Wide Receiver K.J. Hill Must Play Important Role in Ohio State's Offense in 2017

If you placed a bet on who would score Ohio State's first touchdown of the 2016 football season, chances are you didn't shove your money under the name "K.J. Hill." A redshirt freshman buried among a slew of players in Zach Smith's wide receivers and on an offense that included J.T. Barrett, Curtis Samuel and Mike Weber, when Hill reeled in a 47-yard pass against Bowling Green to get the Buckeyes on the board, it came as a surprise to some.

Even the player himself.

“I didn’t think I was going to be that guy,” Hill said, “but I just got put in the position to do it so I just made the most of it.”

Hill caught another pass that day for 11 more yards, then didn't touch the ball again until Oct. 15 at Wisconsin. As the Buckeyes tried to figure out the best way to rotate their wide receivers, Hill often became forgotten. An ankle injury at Oklahoma then knocked him out for a few games, so we didn't hear his name over the public address system for more than a month.

That cannot be the case in 2017. Provided he remains healthy, Hill must be a crucial part to what Ohio State does on offense this fall with new coordinator Kevin Wilson running the show. Whether it is in the slot in an attempt to replace Samuel's production (not easy) or on the outside like against Bowling Green, Hill needs to be heavily involved.

“Very reliable guy, good blocker, always in the right place, very good hands.”– Urban Meyer on K.J. Hill

“Every week he's getting better and better and better and better,” Smith said of Hill in November. “So we're really excited for him.”

“He's coming up the ranks,” Urban Meyer added. “I think we redshirted him [in 2015] so he's a first-year player. Typical progression of a young person that takes his role pretty seriously. A very nice talent to him. Typical transition from a young player to get some playing time.”

The next step more involvement. Hill is a candidate to play H-back in place of Samuel this fall (he was listed at H on the depth chart for the duration of the 2016 season) though whether he actually plays there will come out of necessity. Do the Buckeyes feel like they need him in the slot? Or is he best suited to play on the outside? Remember, they moved H-back Jalin Marshall to outside receiver in 2015 with the addition of Braxton Miller to H-back.

Hill doesn't really have experience carrying the ball out of the backfield, so someone like Demario McCall or even Parris Campbell — who played some running back in high school — feel like a better fit. Don't sleep on Eric Glover-Williams either, a lightning quick talent that switched from safety to wide receiver this winter.

Hill is a natural wide receiver but made some fine plays out of the slot this season. He was one of the few players to make noise at receiver outside of Noah Brown with any sort of consistency. The critical 34-yard catch and run from the slot he made against Northwestern helped the Buckeyes shove aside the Wildcats 24-20. Meyer even brought him up to speak to the team afterward.

“I was in the slot, I stalked the linebacker, he bit on Curt with the wheel and I was in a hole so he threw it to me,” Hill said that afternoon. “I knew it would be open the whole time and I was just grateful to get the opportunity.”

Meyer waited for more explosion from his passing game all season and it only really came in spurts. Hill provided a few excitable moments, like the play against Northwestern that set up the winning score in addition to five catches apiece in victories over Nebraska and Maryland.

“I think that was a game-changer, and he's a really good player,” Meyer said of the Northwestern catch. “He's earning more and more playing time. Very reliable guy, good blocker, always in the right place, very good hands.”

Hill is one of those players that feels like he just gets how to play wide receiver. He almost always catches the ball away from his body, has strong hands, great quickness and speed in and out of cuts. His 18 receptions for 262 yards and one touchdown in 2016 mean he is the top returner at wide receiver with Samuel and Brown off to the NFL.

The position needs an overhaul, with Campbell, Terry McLaurin and James Clark failing to really step up in 2016. Younger talent like Binjimen Victor and Austin Mack along with incoming recruits Trevon Grimes and Jaylen Harris join Hill as players that will be discussed a ton during spring practice and then training camp.

The Buckeyes need to get their passing game back on track after a disjointed effort last year. Meyer made moves on the coaching staff with the hires of Wilson and quarterbacks coach Ryan Day to take the first step at that coming to fruition. Now the players need to develop and be put in positions to be successful, that way if one of them scores the first points against Indiana on Aug. 31, it doesn't come as a surprise.

“I feel like with the ball in my hands, my quickness, I can explode with my quickness on the field,” Hill said. “And my vision.”

All are things that the Buckeyes desperately need in their 2017 offense.