Film Don't Lie: Kyle Hamilton
Notre Dame fans were excited about the addition of Litchfield Ajavon to the 2019 recruiting class, but some were probably hoping for something a little different. It’s not that they don’t appreciate a physical strong safety, but Notre Dame has had no issue finding those. Free safety has been a different story.
Those fans should be smiling now that Kyle Hamilton (Atlanta, GA) has jumped on board. He’s a terrific compliment to Ajavon and Hamilton is a playmaker in coverage. With offers from Ohio State, Georgia, and Clemson, this is a coup for the Irish to land a player with sky high potential from the south.
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 190
Projected Position: Either safety spot
ISD Grade: 91 (4-star)
National Average Grade: 86.5 (3-star)
What he does best:
Hamilton has elite ball skills. That’s not an exaggeration. He tracks the football really well and uses his size to his advantage to attack it. I love the way he finishes through the catch point and he has the hands to make plays when it counts too.
This interception is borderline ridiculous. He snatches this away from the receiver like that guy insulted him prior to the play.
Ball production matters a lot to me when I evaluate safeties. If a player doesn’t get his hands on the football in high school, then it’s tough to project he’ll be able to flip that at the next level. 6 interceptions and 8 pass breakups is a lot of production.
A big reason why he is able to be so productive is his combination of size and speed. You can’t coach 6’3” and his speed to that goes along with that is ver good. That gives him the range to make plays others cannot get to.
That happens in coverage where he is able to close the gap quickly and versus the run where he arrives to the football in a hurry.
This play is a perfect example of it. The ball is run to the opposite side and yet he comes from off the screen to make the play out of what looks like thin air.
The players on the play side probably should have made the play before it even got to Hamilton, but it’s such a luxury to have someone that is capable of erasing the mistakes of others. He has that kind of speed to cover up for his teammates both in coverage and against the run.
Hamilton absolutely checks the physical box on the list of required traits for a safety as well. He is aggressive playing downhill versus the run. While some others may try to avoid or slip blocks on the perimeter, he isn’t afraid to fight through them to the proper angle to the football. It’s something he shows a few times on film that rarely happens with other safeties.
I love this play here because he might not make the tackle, but the way he blows up this block destroys any chance for this play to be successful for the offense.
What he needs to improve:
While I love his aggression on the perimeter, Hamilton seems to frequently be a cut tackler. That’s not a bad thing some of the time, but I’d rather see him wrap and finish more often than cut. It just leaves more opportunities for broken tackles and potential big plays.
His instincts and reactions in coverage are very good, but he can improve with his route recognition. His speed can make up for it right now, but as he faces better passers at the next level, he’ll have to recognize things a bit sooner to put himself in a position to make plays.
He has to refine his transitions out of his backpedal even though he shows an ability to stick his foot in the ground and drive on the football.
What’s his ceiling?
A couple of places have Hamilton ranked much lower than I do, but I’m really comfortable where I have him ranked. I bumped him up after re-watching his film recently. I’m a big believer in what I saw and how high his ceiling is.
I think he has the potential to play some single-high free safety at the next level and his height and length are rare for the position. His athleticism and instincts make him an elite prospect in my opinion. His offer list is far more reflective of the type of prospect he is than the ranking some have given him.
I see him as an eventual high-level starter at either safety spot that can boost up some of the lack of production in coverage they’ve had at the position in recent seasons.