Damar Hamlin Tweets Top 10: Odds on Where 4-Star CB Lands
The recruitment of 2016 4-star corner Damar Hamlin is coming into focus as the Pittsburgh standout tweeted out his top 10 on Wednesday.
The list is comprised of schools from the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12, plus Notre Dame.
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Home-state schools Penn State and Pittsburgh made the list, as did Auburn, Clemson, Miami, Michigan State, Ohio State, UCLA and Virginia Tech.
While his list wasn’t in order, there appear to be a few schools that have inched ahead in the race to land the nation’s No. 13 corner.
Where is Hamlin most likely to land? Let’s take a look by breaking down the odds for each school in his top 10.
The Long Shots: Auburn, Clemson, Miami, Michigan State, UCLA, Virginia Tech
As noted by Tom Loy of 247Sports, Hamlin noted that one of his main criteria in helping him arrive to his list is his relationship with the defensive backs coaches at each school.
While the 6’1”, 175-pounder has established good bonds with the coaches at all of these programs, he’s yet to visit any of these schools.
If any school out of this group is able to host him during the summer or during the season on an official visit, their chances would likely improve.
However, as things stand, this group appears to be on the outside looking in for the versatile Hamlin.
15-1: Pittsburgh
Hamlin has been a fixture on the Panthers campus in recent months, which makes sense given that he’s a hometown product.
With former Michigan State defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi taking over the Panthers head coaching gig, playing for one of the top defensive minds in college football is likely to appeal to a prospect such as Hamlin.
Additionally, Hamlin admits that staying home for college has its benefits.
"It’s the hometown school,” Hamlin told Loy. “That’s big for me. I love Coach Hill, Coach Conklin and Coach Narduzzi. Coach Hill just came out from the league, so he definitely knows what it takes to get there.”
While Pitt may not be the favorite, having the buzz surrounding Narduzzi’s arrival and being the hometown school should be enough to keep the Panthers in contention for Hamlin until he makes a final decision.
10-1: Penn State
As noted by Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports, Penn State head coach James Franklin and his staff have dominated the recruiting scene in-state in recent years.
After signing six of the state’s top seven prospects in the 2015 class, The Nittany Lions already have the top two 2016 in-state studs committed.
Hamlin, the No. 4 prospect in the Keystone State, has also been a fixture in Happy Valley, having visited campus seven times since the beginning of last year.
Franklin and his staff are hoping that level of familiarity will allow the Lions to win out in the end for his services.
8-1: Notre Dame
Hamlin and his family took a trip to visit Notre Dame for its junior day in March.
That trip was an eye-opener for Hamlin due to the opportunity he would have there on and off the field.
“It was great,” Hamlin told Loy. “It was really good. I loved it. The biggest thing I took from the trip for me was learning about the depth at cornerback, or lack of depth. They don’t really have a lot of depth at the position. That’s big for me. I want to go somewhere I’m wanted, where I can make an impact.
The key for the Irish will be getting Hamlin to return to South Bend during the summer or fall.
The fact that head coach Brian Kelly and his staff are treating Hamlin as a priority recruit is favorable for their chances with the Pennsylvania standout.
5-1: Ohio State
Aside from Penn State and Pittsburgh, no other school has had as much success with getting Hamlin on campus as Ohio State.
Hamlin has visited the Buckeyes three times this year, including trips in each of the last two months.
He was able to sneak in a visit last weekend to Columbus, which focused on his goal of building relationships with head coach Urban Meyer and his staff.
“It went good,” Hamlin told Loy. “It was a basic visit. I’ve been up here a lot. This was just about spending time with the coaches. Coach Luke Fickell, coach Chris Ash and coach Kerry Coombs are all good guys. We have a good relationship. We’re real close. It’s another one of my top schools. I love everything about the coaches. It’s a great place.”
As Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts noted, Hamlin made waves by wearing an Ohio State visor to the Columbus Nike Opening Regional camp last month—a camp in which he put on a show and earned a coveted invite to The Opening.
While that doesn’t mean Hamlin is a lock to join the Buckeyes class, it’s certainly an indicator that Meyer and his staff have some good momentum built with Hamlin.
Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
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