TCU News: Hill Says He Has to Play Better

Football:

Kenny Hill puts TCU season on himself: ‘If I can play well, we’ll take off’ | The Star-Telegram

Yes, Hill has to be better, but it’s not all on him. The receivers have to catch the ball, the offensive line has to improve, and the play-calling needs to be geared towards the Frogs strengths. But - Hill’s the guy touching the ball every snap, so...

“Those are my words. I have to play better,” he said. “Bottom line, everybody else — defense is solid, we know that; we’ve got all the skill guys we need. If I can play well, we’ll take off. I’ve got to get the ball to the playmakers and let them do their thing. If I’m doing that and distributing like I should, then I think we’ll have a good year.”

TCU's KaVontae Turpin cleared to return to football after academic issues | Sports Day

This is great news for the Frogs, as it seems their explosive offensive threat is taking care of business off the field, ensuring he will be ready to impact things on it.

Patterson added, "I think KaVontae is doing the right things, understanding what it is to be a college athlete and a college student. ... Right now I'm excited that he's back in purple and black."

Patterson eases criticism of QB Hill as TCU looks to draw up rebound | Austin-American Statesman

Hill was pretty tough on Kenny Hill a season ago, but now wants him to get his swagger back.

“I judge quarterbacks on Saturdays,” Patterson said Monday as he kicked off Big 12 media days. “For me, I think I’ve got to do a better job of helping him with his swagger.

“We’ve got to give him help. We’ve got to catch the ball better. I think we’re going to be better up front offensive line-wise. We only lost one wide receiver. So I think all those things benefit him, and then we’ve got to put him in an offense, too, that bends toward his strengths.”

Kenny Hill reflects on life after Kenny Trill | Sports Illustrated

Really outstanding in-depth piece on the transformation process Hill has gone through over the past two + years. He seems to have grown up quite a bit.

The boy who struggled to handle all that adulation has grown into a man who understands his football mortality. He wants to play in the NFL, but he has seen how tough it is to get there. This might be Hill’s last season under bright lights, and he hopes to lead the Horned Frogs better than he did as a junior. He knows he may never match the hype thrust upon him following the first game of the post-Johnny Football era at Texas A&M, but at least he knows how to manage it now. In fact, he has some advice he’d love to give to Kenny Trill. “I would tell myself not to worry so much about going to parties and getting out and meeting all these people,” Hill said. “I wouldn’t worry about all that stuff. I’d worry about making sure I did my laundry all the time. I would have no clothes. It’s little stupid stuff that you take for granted, but it’s stuff that I think would have been a lot better for me to be doing at the time.”

Influx of size, depth expected to improve TCU defense | TCU 360

Long gone are the days of being small and quick up front. The Frogs are trying to get BIG.

“We weren’t happy with the defense,” Patterson said when asked about improving the run defense up front. “We went out and recruited four tackles and three ends and got bigger.”

Among the newcomers at tackle are Corey Bethley, George Ellis III and Ezra Tu’ua, all of whom weigh more than 290 pounds.

TCU will also rely on other big men in the trenches like redshirt-freshman Ross Blacklock and junior Joseph Broadnax, both of whom weigh over 300 pounds, along with smaller, more experienced tackles like L.J Collier and Chris Bradley.