Recruiting Profile / Mercer Island's Jamal Hill -- Picking College Hard Task

JAMAL HILL OF MERCER ISLAND WANTS A COLLEGE THAT SUITS HIS PERSONALITY, BUT HE'S DISCOVERING THE PROCESS IS NOT ONLY FUN BUT STRESSFUL.

If Lou Holtz would just lighten up a bit, he might have a chance of persuading Jamal Hill to enroll at Notre Dame. Or at least come look at the school and its football program.

But Mercer Island's Hill turned down the Irish before even making a recruiting visit. Which says something about how the all-state linebacker plays football - and even more about how honest he is with himself.

"I didn't really see myself at Notre Dame. Their program didn't really fit my personality," said the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Hill, a four-year starter at M.I. who was offered nine official visits by NCAA Division I-A programs. "Whatever I do, I try to have fun. I play hard and I play to win and I'm loud at times. And sometimes - I try not to - but I get in altercations with other players. But it seems like so much of a controlled environment (at Notre Dame), so much like players just play. You just don't see that approach. . . . I like to celebrate after a good play. That's just me."

But 15-yard celebration penalties aren't Notre Dame.

"Exactly," Hill said.

So Hill won't exactly be in Indiana anytime soon.

Instead, one of the most recruited players in the state has taken visits to Louisiana State and Washington and has two more scheduled for Arizona (Jan. 20) and Texas (either Jan. 13 or 27). He

already has made an unofficial trip to Arizona. He also has canceled trips to Colorado and UCLA (after Coach Terry Donahue resigned).

"So far I've had nothing but good experiences on my trips," he said. "They've been really fun, been really nice."

And, consequently, really confusing.

"I can see how some people could change their minds, seriously, every day where they want to go," he said. "Recruiting's really interesting. It's a fun process, but it can also be stressful. Really stressful."

Take LSU, for instance. Hill has family in the area, his mother is a Louisiana native, a cousin used to attend the school and the friend of a friend - who also happens to be a former coach there - saw Hill play and raved about him to the current coaching staff. Suddenly "they were all over me," and the Southern hospitality during his trip was impressive, he said. "I couldn't help but think about them."

On the other hand, Washington is the team Hill grew up watching go to bowl games all but three years of his life. He knows a lot of people in the program, said he feels at home on campus, likes the team's chances to win the Pac-10 title and loves the coaches. "The U. is a definite choice for me, and I will never cancel them out (of his finalist list)," he said.

But he also has friends at Arizona and Texas and he wouldn't hesitate to move out of state.

So what will he do? Where is he going? When will he decide?

"Every day, maybe three times a day, I hear people ask where I'm going to go," he said, "and you just don't have the answers every day. There's just some days you just don't want to hear about it."

He said he hopes to make a commitment by the end of January (national signing day is Feb. 7).

But the questions keep coming for the two-time all-state linebacker, who also finished eighth and sixth in KingCo Conference rushing as a fullback the past two seasons.

And the information keeps pouring in. The typical recruiting visit consists usually of a 17-hour day that includes academic tours and interviews, interviews with coaches, a tour of athletic facilities and time with players.

By the time he returns home, usually Monday night, he's facing a Tuesday morning of classes, already a day behind for the week, and usually a Tuesday night basketball game. Hill is a starting forward for Mercer Island's 7-3 basketball team.

"It's not all fun and games as everyone might think," he said.

But it's not all tough stuff, either.

"I couldn't imagine doing it any other way. This is what I really want to do," he said. "I'm enjoying it. I love the attention. It means I'm doing something right. And it's (football) something I love to do. . . . The main thing is you just can't let things overwhelm you."

As for the Huskies, he said the biggest factor in that choice is whether he feels he'll be ready to play as a freshman. The Huskies want him to redshirt his first season. LSU and Arizona both have talked to him about playing as a true freshman.

"If I think I need another year, then that's probably my first choice," he said of the UW. "If I think I'm ready to play next year, then that's probably not the place for me."

Whatever Hill decides is the place for him, he knows two things already: It won't be Notre Dame, and he won't go quietly.

"I will go out," he said, "and play every game my hardest and try to be the best. And the loudest. And the most exciting to watch."