WEST HILLS — Chaminade offensive lineman Jackson Hill was once the big man in pads doing a different kind of protecting.
He never played tackle football before his freshman year, but he was blocking curveballs in the dirt and moving swiftly left to right, right to left before protecting the blindside of his quarterback. Even to this day, he can still crouch down from his catcher’s stance and pop right back up as if he’s on the baseball diamond.
So when asked by Chaminade coach Eddie Machuca to give life at the line of scrimmage a try, the answer came without hesitation.
“Shoulder pads and helmet in the heat?” Hill said. “I was already used to it.”
And in four years, Hill went from a newcomer to being one of the best blockers in the nation. Hill is committed to Notre Dame after helping Chaminade average 338.7 yards per game, including 5.9 yards per carry, in 2025.
“His work ethic keeps everyone accountable on the offensive line,” Machuca said. “He’s a grinder. He’s becoming a leader. When you have a guy that’s going to play college football, the younger guys get to see how hard he’s working and he’s setting that example.”
How was Hill able to become so good at blocking in a short period of time? He says it’s owed to being a multi-sport athlete in elementary and middle school. He played basketball in addition to baseball, and his lone tackle football experience before high school was joking around with friends on the beach.
“Playing all those sports helped me get athleticism,” Hill said. “Basketball and baseball each brought those qualities. Baseball teaches you to squat and develop flexibility, and basketball you learn to move side-to-side, and you see how those elements play a part in my game. I’d say don’t get caught up in the specifics of a certain sport. Just play it, have fun, and go be outside.”
Hill was always the biggest athlete on his team, even as a 12-year-old going to baseball tournaments across the country, including Cooperstown. His father Steven had to carry his birth certificate around to answer questions because of his size.
“During COVID, we were going to Utah, Arizona and wherever we could play,” Steven Hill said. “We’d show up to these tournaments and other teams thought (Jackson) was one of the coaches. Then we would turn around, and he had a baby face, and then you knew he was just a really big kid.”
Setting the tone for Chaminade
Three players in orange jerseys lined up during a recent practice against Hill, who was dressed in blue. The goal? Try and see if they could collectively bypass him.
One by one, each player came with full force, only to be pushed aside flawlessly as Hill worked both his hand technique and footwork in a blue jersey as a tackle protecting the outside. All three players in opposing orange jerseys had the job of treating Hill like he was their worst enemy.
Preparation for the pressure Hill will face all season as one of the top-ranked offensive linemen in the country, taking on double teams and blitz coverage to protect sophomore quarterback Jeremy Mellalieu.
After the rep, Hill took his teammates aside. He demanded more effort from the scout defensive linemen and also took his fellow linemen and worked on how to properly kickstep to stay balanced and square against the pass rush.
Taking fellow teammates aside and acquiring leadership skills were traits he learned working with Top Prospects Athletics baseball coach Dom Ramirez in Tarzana.
“Work ethic comes from within,” Hill said. “If you’re not going to want to do something, you’re not going to do it. When people do things for their mom or sister, that’s nice, but you have to want to do it for yourself.”
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Hill wasn’t sure how far his football career would take him. But the offers started pouring in after his sophomore year. Hill kept growing and improving as a blocker.
“I was just mowing (pass rushers) down,” Hill said. “I got offers, kept working and working. It’s been a blur.”
Freeman saw the makeup and attributes outside of his physical abilities that would make Hill a fit in South Bend, Ind. Hill learned of Freeman’s stoic and disciplined approach in the discussions the two shared in Indiana.
“He’s calm, but he also knows what needs to be done,” Freeman said. “He would get on you and would yell like any other coach but shares with you the steps to success. He trusts the process, he trusts the players, and he has a lot of self-belief in the guys. There’s trust, and his hard work brings results.”
Hill is now the leader of Chaminade, which improved from 3-7 (2-3 Mission League) his sophomore year to 5-6 (2-3 Mission League) in 2025. The expectations rise for the Eagles and Hill, whose role has expanded. He is an extension of the coaching staff on the field and setting the tone for Chaminade, which hasn’t captured the Mission League title since 2017 under Ed Croson.
“We have to get on it intrinsically,” Hill said. “We have a saying in our meetings. When Coach Machuca says, ‘Opportunity,’ we say as linemen, ‘The decision is mine.’ Every time you’re handed that, you have to make the decision. You have to make the decision every single day to work harder than you did before.”
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