Tommi Hill injury update: Matt Rhule explains why Nebraska DB was sidelined

The Nebraska Cornhuskers suffered a frustrating loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini on Friday night. It was a game that saw the Cornhuskers lose star defensive back Tommi Hill.

After the game, head coach Matt Rhule explained why Tommi Hill was forced to watch the end of the game in street clothes. Unfortunately, he was forced to exit the game with a plantar fascia injury.

“It was a costly night,” Matt Rhule said. “We had some big injuries. Tommi couldn’t go and then Turner [Corcoran] looked like he got hurt pretty severely. Gunnar [Gottula] went in. So, we’ll have to regroup after this short little two-day thing…Tommi’s got like a plantar fascia inflammation.”

Tommi Hill came to Nebraska as a transfer from Arizona State ahead of the 2022 season. He had previously been a four-star recruit in the Class of 2021, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, when he came out of Edgewater High School in Orlando, Florida.

Since getting to Nebraska, Tommi Hill has been a key member of the Cornhuskers’ secondary. In 2023, he played in all 12 games for Nebraska and earned All-Big Ten honorable mention honors. He has also twice been on the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.

In four games this season, Tommi Hill has 14 total tackles and an interception that he returned for a touchdown. That comes after he had four interceptions and nine passes defended in 2023.

While Matt Rhule wasn’t specific about the injury that offensive lineman Turner Corcoran suffered, he did give the update that it appeared severe. With Gunnar Gottula filling in for him, it’s another position that Nebraska is going to need to be concerned about as Big Ten play continues this season.

Nebraska corner Tommi Hill sounds off on exchanging words with Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter

Following Nebraska’s win over Colorado, Tommi Hill sounded off on exchanging words with two-way superstar Travis Hunter.

“If he was going against me,” Hill said. “He was gonna face a dog. I told him nothing is gonna be easy for you… I got in his head in the first and second quarter. Third quarter, he wasn’t talking to me at all.”

While Hunter did have a good night individually, Colorado struggled offensively as a whole in that game. Meanwhile, Tommi Hill helped to reestablish himself as one of the best players on the Nebraska defense. Now, the Cornhuskers will need him to get healthy as Nebraska prepares to play for Purdue.