Sitting in a dimly lit jail cell, Troy Hill saw everything he’d ever worked for slipping away.

With only two options, he was faced with the most difficult decision of his life.

Hill could either drift into obscurity and make that cell his new home, or pick himself up and fight for what he wanted, fight for his dream.

“Sitting in that cell, I knew, I could play in the NFL and chase my dream, but I had to change and luckily I did,” Hill said. “I’ve always had to fight, so there was no way I was giving up – luckily, Oregon gave me one more chance.”

Beginning at the end of November and over a span of two months, Hill was a ticking time bomb, ready to self-implode at any second.

It began with Hill being upset about the amount of play time he was receiving, believing he deserved more than just a reserve role and a spot in the nickel package.

“Last year, he played a lot, but he felt like he didn’t play enough,” Oregon senior safety Erick Dargan said. “I think he’s ready for (starting) and he can do it, he just needs to keep proving himself every day.”

The first incident came when Hill was suspended for the Civil War game for an undisclosed violation of team rules. The next incident happened on December 13 and resulted in Hill spending the night in jail and pleading guilty to misdemeanor menacing on January 31.

This resulted in Hill being suspended from the Alamo Bowl game against Texas (an internal suspension from the team), sentenced to 36 months probation, 70 hours of community service and $200 in fines from the court. Even worse, Hill saw his whole life being destroyed in front of him and didn’t know which way to go or who to turn to.

“To be honest, it was God who helped me through it,” Hill said. “He helped me see what my life could be, and turned me in the right direction to move forward.”

Fast forward seven months after that December day and the new Hill overshadows his former self.

The once brash and controversial boy has grown into a mature and confident young man who has taken the next step in life. Hill used to speak about his talent on the field, but now, the redshirt senior lets his play speak for itself.

“He’s been down to the bottom of the barrel and has had to rise up,” Oregon defensive backs coach John Neal said. “This is a success story and Troy will continue to excel throughout the year and rest of his life.”

Once buried on the depth chart and used primarily as the top-reserve cornerback last year, Hill has seen the way through his trials and tribulations to contend and all but lock-up the final starting cornerback spot up for grabs, next to All-American Ifo Ekpre-Olomu.

“Effort, confidence and leadership is what sets him apart so far,” Neal said. “He’s a fifth-year senior and he’s really playing like it – I’m really pleased with everything he’s done.”

Hill had to turn his pledge into a reality, something he’s done every day since.

“I want to be remembered as somebody who battled through adversity, someone who never gave up and came out on top in the end,” Hill said.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka