Penn State Football
Recruiting Profile: Mike Hull
By Joe Giardina

The list of WPIAL standouts that have gone on to success as linebackers at Penn State is a long and star-studded one. LaVar Arrington (North Hills), Paul Posluszny (Hopewell) and Sean Lee (Upper St. Clair) are just some of the more recent local stars that have helped Happy Valley live up to its nickname of "Linebacker U."

The Nittany Lions' plan is for Canon-McMillan senior linebacker Mike Hull to be next in line to hold the rope.

Hull, who committed to Penn State as a junior, has blue and white in his blood. His father, Tom (who played two seasons in the NFL) and his uncle, John, also played linebacker at Penn State.

A sure tackler with quickness and superior strength, Hull is a 6-1, 220-pound "coach's dream," as Joe Butler of Metro Index Scouting would say.

"He plays with a great sense of urgency," Butler said. "He plays very strong and has really good instincts. He's the kind of player every coach would love to have."

A four-year starter at Canon-McMillan, Hull, who runs a 4.5 40-yard dash, was also a standout running back, much like the high school versions of Arrington, Posluszny and Lee were before they dominated the linebacker position in the Big Ten. Shedding tackles as a running back is a skill that translates well to the linebacker position, as shedding blocks and finding open space to get to the ball carrier are fundamental requirements.

Also like those three, Hull is highly regarded in national circles. The online recruiting database Scout.com has him listed as the country's top-rated inside linebacker of the 2010 recruiting class. After recording more than 100 tackles his senior season, he was named to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Fabulous 22. Just last month he participate I n the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.

And it was at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl that Hull received the Doc Blanchard Award, which is given to the player who best demonstrates the U.S. Army's standard of excellence in community service, education and athletic distinction.

"He is everything the words 'student-athlete' should represent," said Guy Montecavlo, Canon-McMillan's football coach. "He consistently performs at a high level day in and day out, play after play, drill after drill. He has a tremendous work ethic."

With the departures of Josh Hull (no relation), Navarro Bowman and the aforementioned Lee, Penn State will have three holes to fill at linebacker in 2010. The incoming freshman Hull will likely play inside, where he could immediately crack the two-deep.

"The way he plays, his talents should transfer into college immediately," Butler said. "I think he can make that jump and be ready to play right away. He has tremendous upside. I don't know if he has many weaknesses right now."

While he may be able to contribute right away, his ideal playing weight will be in the 230 to 240-pound range, meaning he will have to add mass. But that doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't have the strength. In fact, in addition to winning the Doc Blanchard award while in San Antonio, Hull also won a drill-sergeant-judged push-up contest, performing 82 official pushups in 60 seconds.

The next closest was 64.

"He's got functional strength," Butler added. "He knows how to use his strength to his advantage and he plays with leverage. He'll be able to play at linebacker because he has the speed to get to the big-time ball carriers in the Big Ten and the agility to be able to make plays in all gaps and from sideline to sideline."