Will Hill

Early years

Hill was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and was raised in East Orange, New Jersey. He attended St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City, New Jersey. At St. Peter's Preparatory School, he was a two-sport athlete in football and track. In football, he played receiver, quarterback, running back, and safety in his junior year. He ran for 682 yards from both running back and quarterback positions and threw for 758 yards. He had three interceptions and 68 tackles playing free safety and had 444 yards receiving. As a senior, Hill had 947 yards passing and seven touchdowns, he rushed for 960 yards and 19 touchdowns and had 43 tackles, four interceptions, and three pass breakups on defense. He was a first team all-state selection. He was the 2007 New Jersey Offensive Player of the Year.

In track and field, Hill competed as a sprinter. He recorded a personal-best time of 52.9 seconds in the 400-meter dash as a freshman. In addition, he also ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash as a senior.

Following his high school senior season, Rivals.com, ESPN, and Scout.com all rated Hill as the top high school safety in the nation. ESPN rated him as the second overall football prospect and the top-ranked overall athlete in the nation. Rivals rated Hill tenth and Scout rated him sixth among all college football recruits.

College career

Hill accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida, where he played for coach Urban Meyer's Florida Gators football team from 2008 to 2010. As a free safety and special teams contributor, he was chosen to be on the 2008 SEC Football All-Freshman Team. Hill compiled 48 tackles and two interceptions as a freshman for the Gators. He recorded the first tackle of the 2009 BCS Championship Game, in which the Gators defeated the Oklahoma Sooners by a score of 24–14.

Professional career

Hill was not selected in the 2011 NFL Draft. Hill later signed with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League (AFL).

New York Giants

On May 14, 2012, Hill was signed by the New York Giants. He was eventually activated to their active roster. On June 2, 2014, Hill was waived by the Giants. On June 3, 2014, Hill was activated from the other league exempt list by the Arizona Rattlers.

Baltimore Ravens

It was reported on July 25, 2014 that the Baltimore Ravens signed Hill after former Giants teammate, Aaron Ross, was injured in training camp and lost for the entire 2014 season. On November 24, 2014, in Week 12 against the New Orleans Saints, Hill intercepted quarterback Drew Brees and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. The Ravens won the game by a score of 34-27.

On August 27, 2015, the Ravens signed him to a two-year contract extension worth roughly $7 million. On November 30, 2015, in Week 12, Hill recovered a potential game-winning field goal blocked by defensive end Brent Urban as time expired and returned it for a game-winning touchdown against the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football. Hill was then awarded as the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in recognition of his successful performance.

On March 16, 2016, the Ravens released Hill upon learning that he had failed a drug test and would be suspended ten games.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

On May 9, 2017, Hill signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). In his second game with the team, Hill was ejected for grabbing a referee by his uniform after disputing a call on the field. He was subsequently suspended for one game by the league. Hill was also issued a fine for punching a Saskatchewan player in a separate incident on the same play. On August 10, 2017 Hill was released by the Tiger-Cats who were 0-6 at the time, citing character concerns. Hill appeared in 5 games for the Ti-Cats and contributed 25 defensive tackles, one tackle on special teams and one quarterback sack.

Personal troubles

On October 8, 2012, the NFL suspended Hill for using the prescription drug Adderall. He was able to return to the Giants' active roster on November 5. Hill was suspended a second time for the first four games of the 2013 season for violating the NFL substance abuse policy; his suspension ended on September 30. Following his second suspension, Hill underwent drug rehabilitation in March and April in Boston, and followed that with outpatient meetings in New Jersey.

On December 21, 2013, Hill was arrested in New Jersey on a warrant for outstanding child support payments. Despite the arrest, Hill still played that Sunday against the Detroit Lions. During the game, he intercepted a pass thrown by Matthew Stafford in the fourth quarter and scored on a 38-yard touchdown to tie the game and force overtime. In overtime, the Giants would go on to win the game by a score of 23-20.

In March 2014, New Jersey police issued a warrant for Hill's arrest for failure to pay child support.

On May 30, 2014, Hill was suspended for the first six games of the 2014 season for violations of the league's substance abuse policy.

Hill has been trying to make changes in his personal life. "I sit in the house with my family. I used to be a nightclub guy, especially coming out of college. I've just been watching a lot of movies. I'm a homebody. I took a long look in the mirror and decided to change a lot of things," Hill said in December 2014.