Why having former QB Kenny Hill on the coaching staff is ‘huge’ for TCU this season

Former TCU quarterback Kenny Hill is back on campus to finish his degree and will serve as a student coach with the football team.

That’s significant for a program that is going into the season with an inexperienced quarterback, regardless if it’s Shawn Robinson or Michael Collins.

“It’s huge,” co-offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie said during the school’s media day on Thursday.

“He’s a calming influence to those guys. He can sometimes decipher what I’m trying to tell them if I’m not coaching it in a very clear manner. You try to be black and white in how you teach things, but he’s been through it.”

Hill, a standout at Southlake Carroll, transferred to TCU from Texas A&M. He won the starting quarterback job in 2016 and 2017, leading the Horned Frogs to two bowl games including a No. 9 ranking at the end of last season.

Hill pursued a professional career earlier this offseason, signing with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders and the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, but has opted to finish his degree and work with the coaching staff this fall.

It should be a win-win situation for all involved.

“He’s been through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows,” Cumbie said. “So he has a really calm demeanor. They know what he’s gone through and they listen to him. I’m excited that he’s here. I anticipate him being a big help for us.”

Coach Gary Patterson echoed those thoughts. He understands the value of having a respected player from last season’s team return, as well as “another set of eyes.”

“Kids sometimes like listening to other kids,” Patterson said. “He’ll probably be whatever we need him to be out there. It’s good because you get an older person who was part of the group.”

This story was originally published August 3, 2018 at 2:00 PM.