In the great realm of the animal kingdom, the lion is the ultimate predator of the plains. With vision six times stronger than humans and an average frame of around 400 pounds for males and 280 for females consisting of great amounts of muscle, they are strong, fierce creatures to be reckoned with.
Unlike most humans, though, lions don’t grow up with just a mother and a father, they grow and learn among a group, a community, a pride.
Standing at 6-foot-1 and weighing in north of 190 pounds, ASU freshman cornerback Tommi Hill is a young, promising four-star prospect out of Orlando, Florida. The early enrollee turned heads and widened eyes with his large frame and athletic prowess during Arizona State’s spring practices in March, breaking all the way through to the second-string defensive unit, the most experienced side of the ball in Tempe.
Compared to his peers, at least on-field experience-wise, Hill is a cub, still navigating on and off the field new and foreign territory far away from home, no different than any other fellow newcomer. But when it comes to the proverbial hurdles he needed to clear ahead of his arrival to the Valley of the Sun, his story is far different than the vast majority of his teammates.
The first-year cornerback’s journey is 19 years of genuine hardship, tragedy, and strife, more than most experience in their lifetimes. Nevertheless, the freshman possesses an unbelievable hunger for success and an unwavering will that takes grit and heart. He’s been through far too much to act otherwise.
Hill has demonstrated that heart of a lion mentality, but he didn’t obtain that forte alone. It took much more than the typical two-parent family, it required the backing of a community, the support of the pride.
It all began for Hill in Tarpon Springs, Florida, about an hour northwest of Tampa. With his father in and out of the household during his childhood, the parental responsibilities of Tommi and his two sisters fell to his mother, Loretosha Wallace.
In Hill’s hometown, one which is no stranger to drug-related crime violence and his mother battled drug addiction while he was still extremely young. Across her son’s youth, Wallace was arrested for a slew of drug-related crimes, as well as forgery of bills, driving with a suspended license, and theft. She served numerous stints in jail, leaving her children to be cared for by other family members, such as their grandfather and aunt.
When Hill’s mother was not in jail, she took control back over her kids, while Hill’s father also occasionally supplemented to the young lives of his children, particularly his son, whom he enrolled into Pop Warner football from a young age. Hill played running back during his youth, and vividly remembers some special moments with his father during that time.
“I was probably six or seven,” Hill remembered. “I was with my pops and he ran with me when I first scored, all the way down the sideline with me, that’s one of my favorite moments.”
Things weren’t always that smooth for Hill, though, as bouncing around from household to household with both parents in and out of the picture significantly impacted and tainted his childhood. The young Floridian was seemingly on the move on a weekly basis even when his mother wasn’t incarcerated due to lack of basic needs or a safe living environment.
“When I was young, we moved around home to home every weekend and every Wednesday because my mom didn’t have food in the fridge,” Hill explained. “We always had to live with someone else because we didn’t have any food.”
Worse yet, Hill doesn’t remember a quintessential element of every person’s childhood, celebrating a birthday. For Hill, March 21st was meant to be a special day in his life, a day to celebrate with family and friends for another healthy year of life. For Tommi, 3-21 is just another day.
“I’ve never really had a birthday with all of my family members,” Hill admitted. “Every time I have a birthday, my mom or my sisters or my family members have never been able to all be there.”
For Hill, the constant nomad lifestyle was naturally extremely difficult, as a lack of a secure setting and parental support forced him to grow up quickly, as well as the presence of his little sister, Leyuna, whom he took under his wing.
“Being away from a stable environment was always hard,” Hill mentioned. “I would always try to bring my sister with me because I have to watch out for her as a big brother. Everywhere she went, I went, and everywhere I went, she went.”
The constant cycle of infrequent parental care and relocating between households significantly affected Hill’s educational efforts, so much so that he was two years behind as he entered the fifth grade, nearing the age of 12.
In 2015, Hill’s mother was arrested and charged with petty theft, as she stole food from a retail store for her children, along with resisting an officer and child abuse. She also committed several other felonies across the remainder of the year before she was sent to prison. The Florida Department of Children and Families stepped in, taking the children away from their mother.
The options were adoption by a family member or a life in foster and group homes until the age of 18. As Hill and his sister were growing older, something needed to be done to provide a sense of normalcy to their lives. A call to action was vital.
Enter Loretosha’s brother and Tommi’s uncle, Doug Wallace. An IT technician and part-time coach called a meeting with his older brother Milton and older sister Brenda, who had each played a role at one time or another during Tommi’s youth, to discuss who would take over custody of the children.
Wallace had raised two boys beforehand and was raising a third at the time, along with having a significant foothold in youth sports, coaching AAU basketball and Pop Warner football, in which his sons had also participated in.
“We all had a discussion over the phone, trying to decide where Tommi would be best fit,” Wallace recalled. “Because I was into sports and already involved in sports and always had been, along with (Milton and Brenda) never really being into sports, we just kind of figured that he would probably be best suited to live with me. We would have fun and keep him busy.”
For Hill, moving to Orlando to live with his uncle Doug and his wife Denise Wallace was viewed as the best possible outcome, as they would go on to play a massive role in his football career and development, Alas, it also meant leaving his best friend behind since Wallace didn’t have room to care for Leyuna as well.
“When we were in court, I thought she was coming with me to my uncle’s,” Hill commented. “I kept hearing that she was going to come with me to my uncle’s, and it made sense for me to go because it was a better environment for both of us.”
Unsurprisingly, Hill was upset when he heard the news because of the special bond he developed with his sister, effectively being her guardian. Luckily, Leyuna stayed in the family, as she was adopted by Wallace’s older sister Brenda.
“I stepped in and went through the courts to obtain custody of him,” Wallace said. “My older sister took custody of his little sister. I wasn’t able to take both of them. When we discussed it, that was the best direction for them to go.”
After Wallace took custody of his nephew, Hill moved to his residence in Orlando and immediately continued pursuing his passion for football. Wallace took Hill to a local friend, Pop Warner coach, and renowned central Florida trainer, Lo Wood.
Wallace and Hill went to Wood’s Pop Warner tryouts, where the young Hill initially wanted to play quarterback but realized that might be a harder path than expected due to the talent present, specifically Canaan Mobley, who would go on to be Hill’s quarterback at Edgewater High School.
“He decided that he didn’t want to play quarterback, so he got into the receivers’ line and started practicing with the receivers, but he couldn’t catch,” Wallace chuckled. “He couldn’t catch the ball; he couldn’t run routes, he would be diving for a ball that was five yards away and totally uncatchable.”
While he didn’t know how to play receiver nor catch the football, Hill had a determination to succeed. He wanted to excel at catching the football and showed that by exhibiting a high level of effort even when the ball was out of his reach or bounced off his hands.
That summer, Hill and his uncle took to the backyard, where Wallace took him through a thorough regiment of football education, teaching his nephew from the ground up everything pertaining to receiving skills. From hand placement and the fundamentals of the catch, they moved to route running; after that, Hill learned the basic route tree. Following those steps, Wallace made sure Hill could properly line up on both sides of the line of scrimmage and be successful in whatever route he needed to execute.
“(That summer) is when everything really started with football,” Hill said. “That’s when I had to go for real – no distractions, don’t play – just football and school for the most part.”
When Pop Warner season rolled back around in the fall, it was clear the hard work had paid off. Hill could catch the ball, and he did so fluidly and effectively.
“It was a big transition from the beginning of the summer, when he first started practicing, to the fall when Pop Warner started up again,” Wallace described. “You could see his progression through the way he caught the ball and the way he started getting better and better.”
Hill continued to play receiver and excel at the position through his middle school years in Pop Warner, however the prospect of his education still hung above his head like a dark cloud.
Hill was 13 years old entering the sixth grade, while his peers were 11, turning 12. This time around, there was no more of the hopscotch from shifting from one living situation to another that would consequently derail his education, as Wallace insisted on his nephew’s devotion to his studies.
Due to the inconsistencies he experienced during his childhood, Hill was given an IEP, or Individualized Education Program, a roadmap, if you will, that lays out a plan or a program of special educational instruction, support, and services children require to make academic progress. Hill began to catch up with his educational program, but the process required a significant portion of time. He still was nearly two years older than his peers as he approached high school.
Fast forward a few years later, and there would be no period more pivotal in Hill’s life than the spring and summer between the eighth and ninth grade. His persistence in the backyard with Wallace, along with one dominant display after another during Pop Warner contests had garnered the attention of local colleges such as Florida State and South Florida, as well as out of state suitors like Kansas.
On March 13, 2018, Hill’s recruiting process commenced, as all three aforementioned schools offered him the same day. Offers from local Florida International and North Carolina would soon follow.
For Hill, the attention was definitely staggering. He was just 15 years old, being recruited by multiple power five programs both near and far.
“At first, I thought I was going to receive attention during my junior and senior year,” Hill described. “When I received those phone calls, I was like, ‘Dang; I still have work to do; this is just the beginning.’ After (the FSU, USF, and KU offers), I kept pushing harder.”
The attention diversified during Hill’s freshman year, where he learned to play corner on his Pop Warner Unlimited team, a higher level of club football where players can still partake in the game without having to play for their ninth-grade team, or if their school didn’t have one.
Wallace, the defensive backs coach for the team, put his nephew in at corner where to no ones’ surprise, he excelled. On his ninth-grade high school team, Hill was confined to receiver.
It wasn’t just on the gridiron where Hill stepped up his game; he also took his high level of performance to the classroom. Enrolled in a job readiness summer program for students ages 14-18, Hill met Dr. Demetrius Crane, a self-employed entrepreneur, and educator in the area.
According to Crane, she and Hill connected “instantly,” and that mentorship continued to grow across the two-month duration of the program. Crane brought Hill into her family, and he became a brother-like figure to her young son, while Hill, in essence, became a second son to her. Hill invited crane to nearly all of his football activities that offseason and later to the football games during his freshman year.
That summer, Crane became the primary maternal individual in Hill’s life, assisting him with school so he was able to catch up to his peers, while also cheering him on from the stands and sidelines at every chance she was given. Once she found out Hill was an IEP student, she helped him significantly with his academics, specifically preparation for the SAT college entrance exam.
“She’s like a mother figure to me,” Hill said. “Her family is like a family to me, and her son is my little brother. We are all very close.”
“Initially, I was just running the readiness program that was open to all students ages 14-18 during the summer,” Crane explained. “Then after realizing Tommi was an IEP student and struggled in his academics, I started helping him and providing SAT prep as well because I knew that was going to be important for him moving forward.”
Crane went on to start multiple non-profit organizations in Orlando which offer specific programs for student-athletes who struggle with their academics. She also began an SAT prep program through her time working with Hill, catered to student-athletes as well.
Through his work with Crane during his freshman year, Hill enrolled at Edgewater High School as a sophomore and was entirely caught up with his curriculum. Crane insists that Hill never had a learning disability, but rather his academic fallback entirely stemmed from the external pressures of his young life.
“Many people didn’t know Tommi had an IEP, and when you think of someone like that, the common thought is that they won’t be able to go to college like any other student because of their learning issue and how they’re labeled,” Crane rationalized. “I believe that Tommi didn’t really have a learning issue as much as he just had a family issue. It’s hard when you have a young boy in the second grade sleeping with no lights, doesn’t know when his mom’s coming back, and you ask him to sit in a classroom and focus.”
If Crane was considered to be committed to Hill’s success, Wallace was tenfold with that approach, insisting his nephew stay laser focused on becoming a great student-athlete shining both on and off the field.
“We would train year-round,” Wallace explained. “When we weren’t playing in season; we were doing seven-on-seven when that wasn’t happening, we were training. That’s how he got so good; we didn’t really take time off besides holidays, time for academics, and time for his body to heal and rest.”
As a sophomore at Edgewater, Hill instantly began to contribute at receiver, but Wallace believed his experience at cornerback could also, pay off if he was inserted into that role. Ahead of the playoffs, Wallace playfully boasted to head coach Cameron Duke that Hill could play cornerback, and his 6-foot-1 frame would be helpful in shutting down the threats of taller opposing receivers.
That year, the Eagles advanced to the state semi-final game against Lakeland and finished with an overall record of 12-2. Suddenly, Hill began to attract attention from recruiters not just because of his ability to catch the ball but for his skills in shutting down wideouts.
Over the following months, Hill’s recruiting profile began to light up thanks to his explosive athleticism, humble demeanor, and overall prowess on the gridiron. Early 2019, the second semester of Hill’s sophomore year, SEC heavy hitters Alabama, Auburn, and Florida offered Hill a scholarship. Ohio State, Nebraska, and Purdue offers arrived from the Big Ten.
Hill was obviously riding high. He finally lived in a stable environment with Wallace and Crane in his corner. The sophomore two-way player also had begun to develop a slight relationship with his father after he was absent so many years away from his son’s life.
It began with phone calls between the pair, which eventually grew to an overnight stay at his father’s residence, the first time they had been reunited in nearly ten years. The pair maintained their relationship over the phone leading up to the spring of 2019, Hill’s sophomore year.
With his dad somewhat back in his life while also achieving great football success, Hill was putting the puzzle back together from a youth that saw the pieces spread far and wide; however, all of the obstacles he encountered to that date would be outdone by his biggest challenge yet.
On March 15, 2019, Wallace received a phone call. The somber news rang through his mind as he prepared to relay the tragic message to his nephew.
That morning, Hill’s father was riding his motorcycle outside of Tampa when he attempted to overtake a vehicle on a two-lane road. When he moved to pass the car, he met opposing traffic and was launched from the motorcycle before passing away shortly afterward on the scene.
Wallace now had to deliver the devastating news to Hill.
“Every child wants to build a relationship with their father; it’s just human nature and how we are built,” Wallace explained. “When Tommi’s father died; it really hurt him because I don’t think he built the relationship he wanted to.”
Hill’s father never watched him suit up for the Eagles and stun crowds on Friday nights. He had faced more than a fair share of trials and tribulations, but never one to this degree.
“Dealing with his death was the only adversity that really helped me,” Hill said, surprisingly. “Just handling how my dad passed changed my whole mindset that if I can get through that, I can get through anything. It was more difficult than anything I went through as a kid.”
With his father gone and his mom in and out of jail or rehab assignments, Hill fell back to his developed support system, and most of all, his love for football, which became the ultimate escape and evasion from his troubles.
“Ever since I was little, and I’ve had all these emotions built up, I would go out to the field and want to try and hit someone’s helmet off,” Hill admitted. “It’s my way to let my emotions and anger out.”
If you ask Wallace and Crane, the answer is no different.
“Football is his escape,” his uncle said. “If it’s not football, it’s training. That allows him to put his mind on something else.”
“He’s always just wanted to play football; there was a point in time where he wanted literally nothing else,” Crane said, smiling. “He didn’t have a backup plan for college; he didn’t know what major he wanted to pursue. Football has been the thing he’s always worked towards and worked extremely hard for.”
Hill channeled the adversity from his father’s death into productivity, working harder than ever before being the best football player he could be. He poured himself into his craft, and the offers and recruiting attention continued to flow.
After another successful year at Edgewater, where he shined on both sides of the ball, a call came from out west. It was Arizona State defensive backs coach Chris Hawkins, who attended a workout in Florida and later expressed his interest in Hill’s abilities and outlined how much he could help the team due to his exceptional athleticism and drive. Further conversations sparked an offer in late January.
The high school junior also spoke with wide receivers coach Prentice Gill about the prospect of playing offense for the Sun Devils, but eventually decided that the greatest potential impact Hill could make would be on the defensive side of the ball. Ultimately, Hill opted to pursue a defensive career at ASU, potentially playing for Hawkins, defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce and head coach Herm Edwards.
“I loved the culture and the environment,” Hill listed. “With what’s going on in the world right now and the color of our skin, we have a black head coach and members of the staff who understand what we are going through, so that meant a lot.”
Hill and his uncle were also impressed by another key factor of ASU’s recruiting footprint, the pro model. Wallace, who kept a file with all of Hill’s potential schools and their coaching staffs preferred the experience and enthusiasm of the Sun Devil coaches, as well as their proven track record in the NFL.
By late March, Hill had narrowed down his top five schools to Georgia, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Arizona State, and Nebraska. The first three recruited Hill as a receiver, while the latter two wanted him to play defense.
Wallace sat down with his nephew following that short list announcement and the pair discussed the stability of the coaching staffs, the benefits and downsides to each program and finally, the discussion of what position Tommi would eventually play at the professional level.
“Ultimately, Tommi made the decision to play cornerback,” Wallace mentioned. “He asked me which position I thought he should play, and I told him that he can catch the hell out of the ball, and he doesn’t miss too many catches but could make a longer career out of playing defense.”
“I think you’ll do better as a cornerback,” Wallace told his nephew. “You’re tall, and there’s not a ton of 6-foot-1, 6-foot-2 cornerbacks out there, but there are a lot of 6-foot-plus receivers.”
With a chance to earn playing time from his first step on campus, the four-star athlete committed to a future out west, and rendered his pledge to the maroon and gold on July 15 of last year.
In January of 2021, Hill stepped foot for the first time on the Tempe campus, 2,130 miles away from his home in Orlando as an early enrollee and a communications major. When spring ball began in March, it didn’t take long for the true freshman to make an impact, but rather he left an immediate impression in the first week of sessions.
The freshman was plugged in as a second-string corner alongside redshirt junior Timarcus Davis. He was the first true freshman to be inserted into either the first or second defensive unit in the spring, a difficult feat with the Sun Devils’ expansive experience on that side of the ball.
In the second spring practice, the four-star recruit nabbed an interception on a pass from freshman quarterback Daylin McLemore while also taking reps at punt return. The pick was Hill’s favorite moment from the entire month of practice. He was grateful he made his presence known so quickly, as the prospect of practicing with grown men proved to be a tall task.
“I loved it when I caught my first pick in practice,” Hill noted. “When I first got onto the field with the guys, I was a little nervous, but I didn’t want to say anything. I just wanted to compete with the big names and experienced guys like (fifth-year safety) Evan Fields, (sixth-year cornerbacks) Chase Lucas and Jack Jones, while also learning from them.”
With the extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to COVID-19, Arizona State possesses perhaps the most experienced defensive group in the country. The defense returns all 11 starters, six of whom had the opportunity to enter the NFL Draft. For a freshman like Hill, he undoubtedly wants to featured on as many game day snaps as possible and even start, but for now, it’s about learning and acquiring knowledge to position himself for that starter role.
“It’s been great (learning from the older players),” Hill proclaimed. “I can gain a lot of knowledge from people who’ve been here for years and have a lot of experience with different receivers and different methods of coaching.”
Hill has already earned praise from his older peers, including Fields, who said Hill already “looks the part.” While Hill is definitely appreciative to have already earned that respect, the entire reason he came to ASU was to exceed expectations.
“(Making an impact) is what I came here for,” Hill expressed. “I want to make a name for myself while also having teammates that can trust me. That’s a big deal to me too. If coach puts me in, I want my teammates to be able to trust me.”
While Hill is surely thriving in Tempe on the gridiron, there are many new factors in his life that he must come to terms with being on the opposite side of the country. For the first time, he’s away from his home of Florida, and while Orlando and Tempe both have palm trees, that’s where the similarities come to a halt.
“It’s been a little difficult coming out here because I’m so far from home, and I have no family out here,” Hill said. “It was a little scary at first.”
For Hill to make it to ASU, it took a village of supporters behind him. To achieve his ultimate goal of reaching the pros, it’s going to take another one. In Tempe, though, Hill has his newfound coaches and teammates, who have made State 48 a warm, welcome, safe haven for the freshman. He also has a three-month-old puppy, a lab and golden retriever mix named Kong, as well as a solid group of roommates, fellow cornerback RJ Regan, offensive lineman Armon Bethea, and linebacker Eric Gentry.
While he may be homesick, Crane insists he didn’t leave anything behind that’s imperative of his attention back home in Orlando. Hill’s Godmother made the trip out to Tempe for the final practice, the Maroon and Gold Game at Sun Devil Stadium, on March 28th.
Crane didn’t get her ultimate wish of seeing Hill play at receiver, which if you ask her, she’ll tell you that when the freshman plays on offense, “he puts butts in seats, he’s just awesome at the position.” However, the prospect of seeing Hill succeed on a higher level than ever before is something that truly excites her.
Wallace is rooted in a similar philosophy, stating that wherever his nephew goes, he’s always the best player on the field, regardless of the level of play or event. While it may seem like wishful thinking, no one else has had a better seat to observe Hill’s success than his uncle.
“I have to give all credit to where Tommi is today to his uncle,” Crane admitted. “His uncle Doug and his wife Denise sacrificed so much to take Tommi in even after having their sons… I don’t even think Tommi realizes how important it is that you have someone who is truly parenting you. He kept Tommi on the straight and narrow as a father figure and was a parent to him when he really needed one.”
“I expect him to see him transition and be an incredible athlete,” Wallace said. “I just want him to know that we love him very much and look forward to the incredible things that he is going to do.”
It wasn’t just the efforts of Crane and Wallace who aided Hill to arrive at his current destination, quite the opposite. Hill’s Godfather John Glenn welcomed him into his home during his final years of high school football. Other community members, including Edgewater High School itself, like coach Duke provided Hill with the necessary guidance, despite the immense difficulties of navigating the college admissions process without true parental support.
It took a group of people – a pride of strong, kind, and dedicated individuals – to help Hill reach his status as a promising, if not intriguing, addition to the ASU squad. No different from a lion, he’s determined to provide for his newfound family and provide for the pride.
With spring practices and his first semester of college in the rear-view mirror, next up on Hill’s agenda is improvement and etching his standing on the Sun Devil depth chart when fall camp begins. The freshman hopes to progress as a player every time he steps on the field, along with the common team goal of winning the conference and the Rose Bowl.
Foremost among Hill’s commitments this summer, though, is a new challenge. Instead of tackling offensive players, breaking up passes, or working tirelessly on the field or in the classroom, he must tackle the prospect of being a father to his new furry best friend, Kong, who is still going through potty training.
Even the toughest of lions have a soft side.
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