Minnesota Football Recruiting: DE Noah Hickcox commits to Gophers

(*Editor's note...What the heck does "Commitment to Eight" mean? It is our new recurring title for recruit commitments referencing a commitment to work towards the Gopher's Eighth National Championship.)

Hickcox is a lightly recruited DE out of Rockford, IL. He is a high motor kid with flexibility to play at multiple positions when he gets here.

Quotables

Ryan Burns of GopherIllustrated ($cout).

"It's a vision I've had since I was a little kid, and when my dad got sick I promised him that I was going to make it to the Big Ten. That's a promise I intended to keep to him, and I was able to fulfill it tonight. It means more than you could imagine. I want Minnesota fans to know we're coming and Ski-U-Mah!"

Measurables

Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 275 lbs.

Big 4 Ratings:

Highlights

Senior year highlights:

TDG Analysis

In Two Words - if you have to remember just two things about this player...

• Athletic
• High Motor

Absurd Comparisons

You ready for this one? Hickcox reminds me of JJ Watt in that he’s big and has great athleticism. JJ Watt? He’s elite! You may also recall that Watt was a 2-star kid without much of a clear-cut position. He was a Gopher commit before Mason was fired and we all know that Mase would have made Watt a TE.

(yes, this clearly gets the award for most absurd comparison...Matt would be proud)

Scheme Fit

But Hickcox has flexibility to play at DE, move inside to DT or maybe even ends up being an OT.

Impact on Other Prospects?

Not exactly sure, we’ve brought over a few kids with multiple positions in the recent flips.