Jordan Thomas Hill (born February 8, 1991) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

. He was drafted by the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

in the third round of the

2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

Early years

Hill was born in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

. He attended Steelton Highspire High School in suburban Harrisburg, and played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

for the Steelton-Highspire Steamrollers. After a senior season which he earned all-state accolades while helping the Steamrollers win a Class A state championship, Penn State defensive line coach Larry Johnson recruited Hill heavily. Although he had offers from Pittsburgh, Rutgers, and Temple, Hill quickly committed to Penn State.

Recruiting

College career

Hill enrolled in

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

, where he played for the

Penn State Nittany Lions football The Penn State Nittany Lions team represents the Pennsylvania State University in college football. The Nittany Lions compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference, which they joined in 1993 afte ...

team from 2009 to 2012. He played relatively sparingly in his freshman season, but did record 12 tackles in 8 games, and started four games and played in all 11 during his sophomore year. As a junior in 2011, Hill led the defensive line by recording 59 tackles including 8 for a loss and 3.5 sacks. Perhaps his best game of the year was against

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

when he recorded 10 tackles including a tackle for a loss. He earned honorable mention all

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

. In wake of the

Penn State child sex abuse scandal The Penn State child sex abuse scandal concerned allegations and subsequent convictions of child sexual abuse committed by Jerry Sandusky, an assistant coach for the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, over a period of at least fifteen years. ...

, Hill was one of the first Penn State players to come out in support of coach

Joe Paterno Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football, Penn ...

. "I'm still a big supporter of coach Paterno and he is one of the reasons that I'm here," he said. "All you can really say is no man is perfect at all." After Penn State's first loss to

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

University in 2012, Hill, acting as a senior leader, came out and said that the team needed to move forward. Midway through the season, coach Bill O'Brien stumped for Hill and teammates

Gerald Hodges Gerald Davon Hodges Jr. (born January 17, 1991) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Penn State. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round, 120th overall, of the 2013 NFL Draft. Early years ...

and

Michael Mauti Michael D. Mauti (born January 19, 1990) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Penn State Nittany Lions football, Penn State and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft. H ...

for several year end awards or for the All-American team.

Professional career

Seattle Seahawks

The

chose Hill in the third round with the 87th overall pick in the

. On May 10, 2013, he signed a multi-year rookie contract with Seahawks; financial terms were not disclosed at the time of the announcement. He played in 4 games in the 2013 season, recording 7 tackles and 1.5 sacks, ultimately winning a Super Bowl ring in

Super Bowl XLVIII Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for th ...

. In 2014, Hill was a small contributor until

Brandon Mebane Brandon Jerome Mebane (born January 15, 1985) is a former American football defensive tackle. He attended Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles. He played college football at California. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of ...

was placed on injured reserve after a Week 10 game against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. Over the final 6 games of the regular season (all wins by the Seahawks, with a total of 39 points allowed), Hill recorded 13 tackles and 5.5 sacks. In a week 15 game against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

, he had two sacks of quarterback

Colin Kaepernick Colin Rand Kaepernick ( ; born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and football quarterback who is a free agent. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he knelt dur ...

. In week 17, he had half a sack and his first career interception of quarterback

Shaun Hill Shaun Christopher Hill (born January 9, 1980) is a former American football quarterback who played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college fo ...

. In this week 17 game, Hill would get injured and ultimately be placed on injured reserve, ending his season as the playoffs started. On September 3, 2016, he was placed on injured reserve. He was released on October 16, 2016.

Washington Redskins

On November 8, 2016, Hill was signed by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

. He was waived on November 19, 2016.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Hill was claimed off waivers by the Jaguars on November 21, 2016.

Detroit Lions

On March 20, 2017, Hill signed with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on August 27, 2017, and suffering a biceps injury.

Personal life

Hill is the son of Larry and Sue (Dagenhart) Hill. Hill has said that he draws motivation from his father Larry, who has diabetes and suffered from a mild stroke four years ago.

Trinity High School Football

As of February 2021, Hill is now the head football coach at

Trinity High School Trinity High School is the name of high schools: United Kingdom * Trinity High School, Renfrew, Renfrewshire, Scotland * Trinity High School, Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland * Trinity High School and Sixth Form Centre, in Redditch, England *Trini ...

, located in

Shiremanstown, Pennsylvania Shiremanstown is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Bordered to the north by Hampden Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Hampden Township and to the south by Lower Allen Township, Cumberland ...

References

External links

Seattle Seahawks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Jordan 1991 births Living people Players of American football from Dauphin County, Pennsylvania American football defensive tackles American football defensive ends Penn State Nittany Lions football players Seattle Seahawks players Washington Redskins players Jacksonville Jaguars players Detroit Lions players People from Steelton, Pennsylvania