The last two years a 5’11”, 175 pound (he’s listed at 6’0″, 210) charismatic, electrifying, and wildly successful but hugely polarizing quarterback named Johnny Manziel has taken Texas A&M fans on a wild ride. He led them to a road victory over #1 Alabama in their first season in the SEC, two huge bowl blowout wins (including one over former Big 12 rival Oklahoma), a Heisman trophy, a 20-6 record, and a lifetime of memorable plays and performances they can look back fondly on for years to come.
However, I want to tell all you Aggie fans that it’s time to get ready for an even wilder ride.
I am about to have a huge overreaction and do the classic arm chair Monday Morning Quarterbacking, however, after what I saw last night, I don’t care one bit about allowing myself to get caught up in the moment.
Kenny Hill will be better than Johnny Manziel.
Yeah, I said it, and I said it after just one game. He has the pedigree, the necessary talent around him, and nothing I saw tonight leads me to believe this kid will achieve anything other than greatness.
Kenny Hill is a redshirt sophomore out of West Palm Beach, Florida who played his high school football in the very competitive Southlake, Texas. He attended Carroll High School, where he was the 2012 Texas Gatorade Player of the Year. In his junior and senior seasons at Carroll High, he rushed for 2,804 yards and 57 touchdowns. His legs aren’t his only asset. Hill would also throw for 6,375 yards and 52 touchdowns.
He played great in high school and was highly touted coming into A&M, but with Manziel in front of him, he saw limited action a season ago, throwing for only 147 yards and a single touchdown. Nothing about his freshman season would lead you to believe he could be capable of going down as the best quarterback to ever play at Texas A&M.
That is, until Thursday night and a single game against South Carolina.
One hell of a game mind you. The Aggies dominated the South Carolina Gamecocks in Hill’s debut 52-28 at South Carolina, where the Gamecocks hadn’t lost in 18 straight contests. They didn’t just win. They got out to a huge lead early and never looked back.
It didn’t appear that the hostile environment of South Carolina bothered Hill at all. He hit that field with the poise of a senior who had been starting for four seasons.
The redshirt sophomore completed 44 of 60 passes for a school record 511 passing yards and three scores. He broke Johnny Manziel’s previous school record of 437 yards passing. Hill showed he was up for the task right from the start, taking the opening drive nine plays for 67 yards and a touchdown.
After that, he seemed to grow more confident with each snap. The most impressive thing I saw out of Hill was that he was going through all of his progressions and he would often get the ball out quickly and decisively. However, when all of his guys were locked up, he could bail from the pocket, but he would keep his eyes downfield the whole time, constantly rescanning his receivers and still looking to throw the ball before running.
That is the big difference between Hill and Manziel. That is the one thing that stands out after just watching one game. Often times, Johnny would drop back in the pocket and look to scramble immediately before even going through his progressions. If he was to be flushed out of the pocket, you can bet he was going to scramble for the first down more often than he was going to look to throw for it. This got better in his sophomore campaign, but in his freshman season this was something far too common with Johnny. Like Manziel, Hill will get even better with this, but he is already leaps and bounds ahead of where Manziel finished at A&M it would seem.
Kevin Sumlin showed he is not afraid to work quickly and throw the ball, as his offense worked at a frantic pace into the fourth quarter and attempted sixty passes. He will continue to expand his scheme and throw as much at Hill as he can handle. Having a quarterback who is looking to move the ball downfield with his arm before his legs should allow Sumlin to add even more wrinkles to his offense and an already explosive aerial attack should get even more dangerous.
Kenny Hill has weapons to work with all over the field. He completed passes to 12 different receivers, and he should only get more comfortable with each guy as the season goes on. It’s a scary thought, but this offense should get even better as the season goes on. Kenny Hill will put up monster numbers in his sophomore campaign with the possibilities of two more seasons in College Station. I believe he will see Manziel struggle at the professional level this season with the Browns and that will make Hill want to cherish all of his time with the Aggies, resulting in him sticking around for all three years.
It may only be one game and this may be a huge overreaction, but I loved everything I saw and the sky is the limit for this Aggie offense. College Football and Southeastern Conference offensive records may be in danger of going down this season at the hands of Hill and company. This is going to be one of the best offenses in the country.
Kenny Hill already broke one of Johnny’s records in the opening contest and more could fall as the season continues. Hill also has a chance to lead this team further than Manziel could. He has a chance to get them to Atlanta and maybe even one of the elusive four spots into the College Football Playoff. He has three years to pile up stats. Manziel was a nice story, but he decided to end it after only two chapters. Hill will allow for his whole story to be written, and in the end it will end up being an even better one. It’s only fitting we come up with a nickname for the new Aggie quarterback.
Kenny Football?
King Kenny?
Kenny 511?
I’m not sure, but I do know one thing.
Kenny Hill will be better than Johnny Manziel.
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