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'{{Short description|American gridiron football player (born 1990)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}} {{Infobox NFL biography |name = Will Hill III |image = Will hill ravens2015.jpg |image_size = 300px |alt = |caption = Hill playing for the [[Baltimore Ravens]] in [[2015 Baltimore Ravens season|2015]] |current_team = |number = 25, 31, 33 |position = [[Safety (American football position)|Strong safety]] |birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1990|3|7|mf=y}} |birth_place = [[East orange, New Jersey]] |death_date = |death_place = |height_ft = 6 |height_in = 3 |weight_lbs = 215 |high_school = [[St. Peter's Preparatory School]]<br />([[Jersey City, New Jersey]]) |college = [[Florida Gators football|Florida]] |undraftedyear = 2011 |pastteams = * [[New York Giants]] ({{NFL Year|2012}}–{{NFL Year|2013}}) * [[Baltimore Ravens]] ({{NFL Year|2014}}–{{NFL Year|2015}}) * [[Hamilton Tiger-Cats]] ({{CFL Year|2017}}) * [[Orlando Apollos]] ({{AAF Year|2019}}) * [[St. Louis BattleHawks]] ({{XFL Year|2020}}) |pastteamsnote = yes |status = |cflstatus = |highlights = ;College * [[BCS National Championship Game|BCS national champion]] ([[2009 BCS National Championship Game|2009]]) * SEC All-Freshman Team (2008) ;High School |statleague = NFL |statweek = |statseason = |statlabel1=[[Tackle (football move)|Total tackles]] |statvalue1=221 |statlabel2=[[Quarterback sack|Sacks]] |statvalue2=1.0 |statlabel3=[[Fumble|Forced fumbles]] |statvalue3=3 |statlabel4=[[Fumble|Fumble recoveries]] |statvalue4=2 |statlabel5=[[Interceptions]] |statvalue5=4 |statlabel6=[[Touchdown|Total touchdowns]] |statvalue6=3 |nflnew = will-hill |pfr = HillWi01 |cfl = will-hill/162463/ }} '''Will Hill III''' (born March 7, 1990) is a former [[American football|football]] [[Safety (American football position)|safety]]. He played [[college football]] for the [[Florida Gators football|University of Florida]] and was a member of Florida's [[2009 BCS National Championship]] team. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the [[New York Giants]] in 2012, and has also played for the [[Baltimore Ravens]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL) from 2014 to 2015. He was also a member of the [[Arizona Rattlers]] of the [[Arena Football League]] (AFL), the [[Hamilton Tiger-Cats]] of the [[Canadian Football League]] (CFL), the [[Orlando Apollos]] of the [[Alliance of American Football]] (AAF), and the [[St. Louis BattleHawks]] of the [[XFL (2020)|XFL]]. ==Early years== Hill was born in [[Jacksonville, Florida]], and was raised in [[West Orange, New Jersey]]. He attended [[St. Peter's Preparatory School]] in [[Jersey City, New Jersey]]. At St. Peter's Preparatory School, he was a two-sport athlete in football and track. In [[high school football|football]], he played [[wide receiver|receiver]], [[quarterback]], [[running back]], and [[safety (American football position)|safety]] in his junior year. He ran for 682 yards from both running back and quarterback positions and threw for 758 yards. He had three [[interceptions]] and 68 tackles playing [[free safety]] and had 444 yards receiving.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&nid=2458183 |title=Scout.com Stats |publisher=Recruiting.scout.com |access-date=March 19, 2012}}</ref> As a senior, Hill had 947 yards passing and seven touchdowns, he rushed for 960 yards and 19 touchdowns and had 43 tackles, four interceptions, and three pass breakups on defense. He was a first team all-state selection. He was the 2007 New Jersey Offensive Player of the Year.<ref>{{cite web|author=Will Hill |url=http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=46770&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncf%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fplayer%3frecruitId%3d46770 |title=ESPN.com Stats |publisher=Insider.espn.go.com |date=October 10, 2010 |access-date=March 19, 2012}}</ref> In [[track and field]], Hill competed as a [[sprint (running)|sprinter]]. He recorded a personal-best time of 52.9 seconds in the [[400-meter dash]] as a freshman.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hctca.org/meetrecords.html|title = Hudson County Track Coaches Association}}</ref> In addition, he also ran a 4.4-second [[40-yard dash]] as a senior. Following his high school senior season, [[Rivals.com]], [[ESPN]], and [[Scout.com]] all rated Hill as the top high school safety in the nation. ESPN rated him as the second overall football prospect and the top-ranked overall athlete in the nation. Rivals rated Hill tenth and Scout rated him sixth among all college football recruits. ==College career== Hill accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the [[University of Florida]], where he played for coach [[Urban Meyer]]'s [[Florida Gators football]] team from [[2008 Florida Gators football team|2008]] to [[2010 Florida Gators football team|2010]]. As a [[free safety]] and [[special teams]] contributor, he was chosen to be on the 2008 SEC Football All-Freshman Team.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=2&url_article_id=11940&change_well_id=2 |title=2008 SEC Football All-Freshman Team Announced |publisher=Secsports.com |access-date=March 19, 2012}}</ref> Hill compiled 48 tackles and two interceptions as a freshman for the Gators. He recorded the first tackle of the [[2009 BCS Championship Game]], in which the Gators defeated the [[2008 Oklahoma Sooners football team|Oklahoma Sooners]] by a score of 24–14. ==Professional career== {{nfl predraft | height ft = 6 | height in = 1 | weight = 202 | dash = 4.63 | ten split = 1.56 | twenty split = 2.69 | shuttle = 4.19 | cone drill = 6.94 | vertical = 34 1/2 | broad ft = 10 | broad in = 5 | bench = 13 | wonderlic = | arm span = | hand span = | note = All values from NFL Combine and Pro Day<ref>http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=83020&draftyear=2011&genpos=FS {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2022}}</ref> }} Hill was not selected in the [[2011 NFL Draft]]. Hill later signed with the [[Arizona Rattlers]] of the [[Arena Football League]] (AFL).<ref>http://azrattlers.com/2011/09/28/rattlers-sign-db-will-hill-db-arkeith-brown-and-db-da’mon-merkerson/ {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> === New York Giants === On May 14, 2012, Hill was signed by the [[New York Giants]]. He was eventually activated to their active roster.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000092604/article/new-york-giants-activate-will-hill-place-michael-coe-on-ir|title=New York Giants activate Will Hill, place Michael Coe on IR|work=[[National Football League]]|date=November 10, 2012|access-date=November 10, 2012}}</ref> On June 2, 2014, Hill was waived by the Giants.<ref name="ESPN 2014-06-02">{{cite news|last=Graziano|first=Dan|date=June 2, 2014|title=Giants waive Will Hill|url=http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/11020969/new-york-giants-waive-suspended-safety-hill|newspaper=[[ESPN.com|ESPN]]|access-date=October 24, 2014}}</ref> === Baltimore Ravens === It was reported on July 25, 2014 that the [[Baltimore Ravens]] signed Hill after former Giants teammate [[Aaron Ross]] was injured in training camp and lost for the entire 2014 season. On November 24, 2014, in Week 12 against the [[New Orleans Saints]], Hill intercepted quarterback [[Drew Brees]] and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. The Ravens won 34–27. On August 27, 2015, the Ravens signed him to a two-year contract extension worth roughly $7 million.<ref>{{cite web|work=ESPN.com|url=http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13525631/will-hill-signs-two-year-contract-extension-baltimore-ravens|title=Will Hill re-ups with Baltimore|date=August 27, 2015|first=Jamison|last=Hensley|access-date=December 13, 2015}}</ref> On November 30, 2015, in Week 12, Hill recovered a potential game-winning field goal blocked by defensive end [[Brent Urban]] as time expired and returned it for a game-winning touchdown against the [[Cleveland Browns]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/dec/01/kick-six-last-play-of-game-gives-ravens-stunning-win-over-browns|title=Kick six on last play of game gives Ravens stunning win over Browns|work=The Guardian|date=December 1, 2015|access-date=December 1, 2015}}</ref> Hill was named the [[American Football Conference|AFC]] Special Teams Player of the Week in recognition of his successful performance.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Ravens' Will Hill wins AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award|url = http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bal-will-hill-wins-first-afc-special-teams-player-of-the-week-award-for-field-goal-return-20151202-story.html|website = baltimoresun.com|access-date = December 3, 2015}}</ref> On March 16, 2016, the Ravens released Hill upon learning that he had failed a drug test and would be suspended ten games.<ref>{{cite web|work=NFL.com|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000644985/article/baltimore-ravens-release-safety-will-hill|title=Will Hill facing 10-game suspension for drug violation|first=Kevin|last=Patra|date= March 16, 2016 |access-date= March 16, 2016}}</ref> ===Hamilton Tiger-Cats=== On May 9, 2017, Hill signed with the [[Hamilton Tiger-Cats]] of the [[Canadian Football League]] (CFL). In the season opening loss to the [[Toronto Argonauts]], Hill blocked a pair of field goals, one of which was returned for a touchdown by teammate [[Richard Leonard (Canadian football)|Richard Leonard]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/2017/06/25/rays-career-day-leads-argonauts-past-tiger-cats-season-opener/|title = Ray shreds Ticats for over 500 yards passing as Argos take opener at BMO|date = June 25, 2017}}</ref> In his second game with the team, Hill was ejected for grabbing a referee by his uniform after disputing a call on the field. He was subsequently suspended for one game by the league. Hill was also issued a fine for punching a Saskatchewan player in a separate incident on the same play.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/pmn/sports-pmn/football-sports-pmn/cfl-football-sports-pmn/cfl-fines-suspends-hamiltons-hill-for-separate-incidents-in-loss-to-riders/wcm/e4bcd31e-6e68-48d8-b5fc-4559da0c9ae3|title=CFL fines, suspends Hamilton's Hill for separate incidents in loss to Riders|date=July 11, 2017|work=National Post|access-date=July 11, 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> On August 10, 2017 Hill was released by the Tiger-Cats who were 0–6 at the time, citing character concerns.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.tsn.ca/ticats-release-db-hill-cite-character-concerns-1.827296|title=Ticats release DB Hill, cite character concerns – Article – TSN|date=August 10, 2017|work=TSN|access-date=August 11, 2017}}</ref> Hill appeared in 5 games for the Ti-Cats and contributed 25 defensive tackles, one tackle on special teams, one quarterback sack, and two blocked field goals. ===Orlando Apollos=== In 2018, Hill signed with the [[Orlando Apollos]] of the [[Alliance of American Football]] for the 2019 season.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Romero |first1=Iliana Limon |last2=Parry |first2=Roy |title=Orlando Apollos unveil debut uniforms, land QB Garrett Gilbert |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/sports-editor-blog/os-sp-orlando-apollos-uniforms-1128-story.html |website=OrlandoSentinel.com |access-date=December 11, 2018}}</ref> The league ceased operations in April 2019.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/26957796/inside-short-unhappy-life-alliance-american-football |title=Inside the short, unhappy life of the Alliance of American Football |first=Seth Wickersham |last=Michael Rothstein |website=[[ESPN.com]] |date=June 13, 2019 |access-date=September 12, 2019}}</ref> In 8 games, Hill made 35 tackles, one sack, and one interception.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://noextrapoints.com/players/will-hilliii/|title = Will Hill III}}</ref> ===St. Louis BattleHawks=== In October 2019, Hill was drafted by the [[St. Louis BattleHawks]] in the [[2020 XFL Draft]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Bender|first=Bill|url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/xfl-draft-tracker-results-picks-list-rosters-football-league/jahz8p84e4i61hb8lajqs4a22|title=XFL Draft picks 2019: Complete results, rosters, players for new football league|website=[[Sporting News]]|date=October 21, 2019|access-date=October 23, 2019}}</ref> During the 5 game shorted season due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], Will had 33 tackles and 2 interceptions,.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://stats.xfl.com/Player/10232|title = XFL Live Stats}}</ref> Hill was named to both the XFL mid-season awards,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.xfl.com/articles/all-xfl-midseason-team|title=All-XFL Midseason Team}}</ref> and was rated as one of the top graded defensive backs by [[Pro Football Focus]].<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1247912697045438465|user=XFL2023|title=The grades are in. ⁣⁣Take a look at the highest-graded players of the season according to @PFF.<!-- full text of tweet that Twitter returned to the bot (excluding links) added by TweetCiteBot. This may be better truncated or may need expanding (TW limits responses to 140 characters) or case changes. --> |date=April 8, 2020}}</ref> He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.<ref>{{cite news |author=Condotta, Bob |title=XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/xfl-suspends-operations-terminates-all-employees/ |website=SeattleTimes.com |date=April 10, 2020 |access-date=July 17, 2020}}</ref> ==Personal troubles== On October 8, 2012, the NFL suspended Hill for using the prescription drug [[Adderall]]. He was able to return to the Giants' active roster on November 5.<ref>{{cite web|title=Giants' Safety Hill Suspended For Adderall|date=October 8, 2012|url=http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/10/08/giants-safety-hill-suspended-for-adderall/|publisher=CBS News New York|access-date=October 9, 2012}}</ref> Hill was suspended a second time for the first four games of the 2013 season for violating the NFL substance abuse policy; his suspension ended on September 30.<ref>{{cite web|title=Giants safety Will Hill suspended four games for second consecutive season|url=http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2013-07-20/will-hill-giants-safety-suspended-four-games-nfl-policy-substance-abuse-policy|publisher=The Sporting News|access-date=July 20, 2013}}</ref> Following his second suspension, Hill underwent drug rehabilitation in March and April in [[Boston]], and followed that with outpatient meetings in New Jersey.<ref>{{cite web|title=Giants' Will Hill opens up about drug use|website=[[USA Today]]|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/giants/2013/07/28/giants-will-hill/2593905/|access-date=July 28, 2013}}</ref> On December 21, 2013, Hill was arrested in New Jersey on a warrant for outstanding child support payments.<ref>{{cite web|last=Orr|first=Conor|title=Giants' Will Hill arrested for non-payment of child support, will play on Sunday|date=December 22, 2013|url=http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2013/12/giants_will_hill_arrested_will_play_on_sunday.html|publisher=NJ.com|access-date=December 22, 2013}}</ref> In March 2014, New Jersey police issued a warrant for Hill's arrest for failure to pay child support.<ref name="baltimoresun.com">{{cite web|last1=Wilson|first1=Aaron|title=Ravens' Will Hill has active warrant for failure to pay child support in New Jersey|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/ravens-insider/bal-ravens-safety-will-hill-has-an-active-warrant-for-failure-to-pay-child-support-in-new-jersey-20150128-story.html|website=The Baltimore Sun}}</ref> On May 30, 2014, Hill was suspended for the first six games of the [[2014 NFL season|2014 season]] for violations of the league's substance abuse policy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.giants.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Safety-Will-Hill-suspended-for-six-games/41baddca-d7c8-4d63-863f-5fb444ec0e4e |title=CSafety Will Hill suspended for six games |work=[[Giants.com]] |date=May 30, 2014 |access-date=May 30, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531090642/http://www.giants.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Safety-Will-Hill-suspended-for-six-games/41baddca-d7c8-4d63-863f-5fb444ec0e4e |archive-date=May 31, 2014 }}</ref> Hill has been trying to make changes in his personal life. "I sit in the house with my family. I used to be a nightclub guy, especially coming out of college. I've just been watching a lot of movies. I'm a homebody. I took a long look in the mirror and decided to change a lot of things," Hill said in December 2014.<ref name="baltimoresun.com" /> ==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}} ==External links== * [http://www.baltimoreravens.com/team/roster/Will-Hill/968b3543-838a-4f08-8e29-d12495f6d258 Baltimore Ravens bio] * [http://gatorzone.com/football/bios.php?year=2010&player_id=185 Florida Gators bio] * [http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&nid=2458183 Scout.com Profile] * [https://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/viewprospect.asp?pr_key=55566&Sport=1 Rivals.com Profile] {{2008 Florida Gators football navbox}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Will}} [[Category:1990 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American football safeties]] [[Category:Arizona Rattlers players]] [[Category:Baltimore Ravens players]] [[Category:Florida Gators football players]] [[Category:New York Giants players]] [[Category:People from West Orange, New Jersey]] [[Category:Players of American football from New Jersey]] [[Category:Sportspeople from Essex County, New Jersey]] [[Category:St. Peter's Preparatory School alumni]] [[Category:Under Armour All-American football players]] [[Category:Orlando Apollos players]] [[Category:St. Louis BattleHawks players]]'