Ryan Grubb Shows Confidence in Sophomore RB Daniel Hill

Sophomore running back Daniel Hill appeared in his fifth game of the season on Saturday, against the Missouri Tigers. Hill's snaps were limited, but they were important, as he caught one pass for a touchdown from quarterback Ty Simpson on fourth-and-goal, which ended up being the game-sealing touchdown the Crimson Tide needed in a 27-24 victory over the Missouri Tigers.

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It was just the third game that Hill recorded stats in, and his contributions have been limited, but the second year back out of Meridian, Mississippi, has gained the confidence of offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

"Yeah, Daniel has been a guy that, unfortunately, has been a little bit dinged up through the first part of the year. But is a guy that, I don’t know if there’s a guy we were more optimistic about out of spring ball than Daniel," offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said on Monday. "So we’re hoping that that starts to show up a little bit more here and obviously take some of the load off of Jam (Miller), but he’s a really bright player.

"I think Daniel is a guy that, I know Daniel is a guy that understands pressure pickups. He’s very good in pass protection. He’s got incredibly good hands. A lot of people probably don’t know that about Daniel, but he’s a good athlete. I mean, he was like a state champion, 300-meter hurdle guy. He’s kind of wild, some of the stuff he can do, so we certainly trust him to do all those things."

On the season, Hill has carried the ball 12 times for 39 yards, and his lone touchdown on the season came on Saturday against Missouri. It was his top performance of the season with six carries for 16 rushing yards and one catch for one yard and a touchdown.

If starting running back Jam Miller misses time with a concussion, Hill could see his role increase behind Kevin Riley, who has taken the reins in Miller's absence earlier this season and on Saturday against Missouri.

No. 6 Alabama will return home next weekend to take on the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers, who defeated Arkansas 34-31 on Saturday.

Wyatt Fulton is the Tide 100.9 DME and Brand Manager, primarily covering Alabama Crimson Tide football and men's basketball. For more Crimson Tide coverage, follow Wyatt on X (Formerly known as Twitter) at @FultonW_.