Here’s a story for you: A young, previously unknown Texas A&M quarterback emerges out of nowhere, becomes a Heisman contender just a few games in to the season after a streak of dominating performances, and has parents that in turn file for a trademark on his new nickname in the wake of his newfound stardom.
Sound familiar? Of course it does. It’s the ever-so-riveting and inspiring tale of “Johnny Football” himself, Johnny Manziel.
It also happens to be the story of the quarterback who replaced him this season, Kenny “Trill” Hill. The only difference is, his story doesn’t end with a Heisman. In fact, his story at Texas A&M is reportedly already over.
As it turns out, the sophomore quarterback is expected to transfer, and has asked for his release from the school. Hill is from the Dallas suburb of Southlake, and has opted for the time-tested “wanting to play closer to home” explanation for his exit. TCU, located in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, has been named as his likely destination.
The stated reason for his release request is certainly a baffling one upon closer examination. The thing is, College Station is already relatively “closer to home” to Southlake. Three hours and twelve minutes away to be exact. There are hundreds of college athletes who would love to be that near to their hometowns, driving home on the weekends in the same amount of time it takes to watch an NFL game start to finish.
It makes more sense to assume that Hill’s real reasons for leaving Texas A&M probably have more to do with how his season ended after such an initial meteoric and publicized rise.
Hill beat out the heavily-recruited Kyle Allen in early fall camp for the honor of filling Manziel’s shoes, and burst onto the college football scene shortly after with a 511-yard, three-touchdown annihilation of fellow conference member South Carolina to open the 2014 season. His 511 yards were actually enough to break Manziel’s school record for passing yards in a game. He immediately had the attention of fans and pundits nationwide.
But he didn’t stop there. Hill would go on to compile gaudy numbers against some weaker non-conference opponents, and cap his initial win streak with an overtime win in his own backyard, a 35-28 victory over Arkansas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Hill lead the Aggies from a 14-point deficit to tie the game with two minutes left in the 4th quarter, and would go on to hit Malcome Kennedy for a 25-yard touchdown pass in OT to seal the win.
By Oct. 4, A&M was 5-0, ranked No. 6 in the country, and had yet another quarterback with a trademark-pending nickname and a solid chance to win the school’s second Heisman in three seasons.
But then the real portion of their SEC schedule kicked in and Texas A&M lost its next three games to Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Alabama, the latter by a score of 56-0. Hill threw for only 138 yards and an interception against the Crimson Tide. The early season hero was suddenly looking very vulnerable, and seemed to have lost his poise that made him so great during the team’s win streak.
The Aggies had a bye the following week, and figured to get back on track against a much easier foe in Louisiana-Monroe on Nov. 1. Approximately one hour before kickoff, it was announced that Hill had been suspended for “an unspecified violation of team rules and athletic department policies.” Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, Hill had played his last down for Texas A&M.
There was of course much speculation at the time after the announcement, as Hill had already been suspended once before during the final part of spring practice in 2014 following an alcohol-related arrest after being found passed out in a planter outside of a bar in College Station’s Northgate bar district. Rumors swirled that Hill had again been involved in a similar incident in the same part of town the week of the Louisiana-Monroe game.
“It’s always disappointing whenever it’s any player,” A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin said about the suspension at the time. “What we try to do is hold players to certain standards in this program and if you don’t meet those standards, there are consequences. Unfortunately, this is one of those times.”
Offensive coordinator Jake Spavital made it known that Allen had actually won the right to start over Hill beforehand with his play in practice over the last two weeks, not because of Hill’s suspension. “Where we’re at right now, we’re looking for the best guys to put out there and to go out there and compete, and he definitely earned the starting position,” Spavital said of Allen.
Kyle Allen would remain behind center the rest of the way, guiding the Aggies to a 2-2 record to close out the regular season, and a 45-37 victory over West Virginia in the Liberty Bowl. Hill had become an afterthought, and the quarterback race was expected to be renewed in the offseason. Even worse for Hill, A&M had picked up a strong commitment from the nation’s top quarterback recruit, dual-threat Kyler Murray. Murray went 42-0 as a starter for the Dallas-area suburban school Allen High, and has been described as a dangerous combination of Manziel and fellow NFL quarterback Russell Wilson.
Hill was now expected to compete against two highly capable players for the position that he at one point was playing arguably better than anyone else in the country for nearly two months. The embarrassment of such a change in fortune to go along with being in Sumlin’s doghouse was perhaps too much for him to want to deal with, and now he’s on his way out and back up Interstate 35.
Regardless of how his season ended, Hill’s final numbers of 2,649 yards, 23 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a 67 percent completion rate are still impressive.
If TCU is indeed Hill’s destination, he will of course have to sit out 2015 in compliance with the NCAA’s transfer rule. Fortunately for Hill, the timing is in his favor, as current Horned Frogs quarterback Trevone Boykin is slated to return next season for his senior year after an incredible break-out performance of his own in 2014. Hill then would be eligible in 2016, and stands a high chance of taking over.
First-year TCU co-offensive coordinators Doug Meacham and Sonny Cumbie made Boykin a star this year in the Horned Frogs’ new offensive system after he ended his prior season playing wide receiver, losing his quarterback duties at the time due to poor play. Boykin should be a Heisman favorite at quarterback entering the 2015 season after a complete rebirth at the position. Hill’s arrival would provide TCU an extremely capable and likely candidate for Boykin’s replacement in 2016 and beyond.
Hill could indeed be heading “closer to home” for the remainder of his college career, but his real reasons may be bringing him to the perfect place for a second chance. And wouldn’t you know, as an added bonus, he could even do his laundry at his parent’s house on the weekends.
