May 16, 2007

Jim Baxter
SCVarsity.com

Johnston (SC) Strom Thurmond QB Aramis Hillary (6-3, 218) picked up his sixth offer when he was offered by Middle Tennessee State. MTSU offensive coordinator G.A. Mangus observed Hillary during the school's spring practice on Wednesday, and told Strom Thurmond coach Lee Sawyer afterwards that he wanted to extend a scholarship offer to Hillary.

"MTSU said they are looking for a QB that can both pass and run, and that I was exactly what they are looking for," Hillary said. "They told my coach with their depth at QB, I would have chance at making an impact pretty quickly.

"It sounds like a great situation, and I look forward to going up there and learning more about MTSU. I know their head coach, Rick Stockstill, is from Clemson and South Carolina and is building a really good program.

It is the sixth offer for Hillary, following East Carolina, Mississippi State, Appalachian State, Presbyterian and Coastal Carolina. Hillary finishes spring practice this week, and has been observed over the last 10 days by coaches from Tennessee, Auburn, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, and Wake Forest, among others.

He said one of the biggest highlights was having Auburn offensive coordinator Al Borges fly into the area last week and spending the entire day talking with Hillary's coaches and teachers. Hillary said Borges indicated that Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville may stop by the school within the next two weeks.

"It's the same thing with Auburn, as it with Tennessee, as it is with most of the schools," Hillary said. "They all consider the QB position the most important on the team, the face of the program. They want two things before making an offer: to see me throw in person and to spend time with me to assess my personality and leadership skills.

"I understand where they are coming from, and it's fine with me. I look forward to all the camps this summer.

Hillary said he expects to set his summer schedule for camps within the next week.

Last year as a junior, Hillary passed for 1,762 yards and 11 TDs. He also showed exceptional speed (4.68 in the 40) for his size, rushing for 752 yards and 10 TDs.

Hillary has already met college entrance requirements with a 2.51 core GPA (3.3 overall) and 900 score on his first attempt on the SAT.