Watch Stephen Hill glide across the field catching passes for Georgia Tech and thoughts naturally drift to two of his superlative predecessors.
There goes the next Calvin Johnson. Here comes another DeMaryius Thomas.
Hill heard it all before his sophomore season as he prepared to succeed Thomas as Tech’s go-to receiver. The burden only increased with each dropped pass and disappointing performance.
Thomas was gone to the NFL, and the guy who was supposed to replace him wasn’t playing like he would follow.
“It pressured me last year a little bit,” Hill said. “Now all of that is behind me. [Thomas] in the NFL. I’m here. I’ve got something to do. He can’t do it for me.
“I’m me. I’m coming out here and be me. I’ve got a new type of ‘swag.’ I’m bringing something new to the table.”
As a result, so is Tech’s passing game.
Hill leads the ACC and is sixth in the nation with 153.5 receiving yards per game. He already has eclipsed his yardage total from 2010 (291) and has matched last season’s total of three touchdowns.
Tech’s opponents always have to worry about its triple-option running game. Now they also must account for Hill, whose three touchdown catches all covered at least 71 yards.
“He’s a big deep threat,” Tech quarterback Tevin Washington said. “He’s real fast. I don’t think there are many corners that can run with him. He’s a big playmaker.”
Hill has made it look effortless, but it has taken a lot of work for him to get to this point.
Hill is the first to admit that last season was a letdown. Asked about his memories from Tech’s upset loss last season at Kansas, Saturday’s opponent, and Hill immediately recalled dropping a potential touchdown pass in the 28-25 loss.
“That really hurt me,” Hill said.
There also was an academic suspension for Tech’s loss to Air Force in the Independence Bowl. That came after Hill said he gained confidence from some good performances in the final two regular-season games.
Hill said that attitude carried over into the off-season. He put in extra work in the weight room to add bulk and increase his upper-body strength. He said he also sought to have “more positive people around me” off the field.
“Get away from certain things, certain people and things like that,” Hill said.
Tech coach Paul Johnson said Hill has “committed himself to working hard and going to [class] and doing all those things he needed to do to get squared away.” Hill’s teammates noticed the change soon after last season ended.
“He’s definitely grown a lot, but it’s not something I didn’t expect,” senior wide receiver Tyler Melton said. “He put all that hard work in, and now it’s paying off. He came in with a different mindset.”
Hill has a lot to offer Tech’s offense with his size, speed and talent. With defenses stacked to contend with the triple option, Hill’s 6-foot-5 frame is an advantage against the single coverage he often sees on the outside.
The competition has yet to stiffen for Tech, but Hill already is doing more.
“Stephen’s always had a lot of ability and a lot was probably put on him a year ago, maybe unfairly,” Johnson said. “I don’t know that he was ready for it. He didn’t start out well, and it just kind of nosedived.
“I think his confidence is up. He’s worked hard, and to this point, hopefully he can continue to produce the way he has.”
Hill is doing a lot with the few passes that come his way. It’s not that the Yellow Jackets have suddenly become pass happy: They had just 26 attempts total against Western Carolina and Middle Tennessee State.
But the explosive passing plays have increased dramatically for Tech. The Yellow Jackets lead the nation in passing efficiency with 22.3 yards per attempt and no interceptions.
Hill’s lanky frame hasn’t quite filled out in the same way as Johnson and Thomas, who both were selected in the first round of their respective NFL drafts. But Hill’s hot start to this season means the expectations for him to produce like those stars are sure to keep growing.
“That’s unfair to him,” Tech running back Roddy Jones said. “Just because he’s a tall, fast receiver doesn’t mean he’s going to be the next Bay-Bay. Like we said last year, we need him to be Stephen, and that’s good enough.”
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