LINCOLN — Ryan Hill got a hint about a week or so into camp that he was going to be more than a tight end this season for Nebraska.

After wearing No. 80 his first three years in the program, Hill walked out with No. 33 — confirmation that the 6-foot-3, 255-pounder could be in the backfield as much as he’s on the line of scrimmage in 2010.

“There’s a lot of things that Ryan can do,” assistant coach Ron Brown said. “He’s a versatile player, and he’s really been dedicated to the system and learned it pretty well. So he’s a nice moving piece.”

The best prediction is that Hill won’t ever carry the ball and likely won’t catch many passes — but will find his way to the field because of the different things he can offer.

“It’s pretty much just doing whatever they need,” he said. “That’s what teamwork is. Anybody would take pride in being somebody the coaches think can play certain positions to help the team.”

Hill dabbled in the hybrid position a year ago, when he would shift in and out of the backfield and regularly play short-yardage situations.

Blocking has always been more his forte than receiving, although two of his five career catches have resulted in touchdowns. The last of those was the 1-yard score against Oklahoma that was the difference in the 10-3 win last November.

“He catches the ball well, and he actually has good movement and change of direction for kind of a thick guy,” Brown said. “But he’s kind of built like a fullback. He’s got thickness. He’s got good thump to him. So we can stick him back there in the backfield, we can kind of move him out wide, we can put him in there as a tight end.”

Hill spent preseason camp working with both the fullbacks and tight ends. Brown said the offense doesn’t necessarily require such a player, but the coaching staff knows what to do if one is available.

“You just try to use people according to their abilities,” he said. “And one of the aspects of our offense is the ability to use tight ends in a variety of different ways.”

Hill’s versatility impresses even his mates at tight end. Sophomore Kyler Reed refers to Hill as “kind of like a utility guy.”

But what stands out is that Hill is not only built for contact but likes it.

“He’s a pretty good blocker,” Reed said. “He’s a big guy, a big stocky guy, a football-looking guy.”

Contact the writer:

444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com

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