By: Joey Mullins
Samford Athletics
 
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Samford graduate quarterback Michael Hiers always wanted to play at Samford, but he did not take the normal route to playing at the school.
               
Hiers grew up in Birmingham and attended Briarwood Christian School, serving as a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball. Being a local product, Hiers said he was familiar with Samford from an early age.
               
"I grew up going to a bunch of Samford games," Hiers said. "We had a couple of people we knew on the team, so we'd come to some of the games. Especially in high school when I started to really love football, I kind of always wanted to come to Samford. I came to a bunch of camps and stuff like that at Samford as well."
               
He even has family ties to the school as his great-great-grandfather played football for what was then called Howard College in the 1930s. He was a member of the 1935 team that tied defending national champion Alabama, 7-7.
               
Hiers started playing football in the third grade. When he first started playing, he spent time at cornerback, but moved to his current position of quarterback in the fifth grade. Once he got into high school, Hiers did not start at quarterback until his senior season. But he had a stellar final year at Briarwood, helping the Lions to a 14-1 record and a runner-up finish in the Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 5A state championship game. That season, he passed for 2,672 yards and 22 touchdowns, and he led all AHSAA 5A passers in yards, completion percentage (68.8%) and total touchdowns.
               
Despite his outstanding numbers as a senior, Samford already had several quarterbacks on the roster, so the Bulldogs did not originally have a scholarship to offer Hiers.
               
"Samford offered me a preferred walk-on spot," Hiers said. "I only started my senior year of high school, so I was kind of late in the recruiting game, but I always loved Samford. But they already had Devlin Hodges and Liam (Welch) at quarterback. Murray State offered me five days before Signing Day and then I called Coach Hatcher begging him to offer me, but he couldn't because he had so many quarterbacks."
               
Hiers went to Murray State in 2018, redshirting that first season and playing in two games in 2019. He then transferred to Northwest Mississippi Community College. He started all 18 games in two seasons at NWMCC, passing for 4,519 yards and 34 touchdowns. In his second season alone, Hiers passed for 3,093 yards and 21 scores. He was rated as the No. 1 pro-style junior college quarterback in the nation by Rivals.
               
Following his time at NWMCC, Hiers started the recruiting process again, but he always had one school in mind.
               
"After my last year there, recruiting got pretty hot," Hiers said. "I started talking to a bunch of teams, but I always had it in the back of my mind I really wanted to go to Samford still. It was my hometown, I had a bunch of friends on the team and obviously, what Coach Hatcher does with the offense is unbelievable. So, when they offered me after my last game, I shut off all recruiting and I immediately committed to Samford. I committed on the spot."
               
Hiers came to Samford in 2022 for his junior season. He said he was made to feel at home right away after returning to Birmingham.
               
"I already knew so many people here, like J.R. Tran-Reno was one of my best friends in high school," Hiers said. "And over 2020 when you couldn't really practice, I threw with Chandler (Smith), and I knew Pete (Renkoski) and (Michael) Vice before. So, I knew all these guys, but as soon as I got here, they all welcomed me, it was cool. When you're going to a little bit of an unfamiliar place, you can kind of feel uncomfortable, but I never felt like that here."
               
When fall camp started prior to the 2022 season, Hiers and Kentucky transfer Nik Scalzo were competing for the starting job. Hiers said the competition helped make him better as a quarterback.
               
"Nik's a great player and I think every day we kind of push each other to each individually get better," Hiers said. "That should in turn make our team better and help us grow as players."
               
Scalzo, unfortunately, suffered a season-ending preseason injury, ending the competition. Hiers stepped in and immediately became one of the leaders of the team. The team opened the season at home against eighth-ranked Kennesaw State. Despite being decided underdogs, the Bulldogs pulled out an impressive 27-17 win, with Hiers throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns. After a second-week loss to eventual College Football Playoff national champion Georgia, Samford won its last nine regular-season games to finish the regular season with a mark of 10-1 overall and 8-0 in Southern Conference play, winning the program's first outright SoCon championship and first outright title in any conference since 1936.  
               
Samford secured the outright SoCon title with a 50-44 double overtime win over Mercer. On the final play of the first overtime, Hiers was injured and was unable to play in the second overtime period. Backup Quincy Crittendon came in and scored a dramatic walk-off touchdown to give the Bulldogs the win.
               
Following the regular season, Samford earned the No. 6 national seed for the NCAA Division I-FCS Playoffs. The Bulldogs earned a first-round bye and hosted Southeastern Louisiana in the second round, picking up a thrilling 48-42 overtime win. The team's season ended with a 27-9 loss at defending FCS national champion North Dakota State in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. The team ended its season with an 11-2 overall mark, the best season for Samford football since 1991.
               
"It was really special," Hiers said of the season. "I mean, it's good when you get to see all your hard work pay off. You work every day, and you try to just win each day, have a good practice and win the game. You end up sweeping conference play, going 8-0 in the SoCon, which is hard to do. You get a ring and then Quincy had that long run (to beat Mercer in overtime). That was one of the coolest plays I've ever been a part of, to see the whole team storm the field and to see how much it meant to the team and Coach Hatcher and all of the coaching staff because they do such an amazing job, so it was awesome to see that."
               
As Hiers continues his final season at Samford, he said he just wants to help the team win, and to make sure he enjoys every day he gets to spend with his teammates and coaches. He has earned his undergraduate degree from Samford and is currently working on his MBA. He said after finishing at Samford he would like to continue playing football at the next level.
               
Whatever the future holds for Hiers, he has already given Samford University and all Bulldog fans some memories that will last a lifetime.