Seizing the Moment
By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Trevon Hill is a Miami Hurricane.
That may seem a little hard to believe, especially since the Virginia Beach, Va., native spent the previous four seasons playing for Virginia Tech. But watch the redshirt senior play and he has the pride, passion, intensity, determination and uncontrollable desire to win that every great Hurricane possesses and he couldn’t be prouder to wear that iconic orange and green U on the side of his helmet.
“It means so much, just putting on that helmet every day you just feel the vibrations of the tradition here,” Hill said. ‘From the Ray Lewises to the Ed Reeds to a guy that I always looked up to being a Redskins fan, Sean Taylor, rest in peace to him. And then just going out there every day on Greentree and just giving your all no matter your circumstances, no matter how you feel, just giving it 110 percent each and every day just to live up to that standard of the U.”
Hill was looking for an opportunity after being dismissed from Virginia Tech’s team just three games into his senior season with the Hokies. A proven player at VT, Hill was a coveted player as a graduate transfer and could have played his final season just about anywhere in the country and he felt Miami was the place for him.
“I’m definitely grateful for my decision,” Hill said. “I don’t think it could have panned out any better. I just give all the glory to God really just as far as leading me in the right direction. Me and my parents prayed for nights about it. Last year, me being dismissed from Virginia Tech, it was really hard on me. I just followed God’s plan and just really prayed on things, stayed strong on faith and leaned on the people that were closest to me to get me to this point right now. It’s been everything that I could imagine and that I prayed for.”
After earning his degree from VT, Hill came to Coral Gables as a graduate transfer that has become an impact player for Miami’s menacing defensive front. Now he will play his final game at Hard Rock Stadium, just his sixth home contest in a Miami uniform, and he cannot believe his Canes career is starting to come to an end.
“It’s an emotional rollercoaster,” Hill said. “They gave me my second chance at doing what I love. I owe these coaches the utmost for just bringing me in and trusting in me, so that I could be able to trust in them and just it’s going be a great game this Saturday. There are going to be a lot of emotions for the seniors. It’s Senior Night, our last game at Hard Rock. I wish I could have played here more, but I’m going to give it my all.”
Head coach Manny Diaz has no doubt that Hill will leave it all on the field. That is something Hill has done from the second he stepped on campus.
“He’s got a great passion for the game, he plays full speed, loves the game, loves everything the game brings him, and just has a great personality,” Diaz said.
“As the year’s gone on he’s become more and more of a leader of our team, which is difficult at times when you are a grad transfer and you’re going into a new locker room. But I think with the way he works and the toughness he displays on the field that he earned the respect of the locker room and he’s got a keen eye for team dynamics. He’s a guy that really understands the connection between the players in the locker room and he was able to see some things early in the season that were keeping us from reaching our potential and correct some of those problems.”
While Hill’s impact on the field has been evident, totaling 19 tackles. 7.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and five QB hurries, his mark on the program goes well beyond what he does on Saturdays and Diaz wishes he could have had Hill on his team for more than just 2019.
“Oh there’s no doubt, yeah absolutely,” Diaz said. “You know you really get to know the guys and who they really truly are and then they’re gone. That’s the sad part of having the guys around for one year, but he’s made a mark on our team. As he’s gotten healthier as the year has gone on, his role on the field and his success has gone up and up.”
“He’s been that extremely strong leadership force, not just for our segment but for the entire football team,” defensive line coach Todd Stroud said. “He only knows one speed, he’s one of the best practice players that we’ve ever had and probably the best practice player on our defense. He comes to work every day and he got an opportunity taken away from him at Virginia Tech and I think this time around he’s been unbelievable in what he’s done for us.”
Taking on a leadership role is a different experience for Hill, but one he has enjoyed.
“The mentoring side it’s new for me,” Hill said. “Last year I tried to take on that role a little bit, but I kind of let it slip out of my hands. With this year, I’m running with it full force just trying to teach these guys some things that I’ve done and I’ve learned in my past experience, so they won’t make the same mistakes that I have. It’s just been great.”
ACC sack leader Gregory Rousseau is one of the many defensive linemen to learn from Hill this year and he believes he and his teammates are better because of it.
“He’s meant everything to us,” Rousseau said. ‘He came in and he brought his experience, he brought in the work ethic, dedication, and just a great attitude. Every single day he goes out there and we all push each other to be the best version of our-self that we can be. And I’m just really grateful that he came to Miami.”
While the Canes have benefitted from his time at Miami, Hill has reaped rewards, too. In addition to showing he is a great football player and person, he has found a family in his fellow defensive linemen.
“These guys, they come to work every day and it’s just good to be around guys that just want to work,” Hill said. “We have our moments where we goof off, but at the end of the day, we go in there and we come to work. We come to work every day, but it’s good to have some good characters in that room just to make you want to come to work every day, make you love what you’re really doing, just to have fun with it.”
Nothing is more fun than winning and Hill hates to lose. There is no doubt about that. The 6-foot-3, 238 lb. defensive end might hate losing more than he loves winning and that is one of the many driving forces behind his success. It is also why he remains focused on helping the Hurricanes win out to have the best season they can.
“In the beginning of the season, things didn’t go the way we wanted to,” Hill said. “We lost a couple tight knit games that we should’ve won, but I think overall it made us a stronger team and helped us bond a little bit better. To take those losses on your chin like that, it just made us a little bit more hungry. This back end we’ve won two straight, but we still feel like we have so much more to accomplish. We have three more games, so we’re just ready to get these three games rolling and our first focus is on Louisville this weekend.”
