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LEHI — There will be no No. 4 suiting up in BYU football's backfield this fall.
Redshirt senior quarterback Taysom Hill will don No. 7 in memory of his older brother Dexter, who died last month at his home in Pocatello, Idaho.
Hill made the announcement during Thursday's BYU FanFest in Lehi, signing autographs with his trademark signature next to "No. 7" before posting it to his Twitter account.
To commemorate the life of my brother Dexter, I am officially changing my number to 7 this year!! #BYUFOOTBALL #7 pic.twitter.com/iXrv6VK4ID — Taysom Hill (@T_Hill4) May 13, 2016
Hill was [excused from BYU's spring game](https://www.ksl.com/?sid=39067028&nid=272) last March after the sudden death of his brother, who was 31. The elder Hill was a standout quarterback at Idaho's Highland High, much like his younger brother years later.
Dexter Hill flourished at Scottsdale Community College in Arizona, where he threw for more than 2,300 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2004 before playing at Dixie State and Northern Iowa.
But painkillers played havoc on his body after a standout football career, and Dexter Hill started down an untimely path after playing with two separated shoulders in his final season at Scottsdale.
It was "a battle he could not win," his father told the Idaho State Journal.
The No. 4 became a trademark of Taysom Hill during his career at BYU. The former Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year has thrown for 4,406 yards, 31 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in four years at BYU — three of them cut short by injuries. He's also run for 2,212 yards and 24 scores for the Cougars, and announced he would return to BYU alongside fellow redshirt senior Jamaal Williams for one final season this fall.
That season now has extra meaning for Hill, who spoke openly about the impact his older brother Dexter had on him, both as a player and an individual. Dexter Hill was the leader of an athletic family, with siblings who went on to play various sports at BYU, Arizona State and Western Wyoming Community College.
In a fifth season with as many storylines at BYU under first-year head coach Kalani Sitake, Hill's numerical dedication adds another layer as the Cougars prepare for the season opener Sept. 3 against Arizona.
