Talk about Deacon Hill, and one thing that immediately stands out is his right arm -- one that was described last month as a "cannon" by fellow quarterback Graham Mertz and inside linebacker Leo Chenal, "live" by safety John Torchio and "talented" by head coach Paul Chryst.

Obviously, Hill's physical attributes on his 6-foot-3, 248-pound frame stand out, notably that one appendage with which he can fling a football a very far distance with apparent ease. That will be discussed later.

However, let's chat about his first season as a Badger, a year where his predominant role came as the scout-team quarterback in facing a Wisconsin defense that ranked in the top five nationally in a handful of key categories.

Hill believes he has progressed in the mental aspects of the sport since arriving at UW.

“That was the biggest thing coming out here was learning from high school football, where they just run only two coverages the entire game to stepping into here when it's a new coverage every single play, new blitz packages, all that stuff," Hill told BadgerBlitz.com and WOZN on Dec. 21. "So, I think the mental side of the game is where I'm trying to grow the most and where I've grown the most so far.

"Just learning where to replace the blitz, where the line is sliding, where to put your running back in protection. So all of that stuff really is where I think I’ve grown so far, and there's still lots and lots of room to grow."

Wisconsin's defense eventually finished the season ranked No. 1 in the FBS in rush defense (64.8 yards per game) and total defense (239.1), and No. 3 in third-down conversion defense (28.7%). The Badgers also placed fourth in team passing efficiency defense (109.5) and fifth in passing yards allowed per game (174.3).

Hill, as scout-team quarterback, helped mimic opposing offenses in hoping to give that unit the best looks for what could be expected each week. He faced arguably the nation's potent inside linebacker duo in Chenal, an All-American by several publications, and first-team All-Big Ten honoree Jack Sanborn. He also repped against a senior-laden secondary, a pass-rushing threat in Nick Herbig and a defensive line featuring Keeanu Benton and Matt Henningsen.

When asked how hard it was to grow when he was not playing his own scheme for much of 2021 and learning other teams' offenses -- or if it was a positive -- Hill viewed the experiences favorably.

“I believe that it's a positive," Hill said. "I'm going against the best defense in the country every day. So learning that, I could take from each quarterback that I’m supposed to play, I can take away something from each of their games and take into mine what they do good, what they don't do as well. Just learn from each quarterback, watching that film.

“And then coach [Jim] Leonhard is probably the smartest defensive coordinator in the country, assistant coach of the year, all that stuff. Trying to go against his defense is like you're being thrown in the deep end as a freshman, but it's the best experience I could have gotten coming in as a freshman. Fast pace -- going against Leo, Jack, Keeanu, 'Henny,' 'Caes' [Caesar Williams], Faion [Hicks], all of them -- going against them every day, it's putting yourself in a position to where when you step in with your offense, you just got to learn your offense more, but you're used to the speed of the game.”

Then when running Wisconsin's offense, something Hill was able to do more during bowl prep practices last month, the California native believes it has been "a smoother transition than it could have been," in his words.

"It could have been a lot worse," Hill said. "I was able to meet with coach [Bobby] Dunn every week, and we'd go over our devo tape at the end of practices and go over the game plan for that week.

“Having 'Boomer' [Danny Vanden Boom], Chase [Wolf] and Graham, they'll help me throughout the practice. While Graham and Chase are going, I'll walk through the plays with Boomer in the back. He'll talk me through what he thinks is the best read or stuff like that. So I think having the people around me is what made the transition a lot easier in our offense.”

Mertz observed Hill's progression this past season. He commended the former three-star recruit on a "great job" in asking questions and developing during the season, along with that aforementioned arm.

“As far as just physical, raw talent, he's got a cannon on him," Mertz said on Dec. 16. "He can make any throw on the field, so it's fun for me during bowl prep to get to watch him a little bit, just kind of playing our offense and not a scout-team scenario.

"It's been great. He's had a great year, great development, so it's been fun to watch.”

OK, so back to that arm. BadgerBlitz.com asked Tyler Beach last month about which younger players had stood out early in those bowl prep practices. He described one play where Hill, rolling out of the pocket and under pressure, threw a long pass to the end zone to fellow true freshman wide receiver Markus Allen.

Chenal, the Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year, praised Hill for his scout-team work and what he can do with that arm-talent.

"That dude's got a cannon," Chenal said. "He bombs that stuff deep, and on our starting defense, he's making those big plays. It's been a privilege to have him because again, he's got that cannon. He's throwing it 65 yards down the field on the money a lot of the time, so he's definitely helped us out a lot.

"He's got really good poise in the pocket. Especially, it helps playing against the starting defense as well because we're bringing the pressure no matter what, cause we're trying to get the best look we can, and he's definitely benefited from that. He's got great poise and again, anybody will tell you, that arm is crazy."

Chryst, during his Dec. 20 availability with reporters, explained the experiences Hill has encountered and handled during his first year at Wisconsin. He also complimented his young quarterback on the manner in which he has gone about his business.

“Deacon, like we thought when he came in, he's got a talented arm. I think it was good for him to just get a chance to kind of learn, whether it’s our offense and just defensively, how do defenses play you? He's been, it's been really good, the bowl prep. You wish you had more for guys like Deacon, that are just starting to take advantage of all the reps that they're getting. But I've loved the way that he's approached kind of everything. He wants to learn. It's been good, and when you can then follow up that learning, those meeting times with significant reps, I think that's helpful.

"But I think the bowl prep, it's been fun with him. Certainly, I think what you gain on scout team, going up against every day, facing our defense and [a] good defense, there's things to learn there. But it's also good to kind of get back and look forward to spring where you can, ‘OK, this is our offense, and this is how it all fits. This is the speed of the game,’ and every high schooler has got to adjust to the speed of the game.

"So I've liked the way that he's approached it and look forward to what we get still in this bowl prep, but then get him ready. We got time before spring ball starts, and spring will be big for him.”

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