Elite Combine Note: The Will Hill-Dawud Lane Connection

So it turns out that St. Peter's Prep football standout Will Hill is cousins with Rutgers-bound defensive end Al-Ghaffaar "Dawud" Lane of Paterson Catholic. I discovered this tonight at the Elite College Combine in Waldwick, where both young men were watching and not competing.

Whether this helps Rutgers in terms of recruiting Hill, a 6-3, 200-pound two-way threat ranked No. 1 in the nation among athletes by Rivals.com, or not remains unclear...but it certainly can't hurt.

Hill listed a virtual Who's Who of college football powers among the schools he's considering: Michigan, Rutgers, Florida, Ohio State, USC and Florida State. He said he has taken unofficial visits to Rutgers and UConn.

A tremendous athlete who started at both QB and S for the Non-Public Group 4 runners-up, Hill said he prefers the defensive side of the ball.

"I like quarterback but I don't have the passion for it," he said. "A lot of people tell me, 'That's where the money's at,' but if you're heart's not in it, it's not good."

Asked if Lane being at Rutgers might influence his decision, Hill joked: "It kind of does, but he's ugly.

"We played together the majority of our lives (growing up in East Orange). We played together in Pop Warner from (age) 4 to three years ago."

Hill said he expects to make a decision after the 2007 season, but before National Signing Day in February.

Tune in for more on Lane, Rutgers and other North Jersey high school players in Wednesday's editions and in future posts.

(Photo courtesy Rivals)