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Four-star QB Antwann Hill Jr. commits to Memphis over Florida in major win for Tigers

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Four-star QB Antwann Hill Jr. commits to Memphis over Florida in major win for Tigers

Antwann Hill Jr., a four-star quarterback who drew interest from more than two dozen major college football programs across the country, has committed to Memphis.

Hill announced his commitment Saturday, choosing the Tigers over Florida. While most recruiting rankings services don’t go back more than 25 years, Hill appears to be one of the highest-ranked recruits in program history.

The 6-foot-5, 215-pound quarterback is entering his senior year at Houston County High School in Warner Robins, Georgia. He initially committed to Colorado last year but decommitted and took his official visit to Memphis in early June. He had offers from all over but had seriously considered Florida, taking an official visit to Gainesville before his visit to Memphis.

He threw for 2,732 yards with 31 touchdowns in 2023, his third year as Houston County’s starting quarterback. He threw only five interceptions and also rushed for three scores. He’s totaled 7,278 yards with 79 touchdowns in his high school career.

Opportunity surely played a role in Hill’s decision — Memphis’ incumbent quarterback, Seth Henigan, will be out of eligibility after the 2024 season. Memphis has three quarterbacks on the roster who could be back in 2025, but Hill certainly has a path to immediate playing time when he steps foot in the Bluff City. He won’t turn 17 until July and will likely enroll early in January.

Henigan started as a true freshman and has been Memphis’ starter since. The 2025 season’s quarterback will be only the third for Memphis since 2018, when Brady White took over.

Florida, meanwhile, has five-star quarterback DJ Lagway in the pipeline as a future starter. Lagway, a true freshman, was the top quarterback recruit in the country in some 2024 class rankings. Hill had 30 offers, according to 247Sports, but appeared to choose between Florida and Memphis in the end.

The Tigers seemingly picked up steam in their recruitment of Hill throughout the spring, even getting his high school teammate — four-star offensive lineman Peyton Joseph — on campus for an official visit with him. Hill helped pique Joseph’s interest in Memphis after an unofficial visit earlier this year.

Memphis also has had an impressive spring with transfer recruitments, bringing in multiple former starters from SEC programs. That’s no doubt been in part because of an announcement from FedEx in April that the company would spend $25 million over five years on Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals with Tigers athletes.

Hill’s recruitment galvanized the Memphis fan base as the prospect of his commitment started to heat up. Rappers Quavo (from Hill’s home state of Georgia) and Moneybagg Yo (from Memphis) encouraged him to commit to the Tigers with Instagram posts after his official visit. Hill made his announcement Saturday on an Instagram live video with Quavo.

Hill is the No. 16-ranked quarterback in his class, according to the 247Sports composite.

Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.

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