It feels like when he’s out there we haven’t noticed anything different. He feels like the same Taysom — athletic, strong and powerful. We’re glad he’s back. – BYU wide receiver Mitch Mathews
PROVO — He’s not yet at full strength and he's not as mobile as he’d like to be, but, on Monday — the opening day of BYU football spring drills — quarterback Taysom Hill was slinging passes.
For the Cougars, it was a glorious sight to behold, and his presence on the practice field is a positive sign.
“It’s fun to have him back. We missed him,” said wide receiver Mitch Mathews. “It feels like when he’s out there we haven’t noticed anything different. He feels like the same Taysom — athletic, strong and powerful. We’re glad he’s back.”
“It was really fun to see Taysom back throwing the ball well,” said coach Bronco Mendenhall. “He’s limited in terms of practicing fully, but it feels better to have him out there.”
Hill, who was not wearing a brace on his leg Monday, was a darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidate before suffering a season-ending leg and ankle injury last October. Since then, he has been working hard recovering and preparing for his senior season. Hill was not available for interviews Monday.
Quarterbacks coach Jason Beck said Hill is “probably a little farther ahead” in his rehab than was expected. “He threw the ball well. He’s been throwing for a few weeks now … He looked really good, just not all the way back athletically, as far as running.”
Beck added that Hill will probably be back to 100 percent in early May.
“The nice part is, he’s able to do all the stuff in the pocket throwing the ball,” Beck said. “We can throw a million balls from the pocket, which is where we want to put the work anyway. The things he’s limited from doing is running around and doing all the stuff he’s great at. We don’t need to coach that up. He’ll be great at that when he gets back. For now, we can work the pass game in the pocket, moving around and throwing the ball down the field.”
Hill’s role as a leader is crucial for the Cougars.
“He’s going to have to be there, to be a face, to be in the locker room. He’ll be the best leader he can be,” Mathews said. “He’ll do every drill as hard as he can go, whatever the ankle will let him do. If there was a game tomorrow, he’d probably play in it somehow. That’s just the type of guy he is. We love him for being out there.”
Meanwhile, the quarterback expected to get the most reps in spring practice is sophomore McCoy Hill (no relation to Taysom), a Jordan High product.
“He tried really hard,” Mendenhall said of the 6-foot-6, 230-pound McCoy Hill. “He feels like maybe the luckiest person on the planet, knowing he’s getting reps with our number ones. He had an ankle injury coming into practice so we’re trying to manage that as well, as we don’t have too many quarterbacks for spring. It’s a delicate balance between letting him carve out a name for himself and also make sure he stays healthy.”
“He had a pretty good first day,” Beck said of McCoy Hill. “He threw the ball well, made good decisions. He has a good understanding of the offense.”
McCoy Hill is looking forward to his chance to show what he can do.
“I’m really excited. It’s a big blessing. It felt good to be out there today,” he said. “A lot of it is preparation. That’s what I’ve focused on. I feel ready. It’s a big opportunity.”
The only other quarterback on the roster is sophomore Hunter Moore. Quarterback Tanner Mangum, who is currently serving a mission, returns home this summer and will be part of the mix in fall camp.
If everything goes as planned, Taysom Hill will be back running the Cougar offense next fall.
Wide receiver Nick Kurtz said Hill hasn’t missed a beat.
“He’s always going to be good,” Kurtz said. “He can be hurt for a year and come back and be just as good as he was before. Don’t need to worry about that.”
Another key senior who is coming off an injury, running back Jamaal Williams, was also back at practice, though he is being limited in his participation. Williams suffered a season-ending knee injury on Nov. 1 against Middle Tennessee State. He plans to be back on the field for the season opener at Nebraska on Sept. 5.
“It’s nice to have Jamaal around as well,” Mendenhall said. “Jamaal is a little behind where Taysom is (in recovery). Just having those two back made a big difference.”