Few college running backs have shown the level of playmaking ability and high level of versatility throughout history that former Mississippi State rusher Kylin Hill has.
Hill’s success started at Columbus High School, where he totaled over 3,500 rushing yards and 45 touchdowns. He finished out his career there as a four-star recruit and the sixth-best running back in the 2017 recruiting class.
It didn’t take long for him to become a popular name in college football, either. He recorded a statement season in 2019, considered one of the best players in the Southeastern Conference when he carried the ball 242 times for 1,350 yards and 10 touchdowns, accompanied by 180 receiving yards and one touchdown in the air.
Hill played in the first three games of the 2020 season, catching 23 passes for 237 yards and with 15 carries for 58 yards before opting out for undisclosed reasons.
With the opt-outs that came both ahead of and during the 2020 season also came a sense of amnesia. There were players who stayed and played, emerging and raising their draft stock in eye-catching ways we weren’t expecting to see, causing some to almost forget about the talent of those who chose to stop playing temporarily.
Hill says he recognizes this sense of amnesia and has a simple response to it.
“It’s time for me to wake everybody up again,” he said.
The running back knows what he brings to the table for an NFL team, and is confident in his abilities as one of the best players at his position.
“The simple fact is that I can do it all between the tackles,” he said. “I can split wide with comfort and take advantage of and create mismatches. I believe I’m the best route-runner in this year’s class at my position, but there are plenty of exciting backs within this class.”
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Obviously, the Mississippi State offense underwent a major change with the introduction of the Air Raid, but Hill describes it as a simple switch.
“(The transition to the new offense) was easy,” he said. “I did this before in high school, so I just had to dig back down into my old roots and do whatever was needed to help us succeed.”
Former Bulldogs quarterback KJ Costello commended Hill for his role within the offense over the two games the pair shared a field for together.
“After Week 1, his second-round grade was skyrocketing because he was showing his catch ability,” Costello said.
Since opting out, Hill says he’s spent the time period between then and now to continue training, and feels he’s gotten to know himself even better as a person and an athlete.
Like so many other players going through the extensive process ahead of the draft, Hill says he’s been putting a lot of focus on film study and getting to know the game better, though he feels he has a firm handle on it — as his track record would indicate.
Outside of football, Hill has been a force for change in society as well. People of Mississippi and beyond know he’s more than just a football player because of all his efforts toward social justice.
Hill, who threatened to boycott the 2020 season if Mississippi didn’t change its flag, says he’s happy with the progress society has made against racism. But he still sees more work to be done.
“I’m proud to say we are in a better spot now than what we were years or even just months ago,” he said. “I’m not saying everything is positive. There are still plenty of people out there who are against it all. I plan to stay active in it and hopefully get more involved in it.”
It will be interesting to see where Hill ultimately ends up when the 2021 NFL Draft rolls around in April, and it’s for certain that whichever team snags him will get a thoughtful player who can instantly bring some pop to their ground and passing game.
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