Running back isn’t the Vols’ biggest position of need in the 2019 recruiting cycle, but Tennessee’s coaching staff would like to add at least one back to their class. And on Sunday, they got some good news from an explosive back who recently visited UT’s campus.
Breece Hall is a big running back from Wichita, Kansas. He visited Tennessee’s campus on an unofficial visit on June 21st, and on Sunday he released a list of his top eight schools and included the Vols on that list. He added that his commitment is coming up next but didn’t specify a date.
So blessed to be able to play this game? Commitment next ‼‼ pic.twitter.com/YCva3Tvg13
— Breece Hall™ (@BreeceH) June 24, 2018
Tennessee’s staff offered Hall back in March, and he holds offers from a handful of SEC schools and plenty of Big 10 and Big 12 schools. Michigan is his biggest offer besides the Vols, and Missouri and Ole Miss from the SEC have also offered him.
Right now, Hall is a low three-star according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He’s rated as just the No. 1,029 overall player and No. 70 running back in the 2019 class. The regular 247Sports rankings have a higher opinion of him, giving him a ranking of No. 621 overall and the No. 38 running back in the class.
And after watching his film, I’m surprised he’s ranked so low by recruiting services.
It’s possible that Hall is ranked so low because the competition he goes up against regularly in Kansas isn’t the best, but his performance on his film looks more like a four-star back than some back who’s ranked in the 1000s.
Hall measures in at around 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, and he’s reportedly run a 4.43 second 40-yard dash time. He’s big, strong, and fast. He’s everything college coaches want in a running back, and he looks exactly like the type of running back Jeremy Pruitt and his staff want at Tennessee. He shows off that power and speed time and time again on his highlight film, and he also displays an ability to pass and run block that most high school running backs don’t have. Blocking is the toughest thing to teach a running back coming into college, and Hall already has a solid foundation in that area. Not only that, but he’s a very viable option as a pass catcher too.
As a junior for Northwest High School, Hall accumulated over 2,200 all-purpose yards, and 2,082 of those yards came on the ground according to MaxPreps. He amassed those yards on just 201 carries, giving him an average of over 10 yards per carry. He also scored 32 rushing touchdowns and added three more scores as a receiver.
Those who get caught up in star rankings will look at Hall and say Tennessee is settling for a lower rated prospect. But in my honest opinion, Hall would be a perfect fit for the Vols at running back and should be rated higher than he is. Schools like Michigan, Nebraska, TCU, and others think he’s good enough for them, and Pruitt and his staff think he’s good enough for the Vols too.
Tennessee isn’t high on too many running backs in the 2019 class. Hall might be very high on their board after his visit, and it appears he’s very high on the Vols.
