Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/79325
Jordan Hill gives the defensive front a lift by recommitting to Penn State HOLDING THE LINE ing. Hill and his family have been living with the consequences ever since. It's been a challenge. This past July, the NCAA penalized J Hill's soon-to-be alma mater, imposing a four-year bowl ban and major schol- arship reductions, among other meas- ures. The sanctions left a lot of Penn Staters feeling shell shocked, but Hill wasn't one of them. It takes a lot to faze the senior defensive tackle, and the prospect of ending his football ca- reer at Beaver Stadium in November instead of some sunny Southern locale in December or January doesn't seem like real adversity. Not anymore. "The stuff that I've been through is not your normal 21-year-old stuff," Hill said. "So nothing really surprises me. I guess I'm surprised at how this all came out, because I never thought Penn State [would be facing] sanctions. But at the same time, it had to happen. You've got to get through it, no matter what." And so he will get through it. Hill is | ordan Hill has been through some dark times. When he was a fresh- man at Penn State, his father collapsed in his arms following the Blue-White Game, felled by a stroke that came on without warn- getting set to wrap up a fine Penn State career this fall when he takes the field as the anchor of what should be a typically solid defensive line. He's started 17 games in his career, more than any other returning defensive player. Prior to the TicketCity Bowl last December, assistant coach Larry Johnson touted Hill, whose 59 tackles led all defensive linemen, as a likely NFL draftee. And that was before he spent an off-season in Craig Fitzger- ald's new and improved weight pro- gram. Now he looks more ripped than ever. Even better for Penn State, Hill will be joined by almost all of the players that Johnson had been expecting to have on hand this year. The Lions lost only one defensive lineman – freshman Jamil Pollard – after the NCAA imposed its version of free agency on Penn State, so it's likely that the team will continue to create major problems for opposing offenses. Last year, the Lions finished fourth in the Big Ten in rushing defense (133.3 yards per game) and were third in sacks with 31. Hill finished with three of those sacks, to go along with eight tackles for loss. The real questions surrounding the line have to do with what happens SACK MASTER Hill competes during Penn State's Lift for Life event in July. The defen- sive tackle resisted overtures this summer to leave Penn State. PennStateLive after the 2012 season. Hill is entering his senior year, as are defensive ends Pete Massaro and Sean Stanley. Those losses alone will cut into the team's depth. And to make matters worse, the Lions must trim their scholarship roster to 65 players by 2014. Those cuts are certain to have a major impact on how Penn State plays de- fense. Hill said he's accustomed to playing between 50 and 60 plays per game. That's in keeping with Johnson's phi- losophy; he likes to have 10 or 12 players ready to go so that he can