Deacon Hill enters the transfer portal
The Deacon Hill era with the Iowa football program came to a close on Tuesday morning. The Hawkeye quarterback announced that he would be entering the NCAA transfer portal and will be leaving Iowa City a little over one year after he arrived.
In January of 2023, after Iowa had some attrition at the quarterback position, Hill, who was previously at Wisconsin and was slated to join the Fordham program that month, flipped to the Hawkeyes. Little did he know that by the time the calendar turned to October that he would be Iowa’s starting quarterback for the final nine games of the season including the Big Ten title game and the bowl game against Tennessee.
While Hill led the Hawkeyes to a Big Ten West title and a ten win season, his statistics were at the bottom of the Big Ten. Hill started nine games and completed 122-251 passes (48.6%) for 1153 yards and five touchdowns. He also threw eight interceptions. He was also credited with 11 fumbles last season, which was the second most in all of D1 football.
This spring, Hill was still playing with Iowa’s first team offense as expected starter Cade McNamara continued his rehab process from his ACL repair last fall.
In announcing his departure on Instagram, Hill thanked the Iowa coaches and his teammates for a great year together.
“Iowa, you have given me one of the best years of my life. I have built some of the most important relationships in my life and I am eternally grateful for that,” said Hill in his statement. “This program has taught me so much about life and given me experiences that I will carry on for a lifetime. I have so thankful to have been able to learn from Coach Ferentz, Brian, Coach Bud and the entire coaching staff. They have taught me so much more than just about the sport that we all love. To my teammates, you have no idea how much ya’ll mean to me and that I truly wish nothing but success for every single one of you. You all brought me in and made me one of your own and I will forever be grateful for that.”
“With all of this being said, I have made the decision to enter my name in the transfer portal with two years of eligibility left. After some conversations and deep talks, my family and I feel this is what’s best for my future. Thank you, Iowa, for everything.”
Iowa now has two scholarship quarterbacks on campus in Cade McNamara and Marco Lainez as well as walk-on Tommy Poholsky. Class of 2024 prospect James Resar will be arriving on campus in June. Look for Iowa to continue to look at quarterback prospects in the transfer portal this spring.
