It’s not really clear what happened to Justin Hilliard, or what Justin Hilliard did that kept him on the bench for his first four seasons in Columbus. Ohio State doesn’t make that kind of information readily available, and while several injuries can be used to explain some of Hilliard’s inabilities to find starting time, that just doesn’t fully add up. Sure, two separate bicep injuries served as pretty big setbacks early in Hilliard’s career, but since then, he’s remained exclusively on special teams and as a situational player on defense. He recorded just 14 tackles in 2018, mostly in garbage time.
Justin Hilliard has one last chance to live up to his lofty expectations
