Early in the offseason, the secondary was thought of as a question mark for Maryland.
However, cornerback Will Likely decided to come back for his senior season. Then on July 25, D.J. Durkin used his Florida connections to land former Gator cornerback J.C. Jackson.
Now, Maryland has a very formidable duo at cornerback along with some very strong depth. Alvin Hill will help to solidify the secondary with his wealth of experience.
Hill enters his senior season as a backup, which is what he has been throughout the bulk of his career. He did start the the first four games of the 2014 season at cornerback before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
As a redshirt junior in 2015, Hill recorded 17 tackles (14 solo), two defended passes, and a fumble recovery in 12 games. The Luella High School (Ga.) product had his best game of the season when he racked up eight tackles (seven solo) against Bowling Green on Sept. 12.
With Darnell Savage Jr. moving to safety, it’s very likely that Hill will be one of the top cornerbacks for the Terps.
Hill will provide a veteran presence that could allow Likely to roam around the field a little more freely. Hill is solid in pass coverage and doesn’t give opposing wideouts too much of a cushion.
The senior cornerback is a sound tackler that rarely fails to wrap up a ball carrier.
Hill hasn’t received a ton of playing time as a starter, but he has proved to be up for the challenge when his name is called. As was mentioned above, he rose to the top of the depth chart it 2014 and started the first four games before getting hurt.
Hill has the potential to be Maryland’s nickel corner and the top backup at the position. The addition of Jackson certainly takes a lot of the pressure off of Hill.
Obviously, Hill didn’t return to his 2014 form last season. However, he really didn’t have the chance to as he wasn’t starting for the Terps.
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If the Bowling Green game is any indication, Hill definitely has the ability to be a big-time producer for Maryland when he’s on the field. With a clean slate under coach D.J. Durkin, Hill could help stabilize a position that could be a major strength for the Terps in 2016.