The San Diego St. Aztecs are losing one of their biggest offensive weapons, star running back Ronnie Hillman is forgoing his eligibility to enter the 2012 NFL Draft. Even though Hillman is only a sophomore he can leave because he is three years removed from high school, he did not have the grades to enroll right out of high school. Hillman sent a message to UT-San Diego that was simple and said, "Yes I will be declaring this year."
Hillman was told that he would be a third-round pick in this years draft. This really hurts San Diego State because they will be losing quarterback Ryan Lindley as well and will be essentially starting over in 2012. Hillman was the best running back at San Diego State since Marshall Faulk was throttling WAC defenses 20 years ago. During his time at San Diego State, Hillman led the Mountain West in rushing in both years and finished his career with 3,243 yards and 36 touchdowns. Nationally Hillman led the nation in rushing as a freshman and was No. 10 overall, and this past season he was No. 5 in total rushing yards. Hillman also finished top-10 nationally in rushing touchdowns each season, so he will be dearly missed and nearly impossible to replace.
No one can blame Hillman for leaving since there was little left to prove at the college level and with a new quarterback being broken in it would have been a tough season, and waiting two years to have a chance to play in the Big East must not have appealed to Hillman. Whoever is Hillman's replacement will have huge shoes to fill, and right now it looks like the battle this spring will be between true freshman Adam Muema who rushed for 253 yards or senior-to-be Walter Kazee who had 339 yards this past year.
All that is left to say is good luck to Ronnie Hillman at the next level.
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