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C.J. Hilliard
Defensive Back
Just signed, CJ Hilliard! Welcome to #HawkNation! #GoHawks #Swarm2014 http://t.co/kYnBX3bkwC
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) February 5, 2014
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
Height: 5'10
Weight: 190 pounds
247 Sports Composite Rating: 3-stars
Other Offers: Akron, Boston College, Indiana
Caring Is Creepy: Have a seat, C.J. Hilliard
Also worth noting—CJ Hilliard has a younger brother, Justin, who is a serious prospect at linebacker in 2015. He's already got offers from several SEC schools, including South Carolina, as well as half of the Big Ten. Oh, and that includes Iowa. So are we looking at a package deal?
Let's hope so, because Justin Hilliard is now a five-star outside linebacker being chased by Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, and pretty much everyone else. And Iowa, which got in early due to C.J.'s recruitment and has Chris White on the case, is in that war, shockingly. It's worth watching this spring and summer.
As for the guy we already have, Hilliard could play lightning to Markel Smith's thunder, a smaller, shiftier halfback tough enough to run between the tackles and capable of breaking plays long. We've been waiting for Greg Davis to do something with guys like this for two years now, and my guess is we'll be waiting for a while longer. Given his diminutive size and Iowa's current glut of halfbacks, he could redshirt until AIRBHG makes his participation necessary.