One of the biggest position battles for the Gators during fall camp is at cornerback. Kaiir Elam has locked down one starting spot and is hauling in a boatload of preseason honors. He could be a top-15 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
But Elam’s reputation as a lockdown corner will work against the Gators unless someone plays well on the opposite side of the field. Opposing teams likely won’t target Elam much, so the other cornerback on the field needs to make them pay.
The consensus among fans and media seems to be that it’s only a matter of time before five-star freshman Jason Marshall takes over as the No. 2 corner. Junior Jaydon Hill, who exited the spring as the presumptive starter, is viewed as nothing more than a placeholder.
Hill, of course, has other plans. He looks forward to being on the field with Elam and having quarterbacks pick on him.
“I want that,” Hill said. “I’d like for that to be the case. I want teams to come at me. That’s what I’ve been working for.”
Hill appeared in all 12 games in 2020 and started five. He finished second on the team with seven pass breakups. He set career highs with three breakups against both South Carolina and Oklahoma.
While he didn’t intercept any passes or make a bunch of highlight-worthy plays, he was a steady and dependable performer, something the defense lacked outside of a few players last year.
Hill has come a long way from when he enrolled at UF in January 2019. At the time, he was still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered as a senior at Bob Jones High School in Huntsville, Alabama. And by his own admission, he was behind in his knowledge of the game.
Hill believes he is physically and mentally prepared to take on an increased workload this season.
“When I got here, honestly, I couldn’t even draw up a play besides Cover 3,” he said. “I knew one defense, Cover 3. But my game has progressed tremendously – my mindset off the field, in meeting rooms. I couldn’t even diagram an offense. Now I can draw up offensive plays, defensive plays and match them.
“Honestly, I even feel like my game has progressed – not just weight room and strength-wise with my ACL last year – but off the field, in meeting rooms and being able to take my game from the meeting room and apply on the field, to think faster and to play faster and all that.”
Hill credited former cornerbacks coach Torrian Gray for helping him to become a better student of the game, but he also learned from his former teammates who are now in the NFL.
“It’s been an honor to come in and have CJ [Henderson], Marco [Wilson], those older guys to just spell the game [out] to you,” he said. “I was basically a sponge when I first got here. Being hurt, I couldn’t really do much, so I basically just soaked up a lot from them boys.”
Head coach Dan Mullen said he’s been impressed with the incremental progress Hill has made each year, and he expects big things out of him this season. He thinks Hill’s development embodies what this program is all about.
“That first year, kind of learning and figuring it out,” Mullen said. “Second year, you get the opportunity and take a growth to learn where you are. I expect him to jump into being a starter, being an every-down player for us this season. So, really excited to see that growth throughout his career.
“People get all excited. ‘I want to see this guy play right away.’ I’m more excited in seeing consistent growth throughout your career, and Jaydon is a guy that’s done that.”
Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has noticed the work that Hill has put in on the field and in the film room and said that he is someone that the coaches can trust.
“Jaydon’s a guy that’s been here, and he’s done a really good job of working to improve every day,” Grantham said. “He’s worked hard to understand leverage, to understand concepts. He understands the importance of being physical and working the play, [and], like I said, make plays with the ball in the air.
“Really a guy that can take the coaching. You know the thing that happens is you are going to have plays that you can always improve upon. The thing about Jaydon is that he’s very coachable. He improves on the last thing that happened, which allows him to be the player he wants to be and helps the defense.”
Based on his coaches’ comments, it sounds like Hill will be counted on to do more than just buy time until the coaches feel comfortable with starting Marshall. He will be given the opportunity to win the job.
Hill is confident in his chances, but he doesn’t want to take anything for granted.
“No days can be taken off,” Hill said. “At our job, the job we have out on the field, you can’t slack off. I always feel like my spot or anybody’s spot can be taken at any time. I always play with that chip on my shoulder.”