Is Mississippi State RB Kylin Hill Opting Out of 2020 Season
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
What started out as a rosy entrance into SEC life for new Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach has turned sour, and in a hurry. After sending the conference a warning shot that the Air Raid offense is here in the season opener passing for a conference record 623 yards against then- No. 6 LSU, everything has been downhill following that 44-34 road win. The Bulldogs have lost three consecutive contests, must now go on the road to face No. 2 Alabama, and may do so without benefit of All-SEC tailback Kylin Hill.
Hill ended the 2019 season as the SEC’s third leading rusher rolling for 1,350 yards on a conference-leading 242 carries with 10 touchdowns. Hill’s senior season has been a far cry from life under former head coach Joe Moorhead’s Spread offense. Hill has carried the ball just 15 times in three games covering 58 yards. And, he’s not even the team’s leading rusher. With 89 total yards off 22 attempts, that dubious honor goes to Jo’quavious Marks.
The descension in the ranks and a possible opt-out became public on Wednesday during Leach’s SEC teleconference sharing, “I haven’t talked to Kylin. What I’ve heard is that he’s opting out and preparing for the NFL.”
Hill did not play in MSU’s last outing against Texas A&M and was reportedly unhappy after the Bulldogs 24-2 road loss to Kentucky on Oct. 10. In that loss, MSU attempted 70 passes resulting in six interceptions without a touchdown while Hill and Marks combined for nine total carries.
Perhaps in response to Hill’s private displeasure in the Bulldogs’ lack of a running effort, Leach shared after the Kentucky loss, “I think we’re going to have to kind of check some of our group and figure out who really wants to play here. Any malcontents, we’re going to have to purge a couple of those.”
With or without Hill, Mississippi State takes the field on Saturday against the Crimson Tide at 6:00 p.m. CT with the game airing on the SEC Network.
Updated: Seven players have the Mississippi State roster in the last two weeks. The most recent seeking a transfer are junior receiver Tyrell Shavers and defensive ends Jamari Stewart, and Tre Lawson. As reports circulate of the three players no longer being with the program, each is still listed on Mississippi State’s roster along with Kylin Hill.
Photo credit: WithTheFirstPick.com; No. 8 Kylin Hill