Fear not, Michigan fans. Daxton Hill is poised to play in Friday night's Orange Bowl clash with Georgia.
The Wolverines' first-team All-Big Ten defensive back arrived in Florida Thursday after being unable to travel with the team earlier this week and took the field at Hard Rock Stadium with his teammates for warmups Friday night.
Hill was in full uniform when the Wolverines returned to the field about 45 minutes before scheduled kickoff. He certainly looks good to go.
This is a big boost for Michigan. Hill is a vital piece of one of the nation's top-ranked scoring defenses. He's tied for the team lead in interceptions and passes defended and ranks second in tackles. A potential first-round pick, the nickel/safety hybrid has also played the most snaps of Michigan defensive player.
So yeah: pretty important.
While the reason for Hill's delayed arrival is currently unknown, there's been speculation he was the subject of COVID exposure after his older brother Justice Hill, a running back for the Ravens, was reportedly placed on COVID-19 reserve Christmas Day.
If that were the case, Hill would have had to return two consecutive negative tests before being cleared to re-join the team.