Photo courtesy of MSU Athletics
Two of Mississippi State’s leaders are returning for their senior seasons.
RB Kylin Hill and LB Erroll Thompson each took to Twitter to announce that they’ll be back in the maroon and white in 2020 to play under new head coach Mike Leach.
Hill, the SEC’s leading rusher in 2019, initially announced his intention to declare for the NFL Draft but has since had a change of heart. In his post, Hill said that he’s excited to play in the “Coach Leach era of Mississippi State football.”
— Kylin Hill (@H_Kylin) January 15, 2020
Hill finished the 2019 season with 1,350 yards and 10 TDs. SportsTalk Mississippi’s MSU beat reporter Brian Hadad shared his thoughts on what Hill’s role may look like in Leach’s “air-raid” style offense.
“Hill’s role at Mississippi State will be an interesting one, as the hire of Mike Leach shifts the Bulldogs away from the power running offense utilized by Dan Mullen and Joe Moorhead to a wide-open aerial attack. Leach has never coached a 1000 yard rusher in this 18 seasons at the helm of Texas Tech or Washington State, but his backs traditionally have caught as many or more passes than any Bulldog receiver did a season ago. Hill carried the ball by himself in 2019 more than Leach’s Washington State team did in total, with leading rusher Max Borghi carrying the ball 145 times for 817 yards, adding 86 catches for 597 yards. Hill caught 18 passes a season ago for the Bulldogs,” Hadad wrote.
Thompson, a defensive captain in 2019, will be back to serve as the leader of the Bulldog defense in 2020 with the departure of DB Cam Dantzler, LB Willie Gay and several others.
2020.. 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/xMshLKhaYf
— E. Thompson Jr. (@Im3Fly) January 15, 2020
Thompson was Mississippi State’s leading tackler in 2019 with 84 total tackles.
