Iowa quarterback, ex-Badger Deacon Hill returns to ‘familiar’ place in high-stakes rivalry game

IOWA CITY — Deacon Hill’s last few months in Madison, Wis., were not exactly glamorous.

The 6-foot-3 quarterback had entered the transfer portal in October 2022, and leaving Wisconsin football also meant leaving Wisconsin’s football facilities.

The University of Wisconsin’s Nicholas Recreation Center — called “the Nick” — was one of the newer buildings on campus and essentially had the “same materials” as the Wisconsin football weight room.

But rather than having a weight room reserved for his team’s use, Hill had to vie for the same equipment spaces as students majoring in anything from agronomy to zoology.

He lifted weights either in the mornings or late at night — whenever “there was not a lot of people around.”

“I wouldn’t really start my workouts until I knew that I’d be able to get through a whole workout,” Hill said.

His trainer back in southern California would send him workout regimens. Wide receivers Markus Allen and Stephan Bracey Jr. eventually entered the portal as well, so they would practice at the intramural fields “just to get some routes and throwing in.”

Fast-forward to Saturday at 3:05 p.m., and Hill’s return to Madison will have much more of a spotlight when he plays against his former team as Iowa’s starting quarterback.

“I don’t want to make it any bigger than it is,” Hill said. “I don’t want to diminish it any less than it is.”

Hill might not call it a homecoming considering he “wasn’t there for super long.” After all, he entered the transfer portal about halfway through his second season.

But Hill will say he is “going to a place that’s familiar to me.”

His decision to transfer happened shortly after Paul Chryst’s firing. True freshman Myles Burkett seemed to be ahead of him in the quarterback pecking order.

“I was kind of outgrowing the place both in life and just in football,” Hill said. “I felt that I just needed a fresh start somewhere else. … There’s no animosity towards Wisconsin football at all. I love those guys. I love that town. I love that program.”

Nick Herbig, the former Wisconsin outside linebacker now on the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, “shot me a text the other day.”

“He’s a great guy,” Hill said. “Had an awesome time with him in the locker room.”

He has especially remained in touch with his former roommates — offensive lineman Kerry Kodanko and defensive ends Cade McDonald and Isaiah Mullens.

“I’ll text them every once in a while just to check in and touch base, all that stuff,” Hill said.

Kodanko in particular “was my best friend” on the team, Hill said. They would watch a movie every Tuesday night together although the friends were not always in consensus about their favorite flicks.

“We had a big argument about the Cars movies — which one was our favorite?” Hill said. “He said Two, which is completely false. … Nothing beats the original, and Three wasn’t bad. It was nostalgic, but Two was not my favorite.”

Hill has “no idea” whether Wisconsin fans will cheer or boo the ex-Badger.

“And I’m honestly not too worried about what the fans are thinking,” Hill said.

Hill’s primary focus has been “on my team here and what we need to do to prepare.”

The Santa Barbara, Calif., native felt “a little jittery” during his first career start as he went a subpar 6-of-21 with one interception and one touchdown, he said after the 20-14 win over Purdue last Saturday.

Hill said Tuesday he anticipates “some nerves” again as he plays in front of 80,000-plus opposing fans, but he is not using that as an excuse.

“I used to get nervous before every high school game, too,” Hill said. “It’s just your normal nervousness before a game, so I think it’ll be there. … I just need to do a better job of how I handle it.”

Hill’s quasi-homecoming will have a lot at stake for both teams.

While it is only October — Iowa has another five games left after this week, and Wisconsin has six — Saturday’s result could have key Big Ten West implications.

If Iowa wins, the Hawkeyes will have a half-game lead over Wisconsin with the tiebreaker and a larger lead over the rest of the division.

If Wisconsin wins, on the other hand, the Badgers could take two losses and still go to Indianapolis over the Hawkeyes (regardless of what happens to Iowa in the following five games).

The Heartland Trophy game has often been a deciding factor in who wins the division.

Either Iowa or Wisconsin has won the Big Ten West in six of nine years under the current divisional setup. In five of those six years, the Heartland Trophy winner also won the division title.

The exception was 2021, when Iowa won its remaining games and benefited from Minnesota’s upset of seven-point favorite Wisconsin on the last day of the regular season.

“We’re all aware of the stakes,” Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins said.

The Hawkeyes are “trying to go about it like any other week,” though.

“Every game is important,” Higgins said. “Obviously, if we didn’t win the last three games, then this game wouldn’t matter. … We’re just trying to take it one week at a time.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com