K.J. Hill hails from Little Rock, Arkansas where he starred at nearby North LIttle Rock High School. After initially committing to playing his collegiate ball in state, he swapped from Arkansas to Ohio State in February of 2015. He was headed to the Buckeye State as a four-star prospect, the number one prospect in the state, and an Army All-American.
Hill contributed as a redshirt freshman in 2016 with 18 catches for 262 yards and a touchdown. As a sophomore, he took a step forward with 56 catches for 549 yards and three scores. He earned his first All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honor as a junior when he corralled a career-high 70 catches for 885 yards and six scores in 14 games.