Arkansas point guard commit Justice Hill opened this football season with his second consecutive strong opening game performance.
Hill (5-10, 175 pounds) made his first career start at quarterback Friday night for Little Rock Christian and completed 13 of 17 passes for 294 yards and 4 touchdowns, and rushed 5 times for 51 yards in a 37-0 victory over Batesville.
“It was a good experience,” Hill said. “Me and my guys came out focused. We had a good week of practice and we came out here and was ready to play and we had a good outcome so I’m glad about that.”
He started at receiver and defensive back in last year’s season opener, but started the second half at quarterback after the starter suffered an injury. He went on to rush 12 times for 110 yards and 3 touchdowns while completing 4 of 6 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown in a 43-28 win over Warren.
“I’ve been playing quarterback ever since I started playing football,” Hill said. “It’s definitely a comfortable position but I like playing anywhere, but quarterback is definitely a strong suit of my game.”
Hill sees playing point guard and quarterback much the same.
“I like touching the ball every play,” Hill said. “I just like getting my teammates involved. I try to get every teammate the ball. I enjoy getting them involved into the game.”
He recorded 43 receptions for 610 yards and 8 touchdowns, and rushed 24 times for 170 yards and 4 touchdowns as a junior.
Hill has football offers from Auburn, Memphis and Howard. Arkansas Coach Chad Morris has said he’s welcomed to play football and he’s expecting things to heat up on the football side of things.
“Arkansas is sending me letters like every day for football,” Hill said. “Of course, Mississippi State and Tennessee all have all been up to school. The majority of the SEC has been up to the school to recruit.”
He believes the Bulldogs might be close to extending a football offer.
“Mississippi State said something about week three and stuff like that, but we’ll see what happens,” he said.