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| No. 7 – New Orleans Saints | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Born: | August 23, 1990 Pocatello, Idaho | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Highland (Pocatello, Idaho) | ||||||||||||||||||
| College: | BYU | ||||||||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||
Career history
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Taysom Shawn Hill (born August 23, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played collegiate football for the BYU Cougars.
Although listed as a backup quarterback on the official Saints depth chart, Hill also serves as a kick returner and utility player. In total, Hill has taken snaps at seven different positions on offense and special teams.[1] Hill's wide array of utilization has earned him a reputation as one of the most unique and versatile players in NFL.[2][3]
Early years[]
Born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho, Hill lettered in football, basketball, and track at Highland High School and graduated in 2009.[4][5] As a senior, he threw for 2,269 yards and 18 touchdowns, and rushed for 1,491 yards and 24 touchdowns, earning the All-Idaho Player of the Year, Gatorade High School Player of the Year, First Team All-State selection and earned All-Region and All-Conference Player of the Year accolades. He holds the school single-season and career records for total offense.[6]
In track, Hill competed in the 200 meters and long jump. As a sophomore at the 2007 5A District IV/V/VI Regional Meet, he recorded a personal-best time of 22.5 seconds in the 200 m, placing third, and ran the fourth leg on the 4 × 200 m relay squad, helping the Rams to 1:31.41 and a first-place finish.[7] As a senior, he won the long jump event at the 2009 5A Regional Meet, with a mark of Template:M to ft in.[8]
College career[]
Coming out of high school in 2009, Hill had multiple offers from programs in the West, including University of Arizona, Boise State University, Oregon State University, Washington State University, University of Utah, Stanford University, and Brigham Young University.
Heavily recruited by head coach Jim Harbaugh, Hill had originally committed to Stanford, but during his LDS church mission, he was informed that Stanford did not allow incoming freshmen to join the team until June. As a result, he decided to go to Brigham Young instead.[9][10]
In his freshman season of 2012, Hill was the #2 QB on the depth chart. He was initially brought in for special packages to utilize his athleticism in short-yardage situations. His very first play from scrimmage in college was an 18-yard touchdown pass against Washington State in the home opener. Hill wound up playing in 6 games for the 2012 campaign, having started 2 (winning in both starts), before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the closing seconds of a victory over Utah State.[11][12]
Hill entered the 2013 season as BYU's starting quarterback. After a tough 19–16 loss in the season opener at Virginia, he bounced back the following week against Texas, with 259 yards rushing and three touchdowns in a 40–21 win.[13] In 2014, Hill sustained a fractured leg against Utah State on October 3, ending his season. BYU lost their first game of the season that night.[14]
Hill suffered a lisfranc fracture during the 2015 season opener against Nebraska on September 5.[15] After the game, BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall announced that the injury would cost Hill the rest of the season.[15] On February 16, Hill announced that he would be returning to BYU in 2016, instead of pursuing options to play at another school as a graduate transfer.[16] He was granted a medical redshirt for 2015 and was eligible for one final season in 2016.[17] On August 23, Hill was named the starting quarterback over sophomore Tanner Mangum, who had started after Hill's injury in the preceding season.[18] Hill changed his jersey number from 4 to 7 to honor his older brother Dexter, who died earlier in 2016 and who wore No. 7 as a player.[17][19]
Late in 2016, Hill suffered a fourth season-ending injury. Against in-state rival Utah State on November 26, he went down with a hyper-extended elbow injury in the fourth quarter, and was unable to finish the season.[20]
Collegiate statistics[]
| Taysom Hill | Passing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | AY/A | TD | Int | Rate |
| 2012 | BYU | Ind | FR | QB | 6 | 42 | 71 | 59.2 | 425 | 6.0 | 5.8 | 4 | 2 | 122.4 |
| 2013 | BYU | Ind | SO | QB | 13 | 236 | 438 | 53.9 | 2,938 | 6.7 | 6.1 | 19 | 14 | 118.1 |
| 2014 | BYU | Ind | JR | QB | 5 | 88 | 132 | 66.7 | 975 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 7 | 3 | 141.7 |
| 2015 | BYU | Ind | SR | QB | 1 | 21 | 34 | 61.8 | 268 | 7.9 | 7.1 | 1 | 1 | 131.8 |
| 2016 | BYU | Ind | SR | QB | 12 | 222 | 372 | 59.7 | 2,323 | 6.2 | 5.6 | 12 | 11 | 116.9 |
| Career | BYU | 37 | 609 | 1,047 | 58.2 | 6,929 | 6.6 | 6.1 | 43 | 31 | 121.4 | |||
Professional career[]
Hill showed impressive athletic ability at BYU's pro day. His 40-yard dash of 4.44 seconds and 38.5-inch vertical jump would have finished first among all participating quarterbacks at the 2017 NFL Combine, beating Texas A&M’s Trevor Knight's 4.54-second 40 dash and 35.5-inch vertical.[21]
| Ht | Wt | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1 1/2 in | 230 lb | 4.44 s | 1.61 s | 4.37 s | 7.03 s | 38.5 in | 10 ft 2 in |
Green Bay Packers[]
Taysom Hill with the Packers
Unselected in the 2017 NFL Draft, Hill signed with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent on May 5.[22] He appeared in three preseason games with the Packers; he completed 14 of 20 passes, threw for two touchdowns and ran for another,[23] but was waived on September 2, 2017.[24]
New Orleans Saints[]
A day later on September 3, 2017, Hill was claimed off waivers by the New Orleans Saints.[25] He was promoted to the active roster on December 3 and appeared in a total of twelve special teams plays against the Carolina Panthers. In his NFL debut, Hill recorded two tackles on the Panthers' kick returner Fozzy Whittaker.[26]
In the 2018 season, Hill was the third-string quarterback and was also used in a variety of positions, becoming the Saints' primary kick returner. In their 21–18 win over the Cleveland Browns on September 16, he returned his first kick 47 yards. The next week against the Atlanta Falcons, he had his most versatile performance in his NFL career.[27] Hill returned three kicks for 64 yards, and made a tackle on a punt on special teams. He also rushed the ball three times for 39 yards, and was used often as a tight end to block defenders.[28][29] Against the New York Giants on September 30, Hill completed his first career pass in the NFL on a fake punt for 10 yards. He also rushed four times for 28 yards, continuing to line up at receiver on offense and still being the primary kick returner.[30] Against the Washington Redskins, Hill rushed five times for 24 yards, including his first career touchdown run in a 43–19 victory.[31] In the 30–20 Sunday Night Football win at Minnesota on October 28, Hill set up the Saints’ first touchdown of the game by completing a 44-yard pass to receiver Michael Thomas, for his second pass completion of the year.[32] During the Week 14 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Hill blocked a punt from Bryan Anger, which led to a touchdown that propelled the Saints to a come from behind 28–14 win, enabling them to clinch the division title. He was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[33][34] He finished the year with 37 carries for 196 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, three receptions for four yards, and passed for 64 yards and an interception. In addition, he had 14 kickoff returns for 348 net yards for a 24.86 average.[35] In the Saints' Divisional Round game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Hill made a key play as a utility player, running for a first down on a fake punt to begin the Saints' comeback victory.[36] In the NFC Championship, against the Los Angeles Rams, Hill recorded a touchdown reception in the 26–23 overtime loss.[37]
Personal life[]
Hill is the youngest of four children of Doug and Natalie Hill. He was named after Taysom Rotary Park located in his hometown of Pocatello, Idaho.[38]
Hill is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served as a missionary for the church in Sydney, Australia from 2009 to 2011. He married his wife, Emily Nixon Hill, in 2014 in the Salt Lake Temple.[39][40] Hill's brother-in-law is former BYU and NFL linebacker David Nixon.[41]
References[]
- ↑ "Error: no
|title=specified when using {{Cite web}}". https://www.abc4.com/sports/taysom-hills-versatility-making-an-impact-with-the-saints/. - ↑ Dunnells, Chris. "Taysom Hill is one of the most versatile players in the NFL". https://www.canalstreetchronicles.com/2019/2/11/18219540/taysom-hill-is-one-of-the-most-versatile-players-in-the-nfl-new-orleans-saints-quarterback-qb.
- ↑ "Error: no
|title=specified when using {{Cite web}}". https://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/297646/re-birth-of-slash-nfl-teams-looking-for-the-next-taysom-hill. - ↑ "Highland's Tayson Hill named Gatorade Idaho Football Player of the Year". Voices.IdahoStatesman.com. http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2008/12/04/jzentz/highlands_tayson_hill_named_gatorade_idaho_football_player_year.
- ↑ "Blog – BYU's New Generation of Quarterbacks: Taysom Hill". Truebluecougars.com. http://truebluecougars.com/blog/taysomhill/. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
- ↑ "Taysom Hill Athlete Profile – The Official Site of BYU Athletics". byucougars.com. http://byucougars.com/athlete/m-football/taysom-hill.
- ↑ "5A District IV/V/VI Regional Meet – Track & Field Meet". Athletic.net. http://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/MeetResults.aspx?Meet=36337#2117.
- ↑ "5A Regional Meet (Dist IV, V, VI) – Track & Field Meet". Athletic.net. http://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/MeetResults.aspx?Meet=73119#2117.
- ↑ Drew, Jay. "BYU football: Taysom Hill talks, tells real reason why he left Stanford". http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/cougars/54836737-88/hill-byu-stanford-quarterback.html.csp.
- ↑ http://www.sltrib.com+(April 11, 2011). "Utah Local News – Salt Lake City News, Sports, Archive". The Salt Lake Tribune. http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/cougars/51585982-88/byu-mission-quarterback-cougars.html.csp. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
- ↑ "Knee injury shelves BYU quarterback Taysom Hill for year – NCAA Football – SI.com". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/football/ncaa/10/08/byu-taysom-hill-out-for-season.ap/index.html.
- ↑ Brandon Gurney (October 8, 2012). "BYU football: Taysom Hill out 4–6 months with LCL injury (+ video)". Deseret News. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865564044/BYU-football-Taysom-Hill-out-4-6-months-with-LCL-injury.html?pg=all. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
- ↑ "BYU clobbers No. 16 Texas". USA Today. September 8, 2013. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2013/09/08/taysom-hill-byu-cougars-texas-longhorns-upset/2781621/.
- ↑ "Taysom Hill suffers left leg fracture". ESPN. October 3, 2014. http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11637854/taysom-hill-byu-cougars-suffers-left-leg-fracture. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Drew, Jay (September 5, 2015). "BYU football: Another season lost for star Taysom Hill". The Salt Lake Tribune. http://www.sltrib.com/home/2911518-155/byu-football-another-season-lost-for. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
- ↑ Drew, Jay (February 16, 2016). "BYU football: Taysom Hill returning to Cougars for 2016 season". The Salt Lake Tribune. http://www.sltrib.com/sports/3544175-155/byu-football-taysom-hill-returning-to. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Durkee, Travis (May 13, 2016). "BYU's Taysom Hill changing number to honor late brother". http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/news/byu-taysom-hill-changing-number-to-honor-brother-7-dexter/18qlk534gfqjk17wutipr5bdyw. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ↑ Gemmell, Kevin (August 23, 2016). "Fifth-year senior Taysom Hill named BYU starting quarterback". http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/17375766/byu-names-fifth-year-senior-taysom-hill-starting-quarterback. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ↑ Walker, Sean (March 26, 2016). "Taysom Hill excused from BYU spring game after brother's sudden death". http://www.ksl.com/?sid=39067028&nid=272. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ↑ "Taysom Hill excused from BYU's spring game after brother's sudden death". ksl.com. http://www.sltrib.com/home/4645458-155/byu-football-taysom-hill-suffers-fourth.
- ↑ "Examining former BYU quarterback Taysom Hill in the NFL draft". https://www.ksl.com/?sid=44018336. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
- ↑ "Packers sign five draft picks, 15 rookie free agents". May 5, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20180505201404/http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-press-release/article-1/Packers-sign-five-draft-picks-15-rookie-free-agents/59429000-4dd0-49bc-a103-9df1aef245a2.
- ↑ "Taysom Hill NFL Stats – Season & Career Preseason Statistics". https://www.foxsports.com/nfl/taysom-hill-player-stats?seasonType=3. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ↑ "Packers announce roster moves to reduce roster to 53". September 2, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20180507085345/http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-roster-moves/article-1/Packers-announce-roster-moves-to-reduce-roster-to-53/94349c91-be80-4c10-b860-36a5a83c78cd.
- ↑ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". September 5, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20180210104629/http://www.neworleanssaints.com/news-and-events/article-1/New-Orleans-Saints-announce-roster-moves/b3ecc654-f060-4caf-a675-5a07a52f6ace.
- ↑ Redford, Patrick (December 4, 2017). "Saints Get Special Teams Excellence From A QB Named Taysom". Deadspin. https://deadspin.com/saints-get-special-teams-excellence-from-a-qb-named-tay-1820990537. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ↑ Roberts, Rachel. "Idaho native's first kick return for the New Orleans Saints nearly turns into a TD". Idaho Statesmen. https://www.idahostatesman.com/sports/nfl/article218624160.html.
- ↑ "Dynamic Taysom Hill giving Saints offense a big spark". NOLA.com. https://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2018/09/saints_taysom_hill_offense.html.
- ↑ Gillen, Garland. "Taysom Hill excels against the Falcons on special teams and at quarterback". Fox 8 Live. http://www.fox8live.com/2018/09/23/taysom-hill-excels-against-falcons-special-teams-quarterback/.
- ↑ Roberts, Rachel (October 2, 2018). "SIdaho native still Saints' tricky weapon: His pass on fake punt 'stole a possession'". The Idaho Statesman. https://www.idahostatesman.com/sports/nfl/article219379760.html. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- ↑ Dabe, Christopher. "Taysom Hill's first NFL touchdown comes with Drew Brees also on the field". The Times-Picayune (NOLA.com). https://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2018/10/taysom_hill_touchdown_saints.html.
- ↑ "Sure, why not? Taysom Hill sets up TD with 44-yard pass" (in en-US). USA Today. October 29, 2018. https://saintswire.usatoday.com/2018/10/28/new-orleans-saints-minnesota-vikings-michael-thomas-taysom-hill/.
- ↑ "Saints' Taysom Hill named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after blocked punt vs. Buccaneers". The Times-Picayune. December 12, 2018. https://www.nola.com/saints/2018/12/saints-taysom-hill-named-nfc-special-teams-player-of-the-week-after-blocked-punt-vs-buccaneers.html.
- ↑ "Taysom Hill named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week". New Orleans Saints. December 12, 2018. https://www.neworleanssaints.com/news/taysom-hill-named-nfc-special-teams-player-of-the-week.
- ↑ "Taysom Hill 2018 Game Log" (in en). https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HillTa00.htm.
- ↑ McDonald, Charles R. (January 13, 2019). "The Saints move on, thanks to Taysom Hill's fake punt". https://www.sbnation.com/2019/1/13/18181430/taysom-hill-fake-punt-eagles-saints-breakdown-nfc-playoffs.
- ↑ Judd, Brandon (January 13, 2019). "Utahns in the NFL: Taysom Hill executes fake punt, play sparks Saints' rally past Eagles" (in en). https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900050455/utahns-in-the-nfl-taysom-hill-executes-fake-punt-play-sparks-saints-rally-past-eagles.html.
- ↑
- 4 Taysom Hill. "Taysom Hill Athlete Profile | The Official Site of BYU Athletics". Byucougars.com. http://byucougars.com/athlete/m-football/taysom-hill. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
- ↑ "BYU football: Quarterback Taysom Hill engaged to Emily Nixon". Deseret News. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865593224/BYU-football-Quarterback-Taysom-Hill-engaged-to-Emily-Nixon.html?pg=all.
- ↑ "Taysom Hill Athlete Profile". BYU Athletics. http://byucougars.com/athlete/m-football/taysom-hill.
- ↑ "BYU football: Taysom Hill born to run, within limits". The Salt Lake Tribune. http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=2689936&itype=CMSID.
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