The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/535299
108 ■ THE WOLFPACKER A lot has changed for NC State sopho- more defensive tackle B.J. Hill in the span of a little more than a year. In December 2013, Hill was not far re- moved from his senior high school sea- son at West Stanly High in Oakboro, N.C., where he played as a 260-pound running back and defensive end. He was verbally committed to NC State, picking the Pack over UNC after earning offers from both programs during their respective summer camps. A few months later, Hill was a fresh- man at NCSU finishing up his first spring practice after enrolling early. He was also playing nose tackle for the first time in his career. "It was crazy," Hill said. "It happened that fast." The transition proved to Hill the obvi- ous: the college game is faster and the play- ers in it bigger than what he faced in high school. But Hill had confidence that he could play with anybody. Thus he worked his way onto the field last fall, and during what was an otherwise forgettable 41-0 loss at Clemson in the sixth game of the year, Hill had what he called his breakout moment. Hill posted eight tackles, including two for loss and a sack, against the Tigers. "It just started clicking," Hill recalled. "That's when I started getting my confi- dence, started playing instead of thinking." This past spring, Hill is a fully apprecia- tive defensive player, joking he no longer has any desire to be on offense. Playing nose tackle may not have been natural for him, but he has bulked up to close to 300 pounds on his 6-4 frame while maintaining his athleticism. "I'm loving it now," Hill admitted. Just as quickly as Hill went from high school star to starting defensive tackle at NCSU, he finds himself being an elder on a young defensive line. Fifth-year senior end Mike Rose was injured this past spring and Hill became the most experienced defensive lineman. Hill started five games last year, and fin- ished with 40 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two quarterback hurries and one pass broken up. "I've got to lead us in the right direc- tion," Hill said. "I've got to work on it. Most of the time I am not a vocal guy. I am more of a 'work on it, get it right' type leader, so I am working on being more vocal." Whether he vocalizes it or simply shows it, Hill is already a good role model for early enrollee success. Thus it probably should be unsurprising that he has been roomed with a couple of newcomers this spring in defensive lineman Darian Rose- boro and linebacker James Smith-Williams. Being around Roseboro and Smith-Wil- liams has reminded Hill of how far he has come in such a short time himself. "I tell them about how I came in early, show them what they need to do, how to go through stuff, like school-wise, here," Hill noted. — Matt Carter Airius Moore Is Able To Play Both Linebacker Positions Middle linebackers Jerod Fernandez and Airius Moore were in an intense battle for playing time last year as first-year players. WOLFPACK FOOTBALL B.J. Hill Has Adjusted To Rigors Of College Football Quickly Hill had a breakout game versus Clemson in 2014, notching eight tackles, two stops behind the line of scrimmage and one sack. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN 2015 NC State Football Schedule Date Opponent Time Sept. 5 Troy 6 p.m. Sept. 12 Eastern Kentucky 6 p.m. Sept. 19 at Old Dominion 7 p.m. Sept. 26 at South Alabama TBA Oct. 3 Louisville TBA Oct. 9 at Virginia Tech 8 p.m. Oct. 24 at Wake Forest TBA Oct. 31 Clemson TBA Nov. 7 at Boston College TBA Nov. 14 at Florida State TBA Nov. 21 Syracuse TBA Nov. 28 North Carolina TBA