FOREST PARK, Ohio — Winton Woods rising senior Justin Hill is one of the most sought-after high school football players in the nation.
"He is fitting the bill of what that guy, that future big-time pro guy looks like," Winton Woods football coach Chad Murphy said.
So it's no wonder why Hill, a four-star linebacker and edge rusher, could start to earn life-changing income through name, image and likeness college football opportunities in 2025.
"I try to stay level-headed about it and try not to make it be a big source of my recruitment," Hill said. "But, it's there. And you can't hide find from it."
The amount of money he's heard during campus visits since January has sometimes taken the 16-year-old's breath away.
"It surprises me at those moments where I was like....you're speechless," Hill said. "Because you're like, 'OK, this is wild.'"
NIL is just one component Hill evaluates as he prepares to start his official visits this weekend. Hill plans to visit Ohio State (May 31-June 2), the University of Southern California (June 7-9), Alabama (June 14-16) and Oregon (starting June 21 or 22).
Hill plans to announce a verbal commitment July 3 on his 17th birthday. He is able to sign his National Letter of Intent Dec. 4.
"This day in age with the opportunity that these guys have for not only themselves but their families — it's just unbelievable," Murphy said.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Hill has impressed college coaches throughout a recruiting journey that's earned him nearly 30 scholarship offers since October 2021.
USC coach Lincoln Riley complimented Hill for the type of questions he asked about the Big Ten program.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, who is the University of Miami's defensive line coach, told Hill he is one of the smartest high school players he's ever had a conversation with about the game.
Oregon visited Winton Woods for hours earlier this month. Ohio State brought multiple coaches, including defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, on a visit to the high school last week.
College football's top programs want to impress Hill, who was a Division II first-team all-state selection as a junior. He is rated Ohio's No. 4 player in the 2025 class by 247 Sports and the nation's No. 7 edge rusher.
"When you talk about being different, when you talk about being the total package he's just one of them guys," Murphy said. "He's got it all."
NIL financial opportunities are 'crazy'
Hill has heard a financial number tied to NIL with every campus visit this year.
The NIL discussions are commonly presented through PowerPoint as Hill takes notes on his phone and jots down other information.
"I'm not going to miss out on any opportunity to start creating generational wealth or providing for my family on any type of level," Hill said. "I know it's there and I've spoke about it with coaches and they know it's there and they know what it is. It's crazy."
Those major programs rely on collectives, which are independent entities that receive donations from boosters, alumni and fans in order to create financial opportunities for student-athletes.
Elite high school football players can potentially hear offers up to six figures annually through a school's collective.
College student-athletes engage in endorsements, charitable events, public appearances or autograph signings through a collective. Those payments tend to be scheduled each month.
"Far fewer payments now are 'lump sums' for a few reasons," said Braly Keller, NIL and Business Insights Manager at Opendorse. "First, all NIL deals must have quid pro quo associated with it, so paying $50,000 for one appearance to last an entire year isn't quite effective; and secondly, there are risks associated with athletes transferring which have led to collectives spreading out their distributions."
There are also opportunities through individual NIL deals such as Nike or Gatorade, which are referred to as the commercial segment.
The NIL industry is estimated to be a $1.17 billion market, according to the Opendorse 2023 annual report. (Opendorse's next annual report is scheduled to be released in June). An estimated 80% of that money is tied to the collective space.
"It's basically turned into just buying players and almost like an NFL salary cap," said Mark Porter, director of ScoutingOhio.com.
"Every school has an amount of money or a certain pool of donors to pull from. And once they have their money they kind of spread it throughout their team. I think every school right now — when I say wild, wild west — has a different take on how to do that. Some pay their starters, their deserving players, and make sure that those kids are taken care of. They have no reason to leave the school. Other schools are using it to bring in freshmen. And some schools won't pay freshmen."
Ohio State, USC, Alabama and Oregon are discussing similar financial numbers with Hill. He declined to disclose specifics but expects to learn more on each official visit.
"I just feel like I've tried to take it all in and mature myself enough to be able to understand this type of stuff," Hill said. "I understand that going on visits and seeing the type of people that I'm around, this is a business. And it's not nothing that you can be childish with."
Money not the determining factor
Hill has relied on his family including his father, James Hill, and his mother, Emily Herzog, along with high school coaches, throughout the college recruiting process.
Herzog pays close attention to what is discussed during her son's campus visits. They each discuss the vibe from the experience - whether it's a potential fit or not.
She's advocated the importance for her son to invest NIL money.
There are also other considerations before his decision. Herzog keeps a list of 10 or 11 questions on her phone such as: 'If it wasn't for the football is this school the right fit for you?'"
"You got to find a place that feels like home," Herzog said.
Hill has vetted NIL information by asking current players during his campus visits.
"I talk to a bunch of players and they'll let me know like, 'Yeah I'm getting this or I got this deal or whatever,'" Hill said. "Just to let me know what's real and what's not real."
College football programs varied on how they approached NIL during Hill's visits. Some took pride in mentioning the financial numbers while others said it would be mentioned later.
"Say I go somewhere where (the financial number) isn't as big as another school but, I ball out; the number's going to increase," Hill said. "You can build it. So I'm blessed to have that opportunity to where I don't have to go to a certain place due to numbers. I'm able to pick my own school that makes me the best football player and man I can possibly be."
Hill estimated he's collected some 700 text messages in addition to tweets and the voluminous postal mail sent to him by college programs.
"He's handled it well," Murphy said. "Money is not going to be a determining factor for this guy. Obviously, it's got to come into play. If you're not, you're missing out these days with NIL and all this kind of stuff."
Hill said he's stayed centered due to his faith in God along with the support of family and those closest to him throughout the decision-making process.
It's not just a football-related future for Hill, who has a 3.7 grade-point average. He wants to major in mechanical or chemical engineering with a minor in real estate.
"Life after football is more important than this amount of money that you're going to make these four years that you're in college because you can go somewhere and make a high lot of money and then be a lower round draft pick and don't make as much and not have the type of degree to support that," Hill said.
"You still got a whole another couple decades to live after you're done playing ball."
