The height and weight dimensions of 6-foot-8, 280-pound R.J. Dill don’t necessarily scream out ‘basketball star,’ but that’s what the Maryland offensive tackle commitment initially envisioned for himself during his early high school years.

Toward the end of his junior season of football, however, the switch flipped for the Camp Hill, Pa. native. Dill began to realize that his athletic potential was on the football field, not the hardwood. According to Trinity head coach Jeff Boger, that realization was the right one in terms of potential. But Dill’s affinity for hoops was still important for his development as an offensive lineman.

“He’s not bad,” Boger said of Dill’s basketball-playing abilities. “For 6’8, 280 he can get up and down the court pretty good. He takes up space. He gives them height when they need it and he can score it at times. He’s not going to set the world on fire, even though he might tell you differently. But I mean he’s a good basketball player and it definitely helps him being a lineman because it just helps him with his feet. If you can move up and down the basketball court, you have the ability to be a good lineman.”

His nimble footwork and a revitalized focus on football – thanks in part to calls from dozens of college recruiters – set the stage for Dill to flourish as a senior. Defensively, he contributed 26 tackles, two forced fumbles and four quarterback hurries.

At the right tackle position, Dill paved the way for a Trinity rushing attack that accumulated 3,244 yards and 37 touchdowns. The Shamrocks averaged 5.7 yards per attempt throughout their 12-1 season, which ended in the district finals.

“I don’t know for sure, but I’d say the majority of those yards came because we were going to the right, which was the side he was on,” Boger said. “And I would say the same for the touchdowns. I would say the majority came from the right side.”

If there’s a knock on Dill’s play, it’s that he didn’t get much of an opportunity to develop his pass blocking skills thanks to Trinity’s Wing-T offense.

Still, Boger feels the potential is there, and when the Shamrocks did drop back, Dill held his own.

“We don’t pass that much,” Boger said, “but for what we did, he did fine. He’s going to see a lot of different stuff in college. But when he went to the combines for the colleges, [pass blocking is] what they really looked at. From my understanding, from the coaches that came through, he really showed some good pass blocking ability. It’s there -- it just needs to be harnessed more.”

Boger, who has coached Dill for three years on the Trinity varsity, cautions that his star offensive tackle is still ‘a young pup.’ In fact, Dill will still be 17 when he enrolls at College Park.

But according to Boger, the Terps are getting a hardworking player on the field, and an entertaining personality off it.

“They’re going to get a kid that is going to work hard and I think they’re going to enjoy him,” Boger said. “He’s silly at times, he has a good sense of humor and he’ll sweat a lot. He’ll do stuff and he sweats up a storm really quickly. It’s actually pretty funny.

“I’m sad to see him go, but four or five years from now, Maryland will be sad to see him go. We all have times when you have to go to the next level. But I look forward to seeing what he can do.”