Report: QB Kenny Hill asks for release from A&M
Posted by John Taylor on January 9, 2015, 9:04 AM EST
Yes, I know: The Trill is gone.
Now, with that out of the way, there have been rumblings of late that
Kenny Hill was considering a transfer from Texas A&M. Overnight, it appears those rumors are coming closer to fruition as
Travis Haney of
ESPN.com writes that, citing sources close to both the player and the program, āHill has asked for his release from the school and is
expected to transfer.ā
Considering that Hill lost the starting quarterback job to
Kyle Allen in late October, in part because of a two-game suspension and in large part for poor performance, the news isnāt all that surprising.
What is surprising is how far and how fast Hillās star plummeted.
In the season opener, Hill
torched the South Carolina defense for over 500 yards of total offense, leading to
premature Heisman speculation and his parents
trademarking a nickname. Hill followed that up with eight passing touchdowns and no interceptions in wins over Lamar and Rice, adding to the hype. Over the next five games, however, he tossed eight picks.
After
the 59-0 embarrassment at
the hands of Alabama in mid-October, head coach
Kevin Sumlin reopened the quarterback competition during the subsequent bye week. A few days later,
Hillās two-game suspension for violating unspecified team rules opened the door for the true freshman Allen
to take over the starting job for the Nov. 1 win over Louisiana-Monroe and, as it turns out, for the remainder of the year.
The combination of Hillās missteps on and off the field along with Allenās pedigree made the latterās ascension to the starting job an inevitable. Allen came to College Station last year as a five-star member of the Aggiesā 2014 recruiting class, rated as the No. 1 pro-style quarterback in the country and the No. 7 player at any position.
As for Hillās future, thatās unclear. Coming out of high school in Southlake, Tex., as
a four-star 2013 recruit, Hill held offers from, among others, Baylor, Houston, Kansas State, Ole Miss, Missouri, TCU and Texas Tech. TCU is already
the rumored front-runner.
If Hill ends up with the Horned Frogs, heād have to sit out the 2015 season and then have two years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2016.
http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/09/report-qb-kenny-hill-asks-for-release-from-am/