Texas Football: Anthony Hill looking like a ‘natural’ pass rusher
Texas football saw several new additions to the program stand out since the start of spring ball this offseason. A talented group of transfers, along with a top-five ranked 2023 signing class in the nation among recruits from the high school level, combined to bring a lot of impactful new faces to the Forty Acres this year.
One of the most impactful new additions to the program for head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns this year is the former elite five-star recruit out of Denton Ryan High School, true freshman linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. The uber-talented first-year linebacker is expected to be an immediate contributor along the front seven for the Longhorns this fall.
Hill made significant strides during the spring, setting himself up to win the starting job in fall camp at the sam linebacker position. He showed signs during spring camp of being an impactful pass-rushing linebacker that will also be a playmaker in run defense.
Freshman Texas football LB Anthony Hill Jr. showing out as a “natural” as a pass rusher this offseason
And it sounds like Hill continues to make positive strides during summer workouts. Horns247 reported on July 7 (paid content) that Hill looks “athletic, explosive, focused, driven” this summer. Another interesting nugget from this Horns247 report mentions that Hill is “an absolute natural rushing the passer” from what he’s shown since the spring.
These are similar returns to what we heard regarding Hill’s progress as a pass rusher during spring ball. He showed flashes of becoming the most effective pass rusher Texas has at the linebacker position in the spring.
It won’t surprise me in the slightest if Hill does fill the role left by senior linebacker DeMarvion Overshown this fall as the most utilized pass rusher at linebacker for the Longhorns and DC Pete Kwiatkowski.
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Hill will likely start at the sam linebacker position this fall for the Longhorns alongside senior mike linebacker Jaylan Ford and senior will linebacker David Gbenda. Junior linebacker Mo Blackwell Jr. will also figure into the rotation at linebacker, either at the sam or will spot this season.