Hill attended De La Salle High School in New Orleans, where he was named as an All-American and the best defensive lineman in the nation by many publications.
Hill played college football as a defensive end for the LSU Tigers from 2001 to 2003 during their national championship season.
On the evening of May 27, 2007, Hill and his friend, Ashley Blazio, fell off a jet ski in Lake Pontchartrain, north of New Orleans.
Hill's body was found by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries around 2:20 PM CDT on May 28.
Throughout their near-perfect 2007 season, the Patriots team wore a "91" insignia (Hill's number in his tenure with New England) on the back of their helmets in his honor.