Not surprisingly, Holton Hill has indeed played his last down for Texas.
Monday night, Hill announced via a statement sent out by the football program that he has decided “to forgo my senior year and turn my focus towards training for the NFL Draft.” The announcement comes nearly four weeks to the day that UT confirmed the cornerback had been suspended for the remainder of the 2017 season for unspecified violations of team rules.
Below is Hill’s statement, in its entirety:After careful consideration with my family, I have made the decision to forgo my senior year and turn my focus towards training for the NFL Draft.
The past three years at Texas have been a great learning experience for me, and I appreciate everyone who has helped me throughout my college career, especially Coach Herman, Coach Washington, Coach Orlando and Coach Strong. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to play for such an amazing program at The University of Texas, and I know the values that have been instilled in me and lessons I’ve learned will continue to propel me forward at the next level.
I can’t say enough about the support my teammates have given me. Those guys are going to always be my teammates, and I know that bond will last way beyond our time here at Texas. I also appreciate the great fans, and even though I’m moving on, I’m always going to be a Longhorn. Thank you all for your support, the best is yet to come.
After starting three games last season, Hill had started the first nine games in 2017. At the time of his suspension, Holton was second on the team in tackles (51) and pass breakups (six). That suspension cost him the last three games of the regular season plus a bowl game
Additionally, he scored three touchdowns this year — two on interception returns and one on a blocked field goal. He did all of that scoring damage in the first two games of the season, and became the first player in a decade to have a pick-six and blocked field for a touchdown in the same game.
Hill is also the third Longhorn player to declare for the 2018 NFL draft, joining left tackle Connor Williams (HERE) and defensive back Deshon Elliott (HERE). Both of those two will be skipping UT’s Texas Bowl matchup with Missouri.
