Holton Hill Explained

Holton Hill
Current Team:Saskatchewan Roughriders
Position:Cornerback
Birth Date:28 March 1997
Birth Place:Houston, Texas, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:2
Weight Lbs:196
High School:Lamar (Houston, Texas)
College:Texas
Undraftedyear:2018
Pastteams:
Status:Active
Statlabel1:Total tackles
Statvalue1:73
Statlabel2:Sacks
Statvalue2:1.0
Statlabel3:Forced fumbles
Statvalue3:0
Statlabel4:Fumble recoveries
Statvalue4:1
Statlabel5:Interceptions
Statvalue5:1
Cflstatus:American

Holton Hill (born March 28, 1997) is an American football cornerback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Texas and has played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings.

Early years

Hill attended Lamar High School in Houston, Texas. As a junior, he tallied 41 tackles, two tackles for loss, 11 pass breakups and one interception. As a senior, he caught six passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns, returned 19 punts for 387 yards as well as five kickoffs for 227 yards, along with leading the state with 11 interceptions on defense. He was an All-American honoree and was named a first-team All-American by MaxPreps.[1] Hill committed to play football for Texas in January 2015, choosing the Longhorns over schools such as Alabama, LSU, and Baylor.[2]

Hill was also an outstanding track and field athlete at Lamar. He earned first-place finishes at the 2014 District 20-6A meet in the 110-meter hurdles (14.49 seconds), high jump (5'8" or 1.73m) and long jump (22'2.75" or 6.78m), and also ran a leg on the Texans' victorious 4x100m relay (41.75 seconds).[3] As a senior in 2015, he posted a personal-best time of 13.92 seconds in the 110m hurdles at the UIL 6A state championships, placing fifth in the finals.[4] He also won the long jump event at the 6A area championships with a leap of 23'5.50" (7.15m).[5]

College career

As a true freshman in 2015, Hill played in 11 games, tallying 49 tackles, three interceptions and one fumble recovery.[6]

In 2016, as a sophomore, Hill played in six games, making three starts. He had 23 tackles along with one pass deflection.[7]

As a junior in 2017, Hill played in and started the first nine games of the season for Texas, tallying 51 tackles, two interceptions, three defensive touchdowns, six pass breakups and a forced fumble. However, Hill's season ended on November 7 when he was suspended by head coach Tom Herman for a violation of team rules.[8] After the season, Hill declared for the 2018 NFL draft.[9]

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Hill signed a three-year $1,725,000 contract with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2018.[10]

In Week 7, he recorded his first career interception along with two pass deflections and two total tackles. He played in all 16 games with three starts, recording 36 combined tackles, seven passes defensed and an interception.

On April 5, 2019, Hill was suspended the first four games of the 2019 season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances.[11] He was suspended an additional four games again for violating the NFL policy on substances of abuse.[12] He was reinstated from suspension on October 25, 2019, and activated on November 2, 2019.[13] In week 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Hill recovered a fumble forced by teammate Mike Hughes on Mecole Hardman during a kickoff return in the 26–23 loss.[14]

In Week 2 of the 2020 season against the Indianapolis Colts, Hill recorded his first career sack on Philip Rivers during the 28–11 loss.[15] He was placed on the commissioner's exempt list on November 7,[16] and was placed on injured reserve on November 10, 2020.[17] He was waived from injured reserve on December 8, 2020.[18]

Indianapolis Colts

On July 29, 2021, Hill was signed by the Colts.[19] He was waived on August 31, 2021.[20]

Dallas Cowboys

On September 22, 2021, Hill was signed by the Dallas Cowboys to their practice squad.[21] He was released on October 5.

Cincinnati Bengals

On October 12, 2021, Hill was signed to the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad.[22] He was released on December 20, 2021.

DC Defenders

On November 17, 2022, Hill was drafted by the DC Defenders of the XFL.[23]

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On March 1, 2024. Hill signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[24] He was released at the end of training camp.[25]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Holton Hill. The Official Website of the University of Texas athletics. December 30, 2017.
  2. Web site: Four-star cornerbacks Kris Boyd, Holton Hill commit to Texas. Sports Illustrated. December 30, 2017.
  3. Web site: Texans, Eagles head to regionals . April 21, 2015 . Houston Chronicle . en-US . July 26, 2018.
  4. Web site: Track & Field, Cross Country Results, Statistics.
  5. Web site: Track & Field, Cross Country Results, Statistics.
  6. Web site: Holton Hill 2015 Game Log. College Football at Sports-Reference.com. December 30, 2017.
  7. Web site: Holton Hill 2016 Player Statistics. cfbstats. December 30, 2017.
  8. Web site: Starting corner Holton Hill violates team rules, won't play Texas' final games. November 7, 2017. ESPN. December 30, 2017.
  9. Web site: Texas CB Holton Hill to skip senior season for NFL draft. Fox Sports. December 30, 2017.
  10. Web site: Vikings Agree to Terms with Undrafted Free Agents. https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142914/http://www.vikings.com/news/article-1/Vikings-Agree-to-Terms-with-Undrafted-Free-Agents/819c5c96-25d7-4e07-b13a-64eb815ea095. dead. June 12, 2018. Vikings.com. April 30, 2018.
  11. Web site: Vikings corner Holton Hill suspended four games. Teope, Herbie. NFL.com. April 5, 2019.
  12. Web site: Vikings' Holton Hill gets his second four-game suspension of the year. Smith, Michael David. Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. July 23, 2019.
  13. Web site: Vikings Add Holton Hill To 53-Man Roster, Waive Cam Smith. Vikings.com. November 2, 2019. November 3, 2019. November 3, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191103145556/https://www.vikings.com/news/vikings-add-holton-hill-to-53-man-roster-waive-cam-smith. dead.
  14. Web site: Butker's late FGs help Chiefs rally past Vikings, 26-23 . 3 November 2019 . . 3 November 2019.
  15. Web site: Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts - September 20th, 2020 . 2020-09-22 . Pro-Football-Reference.com . en.
  16. News: Goessling, Ben . Vikings put cornerback Holton Hill on injured reserve . StarTribune.com . November 10, 2020 . December 13, 2020.
  17. Web site: Vikings Activate LB Todd Davis from Reserve/COVID-19; Announce Roster Moves. Vikings.com. November 10, 2020.
  18. Web site: Vikings Waive CB Holton Hill from Reserve/Injured; Announce Roster Moves. Vikings.com. November 10, 2020.
  19. News: Colts Communications . Colts Sign Cornerback Holton Hill. July 29, 2021 . July 29, 2021. Colts.com.
  20. Web site: Colts Announce Final 2021 Roster Cuts. Colts.com. August 31, 2021.
  21. News: Dallas Morning News . Colts Sign Cornerback Holton Hill. September 22, 2021 . September 22, 2021. dallasnews.com.
  22. Web site: Trae Waynes To Reserve/Injured List, Sign Two To The Practice Squad. Bengals.com. October 12, 2021.
  23. Web site: 2022-11-18 . Rosters for all eight XFL teams: Full draft results and where Vic Beasley, Martavis Bryant landed . 2022-12-30 . ESPN.com . en.
  24. Web site: Staff . TSN ca . 2024-03-01 . Saskatchewan Roughriders sign former Minnesota Vikings defensive back Holton Hill . 2024-04-05 . TSN . en-CA.
  25. News: Roughriders Transactions . 16 August 2024.