Saturday could be a transformational day for Memphis football.
Ryan Silverfield and the Tigers’ staff landed a commitment from Antwann Hill Jr., one of the highest-ranked recruits in the recruiting rankings era for the program. The four-star quarterback from Warner Robins, Georgia, chose Memphis over Florida and had offers from all over the college football landscape.
He’s the No. 16-ranked quarterback in the 247Sports composite rankings.
Hill chose Memphis in part because of opportunity. Seth Henigan, the Tigers’ incumbent starting quarterback, will be out of eligibility after the 2024 season. So Hill could have the opportunity to start as a true freshman in 2025.
What makes the Houston County High School star such an intriguing prospect? And how will he fit into the future of the Tigers’ program?
Why Antwann Hill Jr. is a four-star prospect
Hill has been the starting quarterback for Houston County since his freshman year. He towers over the rest of the players on the field during high school games with his 6-foot-5, 215-pound frame that he’s still growing into.
“He’s always been really tall, and kind of lean and lanky,” Houston County coach Jeremy Edwards told The Commercial Appeal this spring. “He just looks like what you would imagine a baby giraffe would look like, or a deer. Figuring out how to run. Now he’s filled out. He’s massive in person, now.”
Edwards, who has coached Hill since his sophomore year, said he thinks Hill would be ranked even higher if there was more emphasis on game film and not prospect camps and measurables. Hill is a prototypical pocket passer who has an extremely strong arm and makes quick decisions, but Edwards said he’s also more mobile than he gets credit for.
“Dream come true to have a kid like that in your program,” Edwards said.
He’s already thrown for 7,278 yards in his high school career, with his most productive season coming during his sophomore season. He threw 40 touchdown passes with just three interceptions that season, then followed it up with 31 touchdowns and only five interceptions in 2023. Edwards said Hill’s stats would be even higher, but Houston County blew out so many teams that the Bears often rested their starters late in games.
Hill also comes from a football family. His uncle, Trey Hill, played at Georgia and is now with the Cincinnati Bengals.
He’s also one of the youngest kids in his class. Hill is only 16 and won’t turn 17 until next month, and he plans to enroll early in college after his senior high school season. That means he’ll be 17 when he arrives on campus early next year.
“Naturally, he’s more of a reserved kid, quieter kid,” Edwards said. “But he’s become more on an alpha male type player that you’re looking for. He’s got full command of our offense. That’s all he does. I was shocked when he went to prom. He’s all about it. That’s all he does.”
How Antwann Hill Jr. fits into Memphis football’s future
Memphis will have a new quarterback in 2025. That’s a rarity for a program that has had only two quarterbacks since 2018 in Henigan and Brady White. Henigan started as a true freshman and has had the job since, so there’s precedent for Hill to play right away.
He won’t be the only quarterback in the room, though. Memphis has three quarterbacks competing to be Henigan’s backup this season, and all three — Arrington Maiden, Harris Boyd and Cade Cunningham — could be back next season. The 6-2, 204-pound Maiden is still only 17 years old and drew rave reviews during spring practices.
That Henigan has been the quarterback for four years and stayed for four years at the same program is an extreme rarity in this day and age of college football. But it’s clear that Silverfield would like to find a quarterback that he can rely on for multiple seasons.
It’s still way too early to project what the Tigers’ quarterback room will look like in 2025. Recruits can’t sign until early signing day in December, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see other programs continue to pursue Hill. He committed to Colorado in 2023 before decommitting later that year, then reopened his recruitment and ultimately chose Memphis after also taking an official visit to Florida.
“You always want to have somebody that you can build upon with that position. But it’s also nice to have a veteran presence,” Silverfield said earlier this month. “The biggest thing is just finding that consistency. What you don’t want to do is, one year, one out, one year, one out at that position. But hopefully we find the right guy.”
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at jonah.dylan@commercialappeal.com or on X @thejonahdylan.