While some football players love to practice, most just tolerate it while recognizing its importance for winning on Saturday. Spring practices, with no game looming ahead operating as a reward for weeks of hard work, can feel like even more of a drudgery.

But for Arizona receiver Austin Hill, spring practice feels like he's standing in front of a spectacular buffet dinner. And he's really, really hungry.

"I'm actually starving," he said. "I haven't eaten in a whole year."

Hill was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection following the 2012 season after ranking second in the conference in receiving yards. The sophomore looked like a potential All-American in 2013 after catching 81 passes for 1,364 yards -- 16.8 yards per reception -- with 11 touchdowns.

But his 2013 season ended before it began on April 10 after he tore his ACL during the second-to-last session of spring practice.

Poof -- just like that, football was taken away, replaced by uncertainty and the daily burden -- and boredom -- of rehabilitation. That's why even a no-pads practice to start spring drills this week was invigorating.

Hill practiced with the Wildcats in a limited fashion during the final weeks of the 2013 season, but he's still not 100 percent healthy. While he's officially full-speed this spring, he's still wearing a knee brace and his explosiveness and speed are not fully back.

"That's basically the last step of ACL recovery," he said. "I'm still in those processes."

Hill said he's significantly stronger than before the injury. While he's the biggest name among the Wildcats receivers, it's an impressively deep unit. Not only do six of the seven top receivers from 2013 return, a crew topped by impressive sophomore Nate Phillips, the Wildcats also added a pair of A-list transfers in DaVonte' Neal (Notre Dame) and Cayleb Jones (Texas).

Neal and Jones both sat out last season, so Hill knows they share his hunger, while the returning starters and contributors don't want to yield repetitions. While it's a collegial atmosphere among the receivers at practice, it's also a competition for touches and position in the pecking order.

"Everyone is helping each other out on the field," Hill said. "It's fun to see athletes compete. It's always fun."

Of course, the competition at receiver figures to yield certainty -- an outstanding and deep crew of four or five guys in a regular rotation with one or two leading the way. The bigger issue is who is going to deliver the ball.

Hill laughs at the inevitable quarterback competition question, for an answer behind center probably won't be delivered until fall camp. Perhaps even late in fall camp, as it was last year.

Hill, for one, admits he'd prefer to get some clarity much sooner.

"Right now ... who knows? I just hope it doesn't end up like it was last year, where even in the first couple of games we really didn't know who the quarterback was," he said. "I want it to be a QB we know is going to start. That's the most important thing for your passing game, that receiver-QB sync. It's hard to get that sync when you don't know who your quarterback is and it's getting switched up every day."

Of course, that's up to the QBs -- senior Jesse Scroggins, sophomore Connor Brewer, junior Jerrard Randall and redshirt freshman Anu Solomon -- and coach Rich Rodriguez, who has said repeatedly about QB competitions that he would prefer that one guy quickly and decisively wins the job.

Just don't expect it to happen this spring.

As for Hill's take, he often doesn't even know who's delivering the ball.

"The quarterbacks are getting switched around so much, sometimes it's even hard to tell which quarterback even went with my group when I went," he said. "We move so fast, I don't get to pay attention to what quarterback is throwing me the ball."

While the QBs work through their competition, Hill will be a veteran leader for the offense, back in action after a year of observing the team from the outside. When he looks around at practice at the improved personnel on both sides of the ball, he senses that the Wildcats are going to surprise some folks this season.

"I'm ready to help this team to a BCS bowl," he said. "I feel like that's where we're headed."

As Hill missed last season and is still not 100 percent, he, of course, can be forgiven for forgetting 2013 was the last season of the BCS era. His point is clear. He believes Arizona is going to be a threat in the Pac-12's South Division in 2014.