Mississippi State’s Kylin Hill leaving team to focus on NFL Draft

Kylin Hill sounds like he’s staying in Starkville.

KJ Costello, Mike Leach and the Mississippi State Bulldogs looked like SEC West contenders after Week 1, but literally, nothing has gone right for the program since their Week 1 victory. After suspending running back Kylin Hill for a game and losing three straight, Leach’s train is going off the rails in his first season in the SEC. Reports emerged that stated Hill was contemplating getting out of Dodge before the stuff really hit the fan and declaring for the 2021 NFL Draft, but Hill has calmed down Bulldog Nation by refuting those rumors.

Update: Hill has left the team to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft

Hill sounded just as shocked to hear reports of him leaving Starkville as the Bulldogs were. In a since-deleted tweet and similarly worded Instagram message, Hill claims that reports of him deciding to leave the Bulldogs for the NFL were “news to me.”

2020 has been rough sledding for Kylin Hill

Hill was a first-team All-SEC selection after running for 1,350 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, but he chose to come back for one more season under Leach. Going from Joe Moorhead’s zone-option attack to Leach’s Air Raid has eliminated his carries, as he has carried the ball just 15 times for 58 yards. He has 23 catches and a touchdown through three games, but the Bulldogs haven’t won a game since their Week 1 thrashing of LSU.

Hill will still be picked high in the 2020 draft, as his power, speed, and newfound pass-catching skills will play at the next level. However, his drop-off in production will turn some teams away from him, as will his suspension.

While Hill’s role in changing the Mississippi state flag deserves nothing but praise, it appears as though his return to the football field isn’t going according to plan. Still, Hill looks dedicated to making this work and playing spoiler for the rest of the SEC West.