STARKVILLE — Seniors Ashton Shumpert and Brandon Holloway combined for 106 carries — roughly 21 percent — of the
Mississippi State football team’s rushing offense last season.
Kylin Hill wants to be the one to fill that gap.
The freshman running back from Columbus High School won’t be fazed by competition for playing time. His coaches won’t be scared to throw him into the mix, either.
“We’ll get him here, give him every opportunity and see how he does,” MSU running backs coach Greg Knox said in the spring. “He’s going to get every shot to show us how good he is, how quickly he can pick up the offense and how well he can produce.”
Hill knows the task he will face learning the playbook.
“It’s not like high school,” Hill said. “You really have to sit down and learn it.”
But Hill, who rushed for 1,801 yards as a junior and 1,750 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior (to earn The Dispatch’s Large Schools co-Offensive Player of the Year), thinks he has a bigger task ahead of him.
“It’s not the playbook. The more challenging thing is the speed of the game,” Hill said.
Columbus High football coach Randal Montgomery believes Hill will be able to hold his own in both areas. He has seen Hill’s athletic talents make up for mental mistakes. Montgomery also thinks Hill will be able to grow past such events at MSU.
“A lot of the things we did on Friday nights are things we got from Mississippi State, since guys from my staff are always over there picking (MSU coach Dan Mullen’s) brain,” Montgomery said. “(Kylin)’s got kind of a head start with it.
“There’s not a lot that they can throw at him that he will be uncomfortable with.”
Another area where Hill figures to be comfortable is playing special teams. At Columbus High, Hill served as a kick and a punt returner. Competition for those jobs also should be open, as MSU has to replace its two primary kick returners. Holloway led the team in kick return attempts, while Fred Ross did the same in punt return attempts.
“There’s no doubt about it. (Kylin’s) a natural at catching punts. He’s a natural at catching kickoffs,” Montgomery said. “One thing I thought was going to get him on the field real early was he is physically ready.”
Knox, who also is MSU’s special teams coordinator, said in the spring the Bulldogs hadn’t made a decision about who was going to play returner. He anticipated the Bulldogs would have freshmen like Hill capable of taking the role. But running back was on Knox’s mind when he said he would give Hill every opportunity.
When Hill heard Knox’s words, there was no sense of intimidation. There was only desire.
“It’s special coming from him. I know he means his word,” Hill said. “I like pressure. I thrive in that situation. To be able to compete in that kind of situation, there’s nothing better.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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