Sixth year for Hilliard 'one of the best things about playing this season'

After six years at Ohio State, Justin Hilliard is held in high regard by his teammates and coaches.

Coming out of high school in Cincinnati, Hilliard was a top-three inside linebacker in the Class of 2015 and the No. 1 defensive prospect in Ohio, per Rivals. Big things were expected from him as soon as he arrived in Columbus.

However, production has been hard to come by for Hilliard in the ensuing five years.

The 2019 Ohio State graduate has missed parts of three separate seasons with a series of injuries. It has been a battle to stay on the field, but he is healthy once more and ready for another year of eligibility.

“That’s one of the best things about playing this season- a guy like Justin Hilliard,” Ohio State linebackers coach Al Washington said. “It’s his sixth year and I see him being a major contributor this year, I see him being a guy to help us on and off the field.”

As a redshirt freshman, Hilliard played in Ohio State’s first three games before a season-ending bicep injury took him out. That has been the story of his career to date: building up consistent development and playing time before an injury setback.

Hilliard did play in 12 games as a senior, starting three- but even so, a spring Achilles injury cut time away that could have been spent preparing for the season.

“It's kind of obvious, but the injuries kind of took years off of my development," Hilliard said in March, before his spring was taken away yet again. "Like I've been telling people, this will be my sixth year coming up, but this is really only my second spring because of all those injuries.”

The stars have not aligned for Hilliard yet. This year has shortened his time on the field again, but the graduate is was given extra time to prepare for the October season.

“I think he’s healthy, which is something that has plagued him in the past, and I think he’s come out of this whole thing stronger,” Washington said. “So we’re expecting big things out of him- leadership is one of those major things. I’m real excited about Justin and what he has done.”

Hilliard is a part of a group of three experienced linebackers who have already graduated from Ohio State. His budding leadership has played a sizable role in the development of the entire linebacker core and his own return to the field.

“I feel like Justin is the definition of a true warrior,” fellow linebacker Baron Browning said. “I mean, a guy who has had the injuries he had, I feel like it would be easy for anybody just to give up and call it quits but he has just always found a way to keep pushing and keep pushing, even when that finish line, he couldn’t even see it.”

As a player, Hilliard and Browning will share the same position in the interior of the defense. Both have enough experience to be content with their place on the team, but Browning said they use that experience to help each other every day.

“I feel like we’re both explosive players, we both have great instinct. I feel like it’s kinda like looking at a mirror and seeing yourself. It’s pretty cool,” Browning said. “When one of us is in and the other is not, we’re just coaching each other.”

Ohio State has enough depth and talent to make up for Hilliard calling it a career after his injury setbacks. But the 2019 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree didn’t give up.

That’s the kind of thing that builds the culture of a program.

In his battles through the injuries and missed opportunities, Hilliard has grown into a program voice. His teammates and coaches know that. Now he gets his final chance to prove it on the field.

“I’m very proud of Justin, I’m proud to have him as a teammate,” Browning said. “I’m just really excited to see what he can do this year, being fully healthy with the opportunity he has this year.”