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Column: Let Anthony Hill Jr. wear No. 60 versus Texas A&M

Joe Cookby: Joe Cook9 hours agojosephcook89

Anthony Hill Jr. was named a finalist for the Butkus Award on Tuesday. The Butkus Award is given annually to the nation’s top linebacker. Hill is undoubtedly deserving of that honor, as are fellow finalists in Georgia’s C.J. Allen, Indiana’s Aiden Fisher, Ohio State’s Arvell Reese, and Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez.

Even if Hill doesn’t take home the Butkus, he is deserving of another honor that few Longhorns have had bestowed upon them. Anthony Hill Jr. should have the chance to wear No. 60 versus Texas A&M.

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No. 60 is the number associated with defensive excellence at the University of Texas. Though retired in honor of Tommy Nobis, some of the best Longhorns to ever prevent opponents from gaining yards and scoring points have donned the unique jersey number. Hill would hardly be out of place in their company.

Before Nobis wore No. 60, there was Johnny Treadwell. A unanimous All-American, Treadwell made “the tackle” against Arkansas in 1962 and set the example for what the number demanded. Nobis followed Treadwell, becoming arguably the greatest defensive player in Longhorns history while wearing No. 60 and lending his hand to national championship winning offenses.

Other Longhorn legends were given the chance to wear No. 60 for a full season. While wearing it, Robin Sendlein, Jeff Leiding, Britt Hager, and Brian Jones had tremendous campaigns. Leiding and Hager earned All-American nods while wearing No. 60 and Jones was a first-team All-Southwest Conference selection in 1990.

No. 60 wasn’t officially retired until 2008, but its usage became a rare honor after Jones’ season wearing it. Dusty Renfro wore it in Texas’ win over Mississippi State in the 1999 Cotton Bowl and logged five tackles with a tackle for loss and a pass broken up. Derrick Johnson wore it versus Texas A&M in 2004 during his final regular season appearance in burnt orange. A Butkus winner and unanimous All-American himself, Johnson logged 10 tackles with 2.0 TFL, 1.0 sacks, two pass breakups, a quarterback hurry, and a blocked extra point in Texas’ 26-13 win over the Aggies.

Derrick Johnson
Derrick Johnson (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

No. 60 was worn most recently by Breckyn Hager, the son of Britt. Hager wore No. 60 during the 2017 Texas Bowl in tribute to Nobis, who died a few days before the Longhorns bested Missouri. Hager had four tackles, 1.0 TFL, and a fumble recovery in that game. He wore No. 60 again in the 2018 Red River Shootout against Oklahoma, logging two tackles with 0.5 for loss plus a fumble recovery in Texas’ 48-45 win.

Despite other high-quality players on defense with careers worth celebrating since the 2018 Red River Shootout, Hill stands alone as worthy of wearing No. 60.

Hill went from Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American in 2023 to first-team All-American and first-team All-Southeastern Conference in 2024, making numerous critical contributions for Longhorns teams that made consecutive College Football Playoff appearances. Though he might not find his name on Texas’ all-time statistical leaderboards, his impact for Steve Sarkisian and Pete Kwiatkowski across his almost three seasons in burnt orange have been program-changing.

Hill has notched 249 tackles, 31.5 TFL, 17.0 sacks, three interceptions, four passes defended, two fumble recoveries, and eight forced fumbles during his three years on the 40 Acres. He’s been the man in the middle of not only the Texas defense, but also the Longhorn program’s rise from the dark depths of the 2010s. Hill was a second-team All-American in 2024 according to four of the five major selectors and deserves a first-team nod based on his 2025 season.

And how sweet would it be for Hill to wear the most revered number for a Texas defensive player in a high-stakes battle with the program he was once committed to in Texas A&M?

Hill knows a little about it as he was asked about wearing No. 60 at SEC Media Days in July.

Wearing No. 60 brings with it heavy responsibilities. Every instance in which someone was honored with No. 60 since Jones wore it full-time has resulted in a Longhorns win. Plus, it brings with it an opportunity to right some bitter past wrongs. In the years in which Sendlein, Leiding, Britt Hager, and Jones wore No. 60, Texas was 5-7 against the Aggies. Johnson reversed the trend in 2004 with his standout performance.

All Hill has done since arriving on the 40 Acres is live up to every expectation and then some. He’s played up to five-star standards and has made play after play after play for the Longhorns, all while being a fantastic program representative. Hill’s joyful demeanor off the field is a 180 degree spin from his violent demeanor on it. Take a look at everyone who has worn No. 60, Nobis included, and you’ll see Longhorns that play like Hill on the field and represent the University of Texas in a first-class manner off of it.

If anyone has embodied defensive excellence at the University of Texas over the last three seasons, it’s Hill. In what could very well be Hill’s final home game as a Longhorn, Texas’ All-American should have the privilege to join other true Longhorn legends as players worthy of wearing No. 60.

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