With the NFL Combine comes tremendous access and tremendous interviews for some of college football’s biggest stars as they make their transition into the NFL.
As is customary every offseason, former Longhorn QB Chris Simms, now an analyst for NBC, finds his way next to a multitude of former Texas stars for some of the more entertaining interviews of these young players’ careers.
With LBs and defensive linemen reporting first, Simms got the chance to chat with Anthony Hill alongside co-host Mike Florio about a multitude of topics, from Hill’s recruitment to getting over the Georgia hump.
Simms jumped right in and asked about how Hill ended up at Texas, despite once being committed to Texas A&M:
“Obviously, I made the right decision, but I had to take a step back and look at my future and see where I wanted to be at. I ended up deciding that Texas was the one for me,” Hill said. “I love Texas, I feel like I made the right decision.”
Hill noted that he had a full circle moment arriving at the combine, as he claimed the coach who he was committed to at Texas A&M greeted him at the event and they had a conversation. That coach is likely Tyler Santucci, A&M’s co-dc and linebackers coach in the early 2020s, who is now coaching linebackers for the Baltimore Ravens.
Hill then rattled off a few names that stood out to him in his college career, the best he’d played against:
“This was easy for me: Michael Penix,” Hill said. “My playoffs my freshman year. He roasted us, man. He threw for like 400 on us. That was probably one of the best performances I’ve ever seen playing football.”
We all remember the heartbreak of that loss back in 2023, as well as the one he highlighted this past year playing against Florida’s Jadan Baugh, who he said was the best back he ever faced.
With it being the combine that brought them together, Florio and Simms asked Hill if he would be competing in the event.
Hill not only said he was, but that he would do every drill offered, a rarity in the modern game and one that should excite Texas fans. He also plans to run ‘really fast’ on his 40-yard dash, which many will be very interested in.
Hill says he needs to work on his physicality and tackling, as well as getting depth with his drop in coverage.
Past jokes about Lamborghini’s, college players making a ton of money these days and Hill’s duo of cars, Hill ended the discussion talking about getting over the hump against Georgia.
“It takes another level to beat Georgia, a level that starts in the offseason. You have to continue to chase that level to beat that team,” Hill said. “That’s a team that’s won championships. They know how to win, they’ve got winning in their DNA. We’re still trying to figure that out.”
Hill noted that their superpower is timing in knowing when to strike, noting the onside kick and fake punt from the last two matchups that flipped the script on Texas.
Hill finished off the interview the only way we’ve grown accustomed to, boasting on his victories over Texas A&M and Oklahoma. The Aggies didn’t score an offensive touchdown on Texas in College Station when they played, and Oklahoma hasn’t scored a touchdown, period, in two years.
Would you expect anything different from the man playing linebacker at Texas for three tremendous years?