PHOENIX, Ariz. – Slippery Rock University running back Wes Hills will sign a free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League and report to rookie minicamp this week.
 
"We're so thrilled for Wes and his family," said SRU head coach Shawn Lutz. "Wes came in from day one and bought into everything we wanted to do here. We told him if he came here and played to his potential, he would have a chance to put himself in this position and he certainly did that. Not only was he exceptional on the field, he was an awesome teammate and presence in our locker room. We know the Cardinals are getting a guy that will work his tail off to be successful at the NFL level."
 
A native of Wildwood, New Jersey, Hills spent just one season at The Rock after transferring in last fall from the University of Delaware. In his one year at SRU, he shrugged off a shoulder injury in week two that forced him to miss most of three games before going on to shatter the SRU single-season rushing record. He closed the season with 1,714 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns after averaging 7.0 yards per carry.
 
Hills was one of just four NCAA Division II running backs to be named to the Associated Press All-America team following the season. He also earned first team All-Region honors and first team All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference honors after leading The Rock to a 7-0 record in the PSAC Western Division, an 11-3 overall record, a trip to the NCAA Division II quarterfinals and a final national ranking of No. 7 in Division II.
 
After returning to the starting lineup in week six, Hills topped 100 yards in seven different games, went over 150 yards in six games, ran for 200 or more yards in three games and totaled 1,476 rushing yards over nine weeks (164.0 yards per game). He topped 150 yards in all three NCAA playoff games, including rushing for 154 yards and averaging 8.2 yards per carry in the quarterfinals against the nation's second best rushing unit, which entered the game allowing just 62 rushing yards per game.
 
Following the season, Hills was invited to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, where he generated significant buzz from NFL Scouts during the week of practices before earning MVP Honors in the actual game. Hills rushed for 78 yards and one touchdown on just 10 touches and that effort earned him an invite to the prestigious Reese's Senior Bowl the following week. Hills again turned heads at the Senior Bowl after breaking a 21-yard run on his first touch of the game, but left on the next play with an injury.
 
Hills was in Seattle last week for a rookie minicamp tryout with the Seahawks and was scheduled to be in Atlanta this week for a similar situation with the Falcons before the Cardinals pulled the trigger and signed Hills as a free agent.
 
He will report for mandatory rookie minicamp this week before the team begins organized team activities (OTAs) May 20-22, May 29-31 and June 3-6. The Cardinals enter the season with a lot of buzz after signing new head coach Kliff Kingsbury in the offseason and drafting Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Kyler Murray with the first overall pick in the NFL Draft.
 
Hills becomes the seventh Slippery Rock player in the last five years that will be invited to an NFL camp, joining Brandon Fusco, Marcus Martin, Ian Park, Marcus Johnson, Cory Tucker and Titus Howard.
 


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