Back in May I did a film review of then recent commit of Kyle Hamilton, three star safety out of Georgia. The headline asked whether or not their lowest rated recruit was their best. There is now more evidence to support the question.
Hamilton participated in The Opening finals in Dallas, Texas over the last four days (the event is normally slated for Oregon), and he showed why his low three star ranking needed to be amended, and soon.
He received accolades from recruiting evaluators throughout the camp, including from those on the Notre Dame beat:
Safety Kyle Hamilton took his play to new levels on Sunday at @TheOpening. It was by far the best I've ever seen him. #NotreDame is getting a very good player. https://t.co/FLBQddDFtK @kham316 @247Sports pic.twitter.com/1Vk5td3ap9
— Tom Loy (@TomLoy247) July 2, 2018
And off the beat:
#NotreDame commit Kyle Hamilton with the PBU. Having a terrific The Opening Finals: https://t.co/a0GFM0OSR1 pic.twitter.com/LvZKKx2Nu3
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) July 3, 2018
His terrific performance for his team helped lead them to the 7 on 7 team championship, and he recorded three interceptions and five passes broken up throughout the tournament.
He didn’t just excel in games, he also displayed some remarkable athleticism for a soon to be high school senior. Matt Freeman of ISD took note of his workout numbers and they were eye opening.
Big numbers from #NotreDame S commit Kyle Hamilton (@kham316) at #TheOpening.
40: 4.63
Powerball: 46.5 ft
Vert: 40.0
Short Shuttle: 4.44Don’t forget Hamilton is taking over the ISD Instagram account all week. pic.twitter.com/EB9uZ92gcO
— Matt Freeman (@mattfreemanISD) July 1, 2018
A 4.63 40 for the 6-3, 188 pounder is more than good enough for the long strider he is, and his 40 inch vertical leap is eye popping. His jump would have tied for 6th at the NFL combine in 2018 among all defensive backs, matching the 40 inches first round pick Derwin James put up when working out in front of the NFL scouting world.
His vertical also displays an impressive level of explosiveness, which leads me to be believe his 40 time can get into the 4.5’s. A 6-3 safety running under 4.60 is NFL caliber.
The headline for Hamilton was it was a well rounded performance against the nations best athletes. He didn’t excel in just one area, he excelled in all areas. He showed out in one-on-one’s, he impressed in the performance tests, and he showed himself to be most comfortable, and a playmaker in the team 7-0n-7 setting.
#NotreDame S commit Kyle Hamilton (@kham316) with two nice breakups here. pic.twitter.com/ZIys4Ak5tI
— Irish Sports Daily (@ISDUpdate) July 3, 2018
He was so impressive throughout the four days, he made his way onto the post-camp, 247 “Best of the Best” list. Something tells me Hamilton won’t be Notre Dame’s lowest rated recruit much longer.
I just really don’t know how much of this (early) prospect identification goes to Bill Rees and his staff.
My surmise without evidence, is that they scour the ranks and watch a lot of film and offer their first cut to the coordinators and position coaches. There needs to be an in-depth article from somebody which investigates and then reports on if and how much Bill Rees’ operation is a factor.
They were pretty swift in finding C’Bo last Winter also.
It seems like an upgrade in recruiting prowess and velocity.
Notre Dame’s history features a good number of “recruits” who were either lightly regarded, or not even “regarded” at all, until spotted by an ND football coach. I could probably name many of them, but I’ll just list one from ancient times…George Gipp. I’ll admit I was a little skeptical about Kyle because of the 3 stars, but I should have known better. After all, the professionals who evaluate these kids (in the Curme household we often refer to them as “the boys who really know football”…derisively, of course) also made sure that Joe Montana did not win the Heisman and would never be in the College Football Hall of Fame, and then passed on Joe until midway thru round three of the draft. But ARA knew what Joe was capable of all along.
So I say to BK, or TL, or whoever…NICE JOB!
And to Kyle I say this: never forget that “the boys who really know football” had you tabbed as a three star recruit…and never neglect to stick that in their faces on gamedays! God bless.
BGC ’77 ’82
The Gipper, Joe Montana, Ara Parseghian.
What a life it would be if it were only still yesteryear!
Someday when you’re old walking with a cane you’ll post “Kelly” to your list.
True dat BGC. These recruit experts start their “star labeling” for sophs/juniors in high school. Common sense of coaches realize a kid can change his potential over the summer or during next high school season. That’s how quick these young kids can progress—still growing physically. Some do peak and don’t get better as anyone on here as former coach/player can attest to. It is a crap shoot. But I’d rather rely on Notre Dame coaches , assistant coaches who scout these kids playing in real time than these “Scouting Services” who attend a few promotional camps — and start labeling kids 3 , 4 , 5 star performers.
Good update on Kyle, hope he stays all four years.