Yes, folks, it’s true! Chris Horne is reporting that DE William Hill (sub. req.), 2009 Virginia commitment, is now a 2009 Virginia student. Hill picked Virginia over schools like Penn State, Maryland, Tennessee and Carolina, so the Hoos had to beat some tough competition to win over this 3-star talent. With a 3.6 GPA and 1,100 SAT score, Hill is someone who takes academics seriously and has wanted to enroll early. Here he is in mid-December, post-commitment, telling Horne (sub. req.) about his early enrollment hopes:

One of four defensive end recruits that have committed to Virginia’s 2009 class, Hill hopes to have a leg up on his competition by the time preseason practice rolls around. He is enrolling at Virginia next month, so he will be able to participate in spring practice. He added, “I think I sign something this week” to make his early enrollment official.

Given the heavy competition for Hill’s services, it was a good idea to make his early admissions dreams come true. A talented football player and top notch grades? This is an ideal student-athlete who needs to be locked down as soon as possible. And, so, he’s the first early enrollee in the new post-Castonzo era.

The University’s policy only allows early enrollment for student-athletes than can handle early college, in light of the Ahmad Brooks debacle, and Hill’s resume makes it clear that he qualifies as such a person. More importantly, this shows that Virginia’s new policy to accept early enrollment wasn’t all talk — and that the implementation isn’t as rigid as I had feared when it was first announced. While Groh isn’t getting Virginia Tech levels of flexibility, at least a January enrollee here and there will give him some more room to maneuver.

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