Littlefield senior, Sam Hill signed his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday, during a small ceremony in the LHS Library to continue his football and academic career at Eastern New Mexico University.
“I’m excited. I’ve been waiting four years for this and I’m ready to get to college and get to work,” Hill said.
As a senior, Hill played on both sides of the ball where, defensively, he accounted for 71 total tackles, 50 solo tackles and seven tackles for loss. He also had two sacks, three quarterback pressures, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one blocked kick.
Offensively, Hill carried the ball 35 times for 202 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 5.77 yards per carry over his senior year.
“I’ve always loved football ever since I was little,” he said. “I played HPYFL and have just always kept a passion for football, so the thought of playing college football has always been there.”
ENMU is recruiting Hill as a running back.
Hill talked about what the recruiting process was like for him, stating, “I went to many camps over the summer all over Texas and Oklahoma, and I even went to a camp in Louisiana. It was a busy process, but just getting out there and getting exposure helped a lot. Another thing that helped a lot was messaging coaches on Twitter and sending film out on Hudl.”
Hill had offers from ENMU, OPSU, SAGU, McPherson College and Cisco College.
Hill talked about what stuck out about ENMU from the rest, saying, “They have a big tradition just like Littlefield and they’re not far from my home town, so I can always come back if needed. I just really liked the location and the community, it was really nice.”
Hill is joining a Greyhound squad that went 5-6 last season, 2-6 in conference play. He is part of a big 2024 recruiting class, who will look to help make an impact this upcoming season.
The new Greyhound talked about how his high school coaches have helped get him ready for the next level, explaining, “They’ve helped transform me into the man I’ve become to this point in my life and they’ve always had a positive impact on my life. They’ve always been there for me whenever I needed them and they were there if I needed to talk to them.”
Hill recalled his favorite memory from being a Wildcat, saying, “My very first varsity game. It was just a big deal and I was just super excited to be out there with the ‘big’ ’Cats.”
Hill was a three-year varsity football player for the Wildcats, as well as being a member of the varsity track and varsity baseball teams.
He talked about what it has meant to him being able to represent Littlefield over the last four years, saying, “Anyone can become anything. You can be from a tiny town and go play college foot- ball; you can go do anything. Getting to represent Littlefield in football, baseball and track; it has been a big deal for me and it is exciting.”
Hill’s parents, Harley and Emily Thomas talked about what it means to them to get to see Sam live out his dream of playing college football, stating, We’re just so proud of him and he has worked so hard. He has maintained a 4.2 GPA, while playing football, track and baseball; we’re just so proud to watch him.”
Harley added, “He’s played every position his senior year from center to safety. He’s played al-most every position except for quarterback. He’s that kind of kid, he just plays wherever he is told to play. We also really enjoyed our visit with Coach Kelly Lee at ENMU.”
Hill talked about the support he has received from his family over his career, explaining, “They’ve always been there to push me and always encourage me to do my best. My stepdad was a big help with all of this college stuff; he ran my twitter, he drove me to all of the camps, they paid for it, it was huge.”
Hill said he intends to major in Business Marketing.