George Hill stood on the infield at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on Friday afternoon and was breathing heavily. It was understandable, of course, as Hill had just run a 100-meter dash in 10.85 seconds in his preliminary heat at the OHSAA Track and Field State Championships.
Despite that time, one many would deem as a quality one, Hill wasn’t entirely satisfied.
“I’ve gotta get a better start,” he said. “I know I can run a better time.”
He’s done it before, too. Hill’s top time in the 100-meter dash is 10.74 seconds — a number which he clocked one week ago at a regional meet. His 10.85 on Friday qualified him for Saturday’s finals, but he wasn’t able to top that mark. He ran a 10.94 to place sixth in the state in Division II.
But while Hill wrapped up a strong junior track season, it’s what he does on the football field that has Ohio State fans excited for the future.
The four-star athlete from Hubbard, Ohio, was the Buckeyes’ first commit in their now-loaded 2016 class. He’s the nation’s 92nd-ranked player and No. 9 athlete. Hill plays running back for his high school team, though, and projects either there or at H-back in Columbus.
The Buckeyes currently have two other running back commits for 2016: five-star Kareem Walker and four-star Demario McCall. They are ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, at their position in the 2016 class by 247Sports.
That makes three top-100 players at the running back position for the Buckeyes in the 2016 class.
“We’re all out here to compete and we’re gonna have a good team,” Hill said with a smile. “Everybody is gonna have to compete for and hopefully I’ll be one of those guys to take a spot.”
Hill said he sees all three as different types of players. Walker is the prototypical running back, McCall is more of the slash and Hill is a blend of both. Hill, who said he gets down to 195 pounds during track but plays football around 205, said he definitely sees a role for himself when he watches Ohio State games.
“Yeah, definitely. Reverses and stuff like that, the slot back,” he said. “Hopefully running back, too. They teach you how to find the holes, how to adjust and stuff like that.”
With his junior track season now over, Hill can focus his attention back toward the gridiron and his final year of high school football. He wants to bulk up a bit, but continue to keep his speed which is a major factor in his game.
“I got a little bigger, but I feel like I can get a little bigger to be a running-back type,” he said. “We’re gonna see this year with football and how that goes.”
