Pro Football Rumors
Former NFL cornerback Troy Hill has accepted the head coaching position at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura, California.
Hill is a 10-year veteran who played for the Panthers and the Buccaneers in 2024. Though he has not officially retired, his new coaching gig signals that his NFL career is likely over.
“Troy Hill is more than just a football player–he’s a Seraph,” said St. Bonaventure principal Christina Castro in a statement from the school. “We are thrilled to welcome im home and look forward to the leadership and inspiration he will bring to our student athletes.”
Hill played football at St. Bonaventure from 2007 to 2010 before accepting a scholarship offer from the University of Oregon. After a redshirt freshman year, he started six games in 2011. He was largely a backup in his next two seasons before starting 14 games in 2014 with an FBS-high 18 passes defended.
Hill’s lack of size and athleticism hindered his projection to the pros; he went undrafted in 2015 and signed with the Bengals. After a brief stint with the Patriots, he finished his rookie year with the Rams and stayed with the team through their offseason relocation to Los Angeles. Hill worked his way up the team’s depth chart and appeared in 70 games from 2016 to 2020. He started 39 games in that span, including a full 16-game season in 2020 during which he led the league with 119 interception return yards and two touchdowns.
His emergence as a starter earned Hill a four-year, $24MM contract with the Browns, though he only started four games in 2021 and was traded back to the Rams for a fifth-round pick during the offseason. He started 12 games in his second stint in Los Angeles before signing with the Panthers for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Hill was released by the Panthers last October and quickly signed with the Buccaneers’ practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster in November and appeared in two games (exclusively on special teams) before landing on injured reserve with a knee injury. That likely concluded a decade-long career, an impressive feat for a player who went undrafted. Hill earned just under $20MM in his career, per OverTheCap, with 121 total appearances and 60 starts.
Hill’s return to St. Bonaventure is somewhat interesting given the less-than-ideal ending to his playing career with the Seraphs. He starred at cornerback and wide receiver during his 2009 senior year in which the team compiled an 11-2 record. However, the University of Oregon discovered that Hill was athletically-ineligible after briefly attending another high school in his native Ohio, according to Derry Eads of the Ventura County Star. St. Bonaventure forfeited all of their wins, including their Channel League conference championship, though the issue did not cause Hill to lose his scholarship to play for the Ducks.
“This is where it all started for me,” said Hill. *“St. Bonaventure gave my the discipline, support, support, and faith to believe...
