What could have been for Wyoming back Brian Hill

LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - Brian Hill is more than happy with his decision to play football at Wyoming.

The Belleville, Illinois, product ranks fifth on the Cowboys' career rushing list with 2,427 yards in 24 games during two seasons.

The school is touting Hill as an All-America candidate this fall, and he was a preseason All-Mountain West pick heading into this season.

But all that may not have happened if Wyoming's season-opening opponent - Northern Illinois - had recruited Hill differently.

Hill was a running back and safety in high school, and he wanted to play safety in college. Northern Illinois offered Hill a scholarship, but wanted him to play linebacker.

What if Northern Illinois said Hill could play safety? Would that have affected his decision to sign with UW and play running back?

"Probably, yeah," Hill said. "I was in love with playing safety, but I didn't want to play linebacker at all. Luckily, I chose the one that worked out best for me."

Northern Illinois coach Rod Carey remembers recruiting Hill, and said he and his staff wanted Hill as a linebacker to fill a need.

"We loved him as a linebacker. We didn't need a running back, but I had a sneaking feeling if he came here he would have ended up playing running back," Carey said with a laugh.

"Wyoming did a nice job of recruiting him, and I think he wanted to play running back. He's a great kid, of what I remember. He's a dynamic player."

Although Hill wanted to play safety in college, that changed when he took a recruiting visit to Laramie.

"(Coach Craig) Bohl told me I was a good enough athlete to play defense, but he said I should have the ball in my hands as much as possible," Hill told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle (http://bit.ly/2c4UJUe). "He broke down the offense to me and explained how I would have the ball in my hands as much as possible.

"When me and my mom sat down to make the decision of where I wanted to go to college, Wyoming was the right choice for me."

Hill said a lot of the schools that recruited him wanted him to play defense, or they designated him as an "athlete," where he could have played either offense or defense.

Wyoming was the only school in the process that wanted Hill to play running back, he said.

"On defense, it's you against the world. Everybody is against you, and you have to stop the ball. I miss that feeling," Hill said.

But Hill also likes the feeling of being a running back.

"It's a way different feeling, and you're always on the attack. I know guys are coming after me.

"On defense, you have to worry about gaps and all that. As a running back, once you get the ball in your hands, you just have to move your legs as fast as possible."

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Information from: Wyoming Tribune Eagle, http://www.wyomingnews.com