Head coach Jeremy Pruitt made a pledge to Vols fans that Tennessee would be at the top of the 2019 recruiting class rankings. The last several weeks the Vols have been active on the recruiting trail as they work towards their lofty goals.
Wednesday, they offered Derick Hal, a four-star linebacker from Mississippi. He tweeted that he was “blessed and ecstatic” to pick up an offer from UT.
Blessed And Ecstatic To Receive An Offer From The University Of Tennessee #T19 #GoVols pic.twitter.com/dlyylBg88w
— Derick Hall II (@derick_hall5) February 21, 2018
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Hall also holds offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Auburn, Florida State, Vanderbilt, Louisville, Southern Miss and Kansas. He is ranked as the 16th-best outside linebacker in the country and 11th-best player in the state of Mississippi per the 247Sports Composite rankings. He’s the No. 222 overall player in the country according to those rankings, and he’s the No. 101 overall payer according to the regular 247Sports rankings.
Athleticism like his is rare in high school prospects. Hall also plays wide receiver for Gulfport High School. He closes space well and is good as a pass rusher or in coverage. He doesn’t always take the best angles, and his pad level is still too high, but he is a very physical player. Hall has very good instincts, and he has great vision. He excels as a pass rusher and has an excellent build.
In an interview with SEC Country, Hall said that getting an offer from Tennessee was “very surreal,” and “one that I really couldn’t believe.”
Recently departed running backs coach Robert Gillispie was formerly his lead recruiter for the Vols. But Gillespie’s departure shouldn’t hurt the Vols.
“The next guy I start talking to, we’ll probably start building a relationship,” Hall told SEC Country. “I still have time. A relationship is key to me, but losing a staff member with this much time is not that big of a deal to me right now.”
While he currently doesn’t have a visit to Knoxville planned, that should change very soon.
Hall is a great player, and the coaching staff should feel good about their chances to land him. And they need someone like him in their linebacking corps for the future.
