GONE BABY GONE: BARKLEY HILL TRANSFERRING TO NORTHERN IOWA

Iowa running back Barkley Hill just added a "Northern" to the front of his title, according to Rob Howe of Hawkeye Insider:

Confirmed w/ source close to situation RB Barkley Hill leaving #Iowa for #UNI. Can play right away. #Panthers open season at #Hawkeyes

— Rob Howe (@HawkeyeInsider) May 28, 2014

Pat Harty had the report Tuesday night, and it just took the rest of the world some time to catch up.  Because Hill is moving to FCS football, he can play immediately.  As Howe points out, that means Hill can play against Iowa in the season opener this August.

Hill, who is originally from Cedar Falls, was a late commitment to the Class of 2012.  He was originally an Iowa State commit, but flipped when AIRBHG decimated the Iowa depth chart.  With continued injuries and eligibility issues for other Iowa backs, Hill immediately jumped to the top of the Hawkeyes' list of options at halfback for his freshman season.

And then, near the end of an open scrimmage in late August, Hill took a hit to the knee.  He tore his ACL, and in the process, made AIRBHG famous.

Hill's freshman season was over before it began, and a DUI over Thanksgiving put him in the doghouse.  When he returned to action the following fall, Weismania had gripped the football team, Damon Bullock was established as a solid backup, and there was no room for Hill in the rotation.  There was remarkably little chatter about him after the ACL injury, and while there has been no reporting of lingering effects, it's not difficult to imagine that there could be some ongoing issues.  He did not see any action in 2013, and leaves Iowa without ever carrying the ball in a competitive game.

Much like with A.J. Jones, Iowa is stacked at halfback and could afford to lose one.  Players like Leshun Daniels from later classes had passed him by, and incoming freshmen could also get opportunities that had gone to him.  The transfer gets the Hawkeyes down to the scholarship limit; any further defections will allow for added recruits in the 2015 class.

For Hill, it means a move back home and a chance to play that he was never going to get in Iowa City.  We wish him the best.