Quick Impact, Then Injury, for Husker Transfer Cornerback Blye Hill

Nebraska football’s addition from the FCS level should be back in action soon.

Blye Hill during a Nebraska football practice in spring of 2024. / Nebraska Athletics

Eighth in a series on Nebraska's additions via the transfer portal. Previous articles: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

With key defenders Ty Robinson, Isaac Gifford and John Bullock deciding to return for a sixth season at Nebraska, heading into the 2024 season, the only spot on defense with questions surrounding it was the cornerback spot opposite Tommi Hill.

Nebraska is replacing two-time honorable-mention All-Big Ten cornerback Quinton Newsome. The three-year starter was a mainstay for the Huskers, playing 53 career games for the Big Red, and is spending training camp with the Denver Broncos.

The staff loves the potential in the secondary, but it's also home to 16 first- and second-year scholarship players and as a whole, the room is inexperienced at cornerback — outside of Tommi Hill.

Malcolm Hartzog has started 15 games at corner through his first two seasons in Lincoln, but former coach Evan Cooper seemed intent on moving him to field safety, where he started three games last season in addition to his work at corner. Hartzog worked almost exclusively at safety in the spring and even with John Butler taking over for Cooper, that remains the case so far this summer.

In its quest to replace Newsome, the staff has also spent the offseason cross-training Marques Buford at both safety — where he has 13 career starts — and corner, the position he was originally recruited for under the previous staff. Like Hartzog, however, Buford's best position is probably safety.

Despite the size of the room, the staff went into the offseason monitoring the transfer portal for cornerback help. They identified a high-upside target early on and gave him immediate priority treatment.

Saint Francis defensive back Blye Hill defends against a Delaware receiver during a 2023 game. / William Bretzger-Delaware News Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

After prepping at Baltimore (Md.) Mount St. Joseph, Blye Hill signed with Saint Francis University, an FCS school located in Loretto, Pennsylvania, in the 2023 class.

Hill was a late bloomer who had limited collegiate options thanks to his size. He entered high school as a 5-foot-6 freshman who weighed 80 pounds. During four years at the prep level, he grew seven inches and gained 75 pounds — he grew another inch and added 15 more pounds after arriving at Saint Francis.

There was a time during his senior year at Mount St. Joseph when Hill considering applying to some schools just to get a walk-on opportunity. That ended up not being necessary after Saint Francis came in with an offer — his only offer — late in the cycle.

Hill made an immediate impact for the Northeast Conference school. He saw action in nine games as a true freshman for the Red Flash, finishing with 21 total tackles, six pass breakups, two interceptions and one tackle for loss. He also only allowed 13 receptions all season.

The goal of playing at the Power Five level was always on Hill's mind, and his success at Saint Francis gave him the confidence to bet on himself. The Red Flash ended its season on Nov. 18, but since Hill was not a graduate transfer, he had to wait until Dec. 4 to enter the transfer portal.

Unlike his high school days, Hill was a wanted man when he entered the portal. Schools including Houston, Georgia Tech and Vanderbilt reached out, as did numerous FCS programs.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has his recruiting department structured so that there are designated staff members whose job it is to scour the portal. Tony White and Evan Cooper were intrigued by the scouting report put together on Hill and on Dec. 7, Nebraska got in contact with the defender and worked to build a relationship — with interest quickly being reciprocated.

The Husker staff also made sure to contact Hill's father as well. Blye is the son of Leroy Hill, a former Clemson linebacker who was the 2004 ACC defensive player of the year before being drafted in the third round and playing for the Seattle Seahawks from 2005-12.

Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White visited Hill shortly after the program contacted him to make it clear how much of a priority he was and to set up an official visit.

Coaches welcomed Hill to Lincoln for the weekend of Dec. 15, just before early signing day. Blye felt the family atmosphere around the program and believed in the staff's ability to develop him. He committed to the coaches prior to leaving campus and was announced as a signee by the program on Dec. 20.

Nobody expected Hill to be a plug-and-play addition when he arrived on campus in January. Most casual observers assumed he would use his available redshirt this season and develop behind the scenes, before using his remaining three years of eligibility to try and eventually earn a spot in the secondary.

So much for that. Hill adapted quickly to the competition level and took Nebraska’s cornerback room by storm this offseason. He impressed coaches with his length, range, athleticism, willingness to get physical and overall competitiveness.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder catapulted himself into the starting lineup opposite Tommi Hill. Former secondary coach Evan Cooper flatly stated during spring ball that Hill had a comfortable grip on the job.

Unfortunately, Hill suffered a kneecap injury during the Huskers’ Red-White Spring game on April 27. The initial prognosis for his recovery had him out at least into September, but Matt Rhule gave an encouraging update during Big Ten media days, revealing Hill is likely only going to miss the first two weeks of camp. “He’s trending in a really good spot, much better than I thought he would be,” Rhule said from Lucas Oil Stadium. “I thought it would be three games into the season.”

The question now becomes how quickly Hill can return to his spring form. If the timetable on his return holds, he should have around two weeks to knock the rust off and be ready for UTEP on Aug. 31.

Will coaches give Hill an extra week to get right before the anticipated showdown against Colorado, when they could really use his services?

Might they take even more time to make sure he doesn't experience any setbacks in his recovery and is ready for the grind of the conference season?

The staff is really high on youngsters Jeremiah Charles, Mario Buford, Amare Sanders, Dwight Bootle and Larry Tarver, but they didn't go back into the portal to bring in another corner after Hill's injury if they were comfortable with those guys being thrown into the fire this early in their careers.

Getting spot reps in certain packages and game situations is one thing. Being lined up one-on-one against guys like Colorado's Travis Hunter, Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka or USC's Zachariah Branch with the game on the line is another.

If Hill can return to full health and not show any lingering effects of his leg injury, he will be a big piece of the defense this season.

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