By the middle of next week, one offensive tackle hoping to earn an offer will have already attended three Ohio State camps since the start of June.
Given the 6-foot-8, 340-pound frame of 2023 tackle Jordan Hall, it’s no wonder first-year offensive line coach Justin Frye wants to take a couple of extra looks at the local talent out of KIPP Columbus. Hall isn’t ranked in the 247Sports Composite, but his obvious physical tools and raw ability might just allow him to earn an offer from his hometown school by the end of the month.
A scholarship spot in scarlet and gray would be a “dream come true” for Hall, who said he went to Ohio State spring games growing up in Columbus.
“It would mean the world because I used to watch Ohio State all the time growing up,” Hall said after his first camp with the Buckeyes this past Monday. “I’m right in their backyard, so it would mean a lot.”
But there’s a reason it might take several camp experiences for Hall to get what he desires. The mountainous tackle is still learning the game, given that he’s only been playing football since last August. Before that, Hall was focused on basketball, which he said helped him both with footwork and conditioning prior to his change in primary sport.
Hall said the coaching staff at KIPP told him playing football would help him get to college, and a year later, that advice appears to be coming to fruition.
Great camp yesterday at @OhioStateFB Cant wait to come back and compete! @CoachJFrye pic.twitter.com/x5oXncxCas
— Jordan Hall 3 (@JordanHall614) June 8, 2022
Hall already possesses offers from Penn State, Ohio, Massachusetts, Marshall and several other schools, and said programs like Michigan and Duke have also been showing him interest as of late. You can add Ohio State to that list as well, and there’s little doubt which player on its current roster Hall reminds Frye and company of.
Dawand Jones was an unrefined, three-star prospect out of high school, but the Buckeyes took a chance on the big man in large part due to his 6-foot-8, 360-pound size. After just two seasons of learning the ropes, Jones became a full-time starter at right tackle for Ohio State, and was likely to be drafted had he elected to leave school this past offseason.
Hall’s own measurables are already reminiscent of Jones’, and he hopes the rest of his career trajectory follows suit as well.
“I feel like I’m lowkey following his footsteps a little bit,” Hall said.
Frye has not been the only Buckeye coach to show an interest in Hall over the past couple of weeks. Co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Kevin Wilson and head coach Ryan Day both gave Hall some pointers as well, making it clear Hall may have the potential to one day wear a Buckeye uniform.
Jordan Hall (@JordanHall614) back at Ohio State camp for the second straight day and participating in one-on-ones. pic.twitter.com/7oD3jPNtij
— Garrick Hodge (@Garrick_Hodge) June 7, 2022
Hall was grateful for the feedback and for earning the attention of the man who may ultimately decide whether he will get an offer at Ohio State.
“It means a lot. It means, I guess, they’re really focused on me,” Hall said. “They want to see the best out of me. …They wanted to walk me through, it was basically like my placement, trying to get as low as possible.”
Working with Frye in particular, Hall said he learned to get to his spot faster, how to increase the speed on his kick-step and the virtue of always playing at his top pace. Hall said he likes Frye’s hands-on coaching style because it allows him to immediately begin working on his weak points without any lack of clarity.
“It’s great, he’ll pull you aside to help you,” Hall said. “And he’ll break it down for you and try to show you how to do things. … If he knows that I can do something better than I’m doing it, I want him to tell me so that I can be able to improve it.”
The Buckeyes have only one offensive tackle in their 2023 recruiting class at present, with four-star Findlay native Luke Montgomery occupying that spot. Hall could give Ohio State another Buckeye State native at the position, and one with considerably more size, to boot.
Although he also plans to camp at Kent State, Illinois and Michigan this month, Hall intends to heed Frye’s request for him to return for a third Ohio State camp appearance next week. After that, Hall said Frye told him he’ll “let me know where I stand by the end of June.”
Frye wants Hall to increase his aggressiveness and intensity when he comes back, but Hall believes the commitment he’s making by returning to campus multiple times is already showing just how much he wants the opportunity to come to Ohio State next year.
“I feel like it shows in the love of the game,” Hall said. “I’m here to work, I’m here to earn the offer.”
