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Brenden Brenden Hill claimed the 'whip' linebacker spot in the spring, and never looked back. |
BLACKSBURG--Marcus Vick and Brenden Hill arrived at Virginia Tech more than five years ago as immature, headstrong teenagers, best friends who figured it was only a matter of time before they became big-time college football superstars.
Instead, both spent more time navigating the halls of justice than scoring touchdowns.
Vick's well-documented on- and off-field transgressions eventually led to his dismissal from the football program in January. Hill avoided a similar fate after two brushes with the law, but seemed destined to join his former high school teammate as an ignominious blip in the Hokies' gridiron history.
In Vick's absence, however, Hill has flourished--becoming the impact player, leader and man he always knew he could be.
Heading into Saturday's Chick-fil-A Bowl against Georgia, Hill, the whip (outside) linebacker, is the No. 4 tackler on the nation's top defense. His size, speed and athleticism remind NFL scouts of former teammate and current Carolina Panthers linebacker James Anderson.
And on Dec. 15, when he walked across a stage in Cassell Coliseum while tears streamed from his mother's eyes, he earned a title Vick didn't stick around long enough to secure: Virginia Tech graduate.
"What I'm hoping to see is [players] have a good football career, get their degree and their life after [college] is good," Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said. "Brenden is certainly going in that direction. That's kind of the enjoyment of coaching, to see guys come along and look like their life is going to be good."
Hill's redemption has been a long-term project. Before this year, the easygoing 22-year-old was best known for an infamous January 2004 party, after which he, Vick and Mike Imoh were arrested for providing alcohol to a trio of underage girls.
All three players were charged with multiple counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Hill agreed to a plea deal that included probation, a $100 fine and 24 hours of community service. He was also suspended for the first three games of the 2004 season.
In June 2005, a judge extended Hill's probation and tacked on 75 more hours of community service after Hill tested positive for marijuana.
Hill wasn't much better on the field. He was Vick's favorite target in high school and signed with Virginia Tech as a wide receiver, but got stuck behind Eddie Royal, Josh Morgan, Justin Harper and Josh Hyman on a crowded depth chart and saw only sporadic special-teams duty.
Even after moving from offense to defense, Hill struggled to find a home. He bounced from free safety to rover, practiced with the scout team, unable to sustain a high level of performance from one week to the next.
Still, for reasons even Hill doesn't completely understand, Beamer and defensive coordinator Bud Foster stuck with him.
"That's the thing that separates our program. A lot of programs just look at guys like pawns. They're replaceable and they almost have an NFL approach that you're expendable, but here at Tech, the coaches are loyal," Hill said. "When you sign to come here, it will take a whole lot for them to get rid of you."
The coaches' patience paid off this year. After backing up Anderson at whip last season, Hill had a strong spring practice and beat out Corey Gordon for the starting job during Virginia Tech's preseason camp.
In his second career start, Hill returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown against North Carolina. He had four tackles, a sack and two pass breakups against Miami, then had three tackles for loss in the Hokies' rout of eventual ACC champion Wake Forest.
"He made some bad decisions, but when they gave him one more chance, I knew he was going to take full advantage of the opportunity," said Virginia Tech linebacker Xavier Adibi, who has known Hill since middle school. "It seems like he has nine lives or something, but he always keeps digging. He's just coming into his own now and showing people all the things he's capable of doing."
The season hasn't been without drama--ESPN's announcers ripped Hill for dancing on the field during a timeout in the second half of a lopsided loss at Boston College--but Hill has handled both the good and bad moments in the same straightforward manner he addresses his troubled past.
"He's a standup guy. What you see is what you get. He's not going to sugarcoat anything," Virginia Tech cornerback Brandon Flowers said.
Indeed, when he thinks about how close he came to blowing his golden opportunity in Blacksburg, Hill can only shake his head.
"It's definitely changed me as a person--and it's definitely been worth it, 100 percent," Hill said. "The man that I am today is so different than the man that I was five years ago, and I wouldn't have been able to do that without this program and without these opportunities. I'm so grateful and so thankful, and I'm just happy it's going the way it is."
To reach JIM McCONNELL:
Email: jmcconnell@freelancestar.com
Virginia Tech (10-2) GeorgiaDome, Atlanta |
