July Player Performance Index top 30 deep dive: No. 27 CB D’yoni Hill

CaneSport is breaking down the top 30 Miami players on the roster based on projected production, and today we’re at No. 27, D’yoni Hill .

THE BIG PICTURE

Hill chose Miami out of the second transfer portal window over Indiana and Missouri, and he started last year at Marshall as a boundary corner and had 55 tackles and an interception along with 10 pass breakups. He played 671 reps, so he brings added depth and experience, plus the benefit of Hill playing under Miami CB coach Chevis Jackson last season and coordinator Lance Guidry prior to that. Hill enters UM battling for a starting job, with Daryl Porter, Jr. and Damari Brown the anticipated starters. But … if nickel Mishael Powell moves to safety this fall then Brown could move to nickel and that would open up a potential starting cornerback spot for Hill. He’d have to hold off less experienced guys like Jadais Richard, Robert Stafford and the true freshmen arrivals.

JULY PLAYER PERFORMANCE INDEX: No. 30 Elijah Alston , No. 29 Josh Horton , No. 28 Raul Aguirre

THE ANALYSIS

A 6-0, 172-pound junior, Hill isn’t going to out-physical you and he isn’t the fastest corner, but he does a good job sticking with receivers and his prior game action is invaluable when you look at the inexperience in the Miami secondary. Per Pro Football Focus this past season he checked in at a solid 74.1 percent overall with an 84.1 tackle grade and 70.9 cover grade. He was noted allowing 34 of 61 completions for 517 yards with three TD passes given up and one interception (55.7 pass completion percentage against, 15.2 yards per completion allowed). In 2022 he only played 20 reps. A question, of course, is how he will fare against a higher level of competition in the ACC.

Below you see him lined up one-on-one at the bottom of the screen vs. Georgia Southern breaking up a pass intended for Derwin Burgess Jr. You see the aggressiveness and how Hill goes after the ball and makes a play:

via GIPHY

THE PROJECTION

The Canes only return one full-time starting cornerback in Daryl Porter, Jr., with the only other guys with any kind of meaningful experience Damari Brown (started final four games last season as a true freshman) and Jadais Richard (transferred from Vanderbilt before last season and was a UM backup; played in 11 games at Vandy as a freshman backup in 2022). Miami also added veteran nickel Mishael Powell from Washington in the portal, but as mentioned above he may move to safety this fall given the issues there. If that happens the door is open for Hill to start (otherwise he’d have to beat out Brown), and it would not surprise us at all if that scenario plays out. Hill is not going to wow you with his physical aspects, but he’s solid enough and could be a guy in the range of 40 tackles and three interceptions.

THE JUMP HE NEEDS FROM SPRING TO FALL CAMP

Hill has the benefit of working in Guidry’s system at Marshall and also working under CB coach Chevis Jackson last year, so it shouldn’t be a big transition in that aspect. But what we do need to find out in fall camp is if he can stick with a different class of receiver than what Marshall was facing for the bulk of its schedule. If he can stick with a Jacolby George/Sam Brown in August that would be a great sign that he can be a significant addition to the secondary.

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