Kelton Hill stood before his Georgia State teammates. His throat clenched. His voice disappeared almost as quickly as one of his hip-shifting moves.
He stopped, walked off the small stage and left the auditorium.
Coach Bill Curry watched him leave and then told the team, let's get back to what we were doing.
A few minutes later Hill came back in, stood once again before this teammates and began talking. It was a short speech, but it was one of the most emotional moments that Curry said he's experienced in college football.
Hill told them he was sorry that he was arrested during the summer for allegedly stealing another student's laptop. He apologized that he embarrassed them and the program. Lastly, and this is the part that makes Curry's eyes sparkle, he asked for another chance to prove that he is the type of leader they once knew him to be.
His teammates started hollering, jumped up and embraced him.
"I expected a great reaction," Hill said. "A lot of people said that took a lot of guts to do what you did."
Curry said he's seen these speeches go both ways. If teammates sense a lack of authenticity, he's seen the speech-giver receive nothing but silence.
That wasn't the case with Hill.
"We could tell that he was sincere and was going to do what he needed to get back into the rotation," said guard Michael Davis.
However, Hill wasn't all the way back. Even though the Fulton County district attorney dropped the burglary charge, Hill still had to serve a suspension and work his way back up the depth chart.
He had already won the job once, using his blend of running and throwing in a sensational set of spring practices. Then he threw it all away when, in what he calls a lapse of judgment, he allegedly stole another student's computer. Campus police charged him on June 22. After a few weeks, they turned the investigation over to Fulton County. Hill declined to discuss what happened on the day in question, other than to say he made a mistake.
Realizing his error, Hill began texting Curry, who was in England enjoying some time off. The two texted back and forth, keeping each other abreast of the developments.
Hill was suspended by the university. He realized he was in trouble as soon as he started to go through the legal process, which he said he wouldn't wish on anyone. Eventually, the district attorney dropped the charges with a few conditions, including that Hill must graduate from a college within the next four years. He was reinstated to the university and rejoined the team on Aug. 11. However, there was one more condition: Curry told him that, after his mandatory suspension, if he wanted to play he needed to talk to the team.
Hill waited a few weeks, finally finding the words.
"It was a very emotional scene and he's not an emotional guy," Curry said. "He managed to handle himself a lot better than I could at that age in those circumstances."
Hill didn't play in the first three games, before finally taking the field in the 56-0 loss to Houston more than a week ago. Hill was one of the bright spots, running for 33 yards and passing for 16 more in limited duty. He never felt so happy to be tackled.
The offense needs Hill, a former standout at Lithia Springs High School. The Panthers are averaging 299.8 yards per game and need a spark, whether it's Drew Little or Hill, as they try to recover from a three-game losing streak. The Panthers will host Murray State on Saturday. The coaches seem excited to get him involved in a few more packages of plays.
"Kelton has great athletic ability, toughness and arm strength," Curry said. "He's also tough as nails."
He's also smart. Though Hill had never been in trouble before, he's made sure to tell the younger players to learn from his singular example.
Now, he wants to show what he's been doing on the practice field.
"Get ready for me to put on a show," he said.
