2021 QB Deacon Hill made huge gains from sophomore to junior season

From a back-up quarterback forced into action to the Offensive MVP in the Channel League, Deacon Hill made huge gains from his sophomore to junior season at Santa Barbara High School in California.

"Definitely my leadership improved," Hill told BadgerBlitz.com. "From being a back-up to a starter was a huge change, but I think that my leadership skills grew the most."

Hill's development also had a huge impact on his team. The Dons (11-3, 5-0), who won their first outright league championship since 2001, fell in the CIF-SS Div. 8 final this past weekend to Sunny Hills.

"As a team we started the season off strong," Hill, who threw for over 2,000 yards and 22 touchdown passes during the regular season, said. "But we faced a tough team in Week 4 and we got crushed. That really set our team in the right direction. We really found ourselves in the rivalry game against Lompoc. We were able to make it to the finals last week but, unfortunately, lost by three points

"It was truly and amazing experience. Especially since some of my best friends are seniors and being able to share that with them was great. Our team hasn’t made it past the first round (playoffs) in 30 years, and to break that curse and make it to the finals was awesome.

"I think that I had a pretty good season. Personally, I think i could’ve done some things better, but that’s what I’m looking forward to working on this off-season."

Hill, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound prospect, committed to Wisconsin this past June and was campus again in September for his first game at Camp Randall. His relationship with the Badgers continues to get stronger.

"Things with Coach (Jon) Budmayr are pretty great," Hill said. "We’ve talked about film and stuff, and he’s given me pointers that have really helped.

"I’ve been very excited about Wisconsin's season. You know, those back-to-back losses were pretty rough, but I wanted to see how they dealt with the adversity. And now they're in the Big Ten championship, so it’s been really cool to watch. I'm excited to watch the game against Ohio State. I think Wisconsin is going to be excited and ready for the test."

Since his commitment, Hill has been a vocal recruiter for the Badgers on social media and is trying to help add key pieces to Wisconsin's 2021 recruiting class.

"I’ve just been trying to get all the guys that Wisconsin has offered," Hill said. "I've been trying to pull some of the top receivers.

"I pan to get back to Wisconsin during the summer, for sure, and hopefully sometime in the spring as well."