2010 Freshman Richard Hall

[bigred76]

Not a big follower of Akron football but I will be now since the Zips signed Richard Hall as a defensive end. I know Richard well and saw every one of this high school games.

I can tell you this, Akron got a steal in this kid. He is athletic, intelligent, and just has the ability to make plays. I think a lot of schools (especially WVU) are going to be kicking themselves for letting this one slip away. What a lot of people did not realize is Richard did not play as a soph and he is actually a year younger than most guys. Going by age he should be a senior in high school this coming season, but started school early. I heard from a coach at his high school that he has grown over an inch since May because he is still growing and maturing.

I wish Richard and Akron all the best he is a great kid and I want to see him succeed.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Not a big follower of Akron football but I will be now since the Zips signed Richard Hall as a defensive end. I know Richard well and saw every one of this high school games.

I can tell you this, Akron got a steal in this kid. He is athletic, intelligent, and just has the ability to make plays. I think a lot of schools (especially WVU) are going to be kicking themselves for letting this one slip away. What a lot of people did not realize is Richard did not play as a soph and he is actually a year younger than most guys. Going by age he should be a senior in high school this coming season, but started school early. I heard from a coach at his high school that he has grown over an inch since May because he is still growing and maturing.

I wish Richard and Akron all the best he is a great kid and I want to see him succeed.

I'm looking forward to seeing Richard play too. He had some serious accolades coming out of high school... WVa POTY, if I'm not mistaken? On paper he reminds me a lot of Chase Blackburn...when Chase came to UA I couldn't figure it out either... he seemed to be a solid BCS-level kid.

However Richard made it to UA, I don't care. I'm happy to have him. I hope he has a great career here.

[ZachTheZip]

I believe he was rated the top player overall in the state of WV by Rivals and fourth in the state by Scout. I wonder why he wasn't offered by any other school. Could it be his school's team record not being that great? It does look like the state of WV isn't heavily recruited, and so good players might slip through the cracks easier.

I wonder if he'll see playing time this year with the move from a 3-man front to a 4-man creating a need for more defensive linemen, or if he'll redshirt to allow him to physically mature since he's a year younger than normal.

[bigred76]

I cannot tell you why others did not recruit him. WVU had gotten an early verbal from another in state kid and said they were only taking one in state. Not sure of the reasoning, Hall played against the other kid twice and it was obvious who the better of the two were.

The team Richard played for went 1-9 last season, winning their first game and then losing a close game to a state semi-finalists in week two. After that, injuries started to pile up and they never recovered. To be honest with you, Richard was the lone bright spot on the team, and he played hard every play. However, they played 7 teams that made the playoffs in Ohio or West Virginia. The season prior they were 9-1.

I remember one game towards the end of the season that was a close game. Because of injuries and trying to make a play Richard at one time or another lined up at FB, Wing (they run flexbone offense), and WR. He had never practices at Wing or WR, but he knew what to do and the other team had no answer.

On defense, it seemed like at times he was the only one on the field. It sounded like the PA announcer called his name every play.

I think Akron got a steal in this one and WVU's coaching staff whould be ashamed to let this kid go.

As far as playing time goes, I have heard that he is actually practicing some at Mike LB and could possibly be in the two-deep. With Richard, it is a matter of just getting used to the college game, which I think he will do quickly because he is a very intelligent kid and he just has that knack for always being in the right place. He has excellent football sense.

I look forward to making the trip up to Akron to see him play.