Rodney Hill has earned a new nickname from Florida State coach Mike Norvell:

'Tornado.'

The sophomore FSU running back is expected to step into a larger role behind starter Trey Benson following the departure of Treshuan Ward.

Hill has been one of the early standouts of the spring practices. Norvell and offensive coordinator Alex Atkins praised Hill's performance following last Saturday's spring scrimmage.

"I thought today (Saturday) was one of his best days and just being confident in all things within the play and its alignment, the finer details," Norvell said.

"He is a special mover. He has a special knack for making people miss. Obviously, if he gets in the open field, he has game-changing acceleration."

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Origin of FSU RB Rodney Hill's 'Tornado' nickname

Hill's movement in the open field earned him the nickname from Norvell.

Last season as a freshman, he was the fourth running back and rushed for 144 yards on 27 carries (5.3 yards per carry). He forced 15 missed tackles and had an elusive rating of 193.4, according to Pro Football Focus.

His elusive rating would have slotted fourth behind teammate Benson (226.6), Arizona's Michael Wiley (204.0) and Texas' Roschon Johnson (198.0).

"It's just a name Coach Norvell gave me because whenever I spin out of a tackle, that's the name he gave me with how my legs look," Hill said following Tuesday's practice. "I like the nickname. Everyone calls me that or 'Little Rod,' so that's cool."

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What has lead to Rodney Hill's improvement

Following Saturday's scrimmage, Atkins praised Hill on learning from last season and becoming a better player.

"He's confident, he's comfortable," Atkins said. "He's gotten a lot of reps and we've seen his confidence going up because he is comfortable with the offense. He's explosive and we knew he was explosive, but now we've seen him play with a lot more confidence because he knows what to do."

Hill, who enrolled early last season and was very green during the spring, did the most with his opportunities.

This year he is focused on controlling what he can and letting other things fall into place.

"I am on fries. I'm just trying to play and have fun. That's it. Whatever happens, it will fall into place," Hill said.

Hill clarified what he meant about what "on fries" means.

"Three minutes, salt or no salt. I am just worried about me. Everything is going to go my way. It doesn't really matter to me. I am just happy to be here."

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Learning from the other FSU running backs

With Ward transferring to Kansas State, Benson is entrenched as the starter coming off a season where he rushed for 965 yards on 141 carries and nine touchdowns this season.

That leaves Hill competition with Lawrance Toafili, Caziah Holmes and CJ Campbell for the backup role.

Even though they may be in "competition" for a role, Hill credited all the running backs in the room, as well as Ward for helping him grow.

"(From) Treshaun, I learned how to block linebackers, keep my feet and my footwork," Hill said. "From LT, I learned how to catch better. I can catch a little, but LT really helped me do that.

"From Trey, I learned how to stay low and just go and just hit it. From CJ, I just learned all-around, the playbook."

When four-star running back signee Samuel Singleton arrives as part of the rest of the 2023 recruiting class in the summer, Hill said it will be his job to pass on the knowledge.

"I am young, so I am learning from the older guys," Hill said. "I get tips from all of them. So when Sam comes in, I am going to teach him what I learned."

Remaining FSU football spring practice schedule

• Thursday, March 30 – Spring Practice #8

• Friday, March 31 – Pro Day

• Saturday, April 1 – Spring Practice #9 (scrimmage closed to media, availability after)

• Tuesday, April 4 – Spring Practice #10

• Thursday, April 6 – Spring Practice #11

• Tuesday, April 11 – Spring Practice #12

• Thursday, April 13 – Spring Practice #13

• Saturday, April 15 – Garnet & Gold Spring Showcase (4 p.m.)

• Monday, April 17 – Spring Practice #15

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football: Running back Rodney Hill earns praise, nickname in spring