From the time Chaz Hill graduated from Franklin College in 2019, he always harbored thoughts about being able to give back to his alma mater one day.

That day is here.

Hill has been named the first head coach of the women's flag football program at Franklin, where he will be tasked with navigating the Grizzlies through club status in the spring of 2027 before jumping into a full NCAA schedule in 2028.

"One, being able to work for the college in some capacity is a pretty cool opportunity," Hill said. "And two ... to be able to get in on the ground floor of something that is taking off in a big way is a really neat opportunity. To be able to be the one that starts a program that hopefully grows and grows — because women's flag, from my point of view, is just going to the moon."

The sport of women's flag football has indeed seen tremendous growth of late, especially in the state of Indiana, where the number of high school teams has grown from eight to more than 100 in the last four years. On the collegiate level, Franklin will be among the first schools in the state to start a varsity program, with a handful of others set to debut in either 2027 or 2028.

"Women's flag football is one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, and this is the right time for Franklin College to make its mark," athletic director Lance Marshall said. "Chaz is a Grizzly through and through. He knows our standards because he lived them as a student-athlete, and now he gets to write the first chapter of this program. Our inaugural 2027 team will set every standard and every tradition, and I can't think of a better person to guide them than Chaz."

A native of New Palestine, Indiana, Hill initially decided to attend Franklin College in large part because of football coach Mike Leonard, who had played alongside Hill's father, Charlie, at Hanover. Chaz Hill played four years of football for the Grizzlies as a defensive back, making 39 tackles in 24 career games. His best game came during his senior season against Manchester, when he collected six tackles and his first collegiate interception.

Now, he gets to work alongside Leonard — a proposition that has both men excited about the future.

"He will do a fantastic job of leading our flag football program from day one," Leonard said of Hill.

Hill is already laying the groundwork on that front. He has had conversations about the interest among the young women currently on campus, and his first priority is harnessing that interest and using it to set a strong foundation with this initial season. At the same time, Hill has talked about attending the Indiana high school state finals in Westfield this weekend to recruit for the future.

Currently a social studies teacher and assistant football coach at Franklin Community High School, Hill lives in Franklin with his wife Danielle, a fellow Griz alum.

Any current or prospective students interested in playing can fill out the recruit questionnaire here.