Mississippi State Football: Kylin Hill is next great Bulldogs running back
Mississippi State has a proud history of producing quality running backs in Starkville. 2017 signee Kylin Hill is next in line.
Mississippi State is known for developing the running back position. No matter who was on the sidelines, State has always seemed to have a guy that can put the team on his back.
From Walter Packer and Michael Haddix to James Johnson and Jerious Norwood to Anthony Dixon, Vick Ballard, and Josh Robinson, the Bulldogs have seemingly always had a work horse in the backfield.
They now welcome in their next one.
Kylin Hill signed with Mississippi State as a 4-star prospect and one of the better tailbacks across the nation. The Columbus native committed to the Bulldogs over Nebraska, Ole Miss, and Tennessee last May. Despite teams calling late, he held firm. He wanted to stay home and play in Dan Mullen’s offense.
Per Paul Jones of Bulldawgs 247, Hill’s decision to stay home made Mullen happy:
"“I couldn’t be happier to have Willie Gay and Kylin Hill stay home,” Mullen said. “Two local guys get to make their hometowns proud playing for their state University is a huge deals. If you saw the schools and their signing day celebrations you saw how excited everybody at the school was that they’re going to stay near home.”"
At Columbus, Hill made highlight after highlight. He caused headaches and stress for defensive coordinators across the Magnolia State every Friday night. Through his last two high school seasons, Hill rushed for 3,493 and 42 touchdowns. Needless to say, he was a star.
During his junior season for the Falcons, Hill carried the rock 201 times for 1,750 yards and 18 scores. He showed the ability to score from anywhere on the field and, as a result, schools around the nation came calling.
In his last season at Columbus, Kylin Hill continued to showcase his brilliance from the running back position. His carries dipped a little bit — down from 201 to 176 — but he continued to produce. Hill rushed for 1,743 yards and upped his touchdown total to 24. Defenses did not know how to contain the future Bulldog.
(*stats via 247Sports)
Hill also has the ability to make an impact in other areas, too. In the receiving game, Hill caught 36 passes for 610 yards and 4 touchdowns between his junior and senior seasons. He can take a swing pass for six and shows great hands out of the backfield. Hill can also burn opponents on special teams, as he returned kickoffs for scores on more than one occasion.
Mississippi State is getting a star that will make an impact from anywhere he lines up.
The Bulldogs already have tailbacks Aeris Williams and Nick Gibson on the roster. Alec Murphy and Dontavian Lee are also hungry to make an impact from the backfield. Williams will be the lead guy for the ‘Dawgs during the upcoming season. He and Fitzgerald burned through defenses during the latter parts of last season — specifically Texas A&M and Ole Miss. With another offseason under their belts, expect the production to keep rising.
Gibson showed off why he was a highly regarded recruit out of high school. The former 4-star running back carried the ball 11 times for 72 yards in just the first half of the past Maroon and White game. He showed his field vision and put his skills to display. He has the opportunity to become the second back in the offense.
Adding a back like Kylin Hill will only make the backfield even more dangerous. State will have the ability to line the Columbus product in the backfield or even in the slot. Hill will produce for the Bulldogs and has the potential to become the big play guy the offense needs.
He talked with Bulldawgs247’s Jones in April about the similarities between his high school schemes and what Mullen does in Starkville:
"“When I was at the spring game the coaches said they wished I could’ve played that day,” said Hill. “They are ready for me to hit the field.“I think the toughest thing I have to get adjusted to is the speed of the game. But with the scheme, my high school coaches have been at Mississippi State’s practices a lot so they always took different things from their scheme. So some of the sets will be similar to what I did at Columbus.”"
Next: Take a look at 4-star QB Keytaon Thompson
That’s great news for the Bulldogs, as getting a talent like Hill on the field as early as possible can only help the offense become more explosive and productive. Mississippi State found a guy that will take the offense to higher levels each season that he is on campus.