concretely, Michigan is the favorite to land Lavert.

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