Last season Auburn saw the emergence of first-year wide receivers Seth Williams and Anthony Schwartz, who combined for 1,102 all-purpose yards and 12 total touchdowns on the ground and through the air.
This year, fellow class of 2018 recruit — wideout Matthew Hill — may have his chance to introduce himself to the Auburn Family this fall. Hill had himself a day on Saturday during A-Day, finishing with five receptions, 128 yards and two touchdowns.
Hill saw snaps with both sides during the scrimmage and was highly efficient for both teams. Hill had three receptions, 76 yards and a touchdown for the blue team and two receptions, 51 yards and a touchdown for the orange squad.
He did not see much playing time last fall and was redshirted after falling beneath the four-game threshold. So for Hill, Saturday's A-Day performance was a culmination of the hard work during the offseason and a preview of what could be in the fall.
"Since I got redshirted my first season here, it just gave me an opportunity to get better on the field and in the classroom, anyways," Hill said. "That's why I feel like I did a good job today. All the talent and the work that built up, I was able to show y'all what I've been working on since high school, really."
The receiving corps at Auburn will skew younger this season with star wideouts Ryan Davis and Darius Slayton leaving for the NFL Draft.
"It meant a lot to me, because all my work is now showing off," Hill said. "All spring, I've been showing the coaches why I should've played last year. It was also like a confidence thing. I just had to sit down and just think about building confidence with the offense and just learn it. Now that I've learned it and am confident, there's much more to come."
Even though the wide receiver room may be greener this season than it has been in the past, players like Williams, who took home the Offensive A-Day MVP, can see the potential in Hill.
"Like, all the receivers, Matthew — he’s going to get a whole bunch of playing time this year because R-Davis left," Williams said. So he’s going to step into that spot, he’s going to keep doing it. We always knew that Matt could do that. Now it’s time for him to show it on the big stage. It’s time for him to show it. He’s got his chance to show it, so he’s going to do it."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
