Joel Klatt: Anthony Hill Jr. is easily a top ten player in college football

The Texas Longhorns have high hopes for the 2025 season. It’s a year where head coach Steve Sarkisian returns a star-studded roster, including Anthony Hill Jr. who is one of the best linebackers in the country.

More than a great linebacker, Hill is a great player in general. College football analyst Joel Klatt even ranked him seventh nationally, regardless of position. That’s a ranking he recently defended on The Joel Klatt Show.

“Anthony Hill, the linebacker for Texas,” Joel Klatt said. “Quietly — no. I think a lot of people loved Anthony Hill. I loved Anthony Hill getting ready for that game against Michigan when they went up there and beat the Wolverines, I knew Anthony Hill was a really good player. All-American last year. He does it all for Pete Kwiatkowski‘s defense. He’s entering now his junior year, and this is a guy I think can have one of those pop-type years where he could be, easily, a Butkus guy. I believe he was a finalist last year.”

Anthony Hill came to Texas as a five-star recruit in the Class of 2023. He was the 16th-ranked player overall nationally and the second-ranked linebacker in that recruiting class. Hill broke out in 2024, making 113 total tackles, 17 tackles for a loss, and 8.0 sacks. He also had an interception.

“He’ll be the focal point of that defense. This is a defense that I think can be very good. They’ve got that showcase game right out of the gate as we have them on Fox in Columbus against Ohio State. That’s going to be really difficult for Ohio State,” Klatt said. “In part because of how good the Longhorns defense is, specifically, because of Anthony Hill.”

The focus for most fans at Texas is going to be Arch Manning. It’s natural, given his pedigree and the position he plays, that Manning gets that attention. However, it’s players like Anthony Hill who head coach Steve Sarkisian is going to need to step up around Manning in 2025.

“He is outstanding,” Klatt said. “I love him as a player. He’s easily a Top 10 player. He checks in for me at number seven. Texas is going to be very good. I think they should start one or two in the country, and rightly so. Anthony Hill could be one of their better players. A lot of those guys are going to get overshadowed just with the Arch-mania that I’m sure is going to descend upon us in college football. But, truth be told, a lot of good players. They’ve recruited so well. Sark has done an excellent job at Texas. Anthony Hill is kind of the epitome of that. He is a marquee player on the defensive side of the ball, and I think he’s going to have a huge, huge year.”

The Longhorns have massive expectations for the 2025 season. With expectations that they return to the College Football Playoff for a third straight season, Texas needs players like Anthony Hill to play to their full potential.