Michael Hiers has always had a chip on his shoulder and an unparalleled competitive spirit. He claims he gets this competitiveness from his father, who ran track at Alabama.
This past year, Hiers’s tenacity was on display as he endured a wrist injury late in the season and was not 100% for Samford’s playoff run, which ended against North Dakota State.
“It was just tough; there’s no other word to describe it.” Hiers said about the season’s outcome.
Considering Hiers’s prowess on the gridiron, many would be surprised to learn that football was not his first love.
“I wasn’t too interested in playing football growing up; I was more interested in playing basketball and baseball.” Hiers said.
Hiers was an all-county and all-city basketball player at Briarwood Christian, averaging 19.1 PPG. He also was on the baseball all-state second team. This love of baseball was so instilled in Hiers that his football number, 10, was inspired by Braves legend Chipper Jones. Hiers received more D1 offers in baseball than football, as he only received one D1 offer from Murray State for his efforts in high school. Samford offered Hiers a PWO, but there were too many quarterbacks on the roster for him to earn a scholarship. Hiers subsequently took his talents to Murray State, where he initially planned on being a two-sport athlete for football and baseball.
Hiers redshirted for Murray State in 2019. After playing sparingly for the Racers, he took the JUCO route and transferred to Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he began to blossom at the QB position. He passed for 4,519 yards and 34 touchdowns in two seasons with the Rangers.
After his stint at NMCC, Hiers transferred to Samford. However, the starting QB job was up for grabs when he arrived and Hiers had to compete with Kentucky transfer Nik Scalzo.
“(Scalzo is) a great player, we just kind of push each other to get better every day, and that was it.” Heirs said.
Scalzo suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason, opening the door for Hiers to take over the job. After this, he never looked back.
Hiers nabbed SoCon offensive player of the year honors and was named a Walter Payton Award finalist. He led Samford to the FCS Playoffs and tied the mark for the best win-loss record in program history. He passed for 3,534 yards, 36 touchdowns, and only four interceptions, with a 76.6% completion percentage.
With these efforts, Hiers finished in the top 10 in the FCS in passing yards, completion percentage, completions per game, passing efficiency, passing touchdowns, passing yards, and points responsible for. This has him primed for another stellar season at Samford and a career in the pros.
When asked about his NFL hopes and plans, Hiers said, “That’s everyone’s ultimate goal. I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t my goal, but first, I am trying to do everything we did last year. Trying to win another conference championship and an FCS championship.”
Michael Hiers went from an unheralded high school prospect to delivering Samford their best season in decades. Yet, despite all of the success, the chip on his shoulder remains, as Hiers and the Bulldogs are hungry to push the team to new heights.
Staff Writer
