A Gazette Special Feature

MIAMI SPRINGS — The first thing that stood out Monday afternoon, July 27, at Miami Springs High School was the turnout. The Golden Hawks opened practice with 51 players on the field — a striking number for a program that has often struggled to reach 30. Coaches said the roster could climb into the low 70s once additional players complete required physicals.

The surge follows the arrival of a familiar name: former Miami Springs standout and NFL wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, who returned home to take over as head coach. “This was always about coming back here to where I went to school to try and build things back up again,” Hilton said after practice. “I’m sure there were other schools who wanted me to come there but I don’t like going places where things are already established … I just love to coach’em up.”

Hilton starred for the Golden Hawks from 2004 to 2007, earning Miami Herald First Team All-County honors as a senior. He went on to play collegiately at FIU under then first-year coach Mario Cristobal and was named the Sun Belt Conference’s Freshman Player of the Year in 2008. Selected in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, Hilton made the All-Rookie team and spent nine seasons in Indianapolis, reaching the Pro Bowl four times. He played his final season with the Dallas Cowboys in 2022 before retiring.

Hilton moved back to South Florida two years ago and coached youth football at Gwen Cherry Park with his father, Eugene Hilton Sr., who is part of the current Miami Springs coaching staff. Last summer, Hilton was inducted into FIU’s Athletics Hall of Fame. Now, he said, his goal is to pass on what he learned at every level — and keep the experience positive for his players, including his 14-year-old son Ty, an incoming freshman.

“From high school here at Springs to college at FIU to the pros at Indy, I just want to try giving it back,” Hilton said. “I don’t want to put a lot of pressure on the kids. I just want them to play football and have fun. ”Hilton’s hiring last December quickly changed the program’s numbers. Only about a half dozen players on the roster are returners, with many newcomers arriving from other schools — including several from Edison after longtime coach Luther Campbell did not return, players said.

Among the additions are linebacker Emilio Thompson Jr., receiver Victron Miller and tight end Kyammarri Pierre. “Coach T.Y., he’s been to places where I’m trying to get,” Thompson said. “He’s amazing. He brings so much energy not only on the field but off the field as well … All I want to do now is go out and play hard for him.”

Miller, an incoming senior, pointed to the team’s spring win over Flanagan — a 21-14 comeback capped by his late touchdown — as an early sign of what the new group can become. “I guess I went from playing for a musical artist to a former NFL player,” Miller said. “The Flanagan game was only a spring game but it was huge for us … we’re all basically a new team learning to play together.”

Pierre, listed at 6-4 and 235 pounds, said he was drawn to Hilton’s background as he pursues college opportunities, with FIU among the programs showing interest. “Once I heard that Coach T.Y. was going to be the coach here, I felt like he had the experience at the highest possible level and could help me get to the next level,” Pierre said.

Linebacker A.J. Gilbert, one of the program’s few holdovers, said the atmosphere has shifted dramatically since last season under former coach Mario Montoya. “It’s a different world right now for sure,” Gilbert said. “You see so many guys out here now and you can just feel the excitement building. We can’t wait to get this season going.”

Miami Springs opens its 2026 slate with a preseason classic against Southwest on Thursday, Aug. 13, at Milander Stadium. The regular season begins Friday, Aug. 21, against Edison at Ives Estates Park at 7 p.m. Hilton said the program will stay patient as it rebuilds — and keep priorities in order. “I guess we have to keep everything tempered, maybe just a winning record and more importantly these kids just having fun,” he said. “Sure we’d love to go undefeated and go to state … but not every team can do that.”