Barry Sanders is a good back to emulateWe were fortunate enough to interview Carlos Hyde last week and now we sit down with another incoming running back in Jeannette, Pennsylvania's Jordan Hall.
Hall, who measures at 5-9/185, was not as highly touted as classmates Hyde and Jaamal Berry, but he brings his own style of speed football, not to mention the Pennsylvania state championship he won his junior year when he teamed-up with Terrelle Pryor. It certainly won't hurt to be working with Pryor again and Buckeye fans may wind up pleasantly surprised with what Jordan can bring to the table, both out of the backfield as a runner and in the slot as a receiver.
In this segment, Hall talks with 11W about which freshmen will make an impact on the field this year, if his relationship with TP brought him to OSU, what players he compares himself to, and how he feels about his competition at the running back position.
Who is your hero and why?
My hero is God, because you can accomplish all through him.
Which two fellow recruits do you think might make the biggest impact as freshmen?
I’m going to say myself because I’m so motivated. Plus I think I’m underrated. Also, Dorian Bell because he’s nasty on defense.
You committed to the Buckeyes 10 months ago. How did other schools go about trying to recruit you after you gave your verbal commitment and was it easy dealing with other schools that continued to recruit you?
They still tried to recruit me, but I remained a Buckeye.
Who is your favorite all time college football player? Why?
Barry Sanders, because he reminds me of myself.
You and Terrelle [Pryor] made a pretty good 1-2 punch at Jeannette High School. How much influence did that have on your decision to come to OSU? Not a lot, maybe a little bit because we played together before and he brought me to OSU when he took his official, so he introduced me to OSU , but he didn’t really influence me to come.
How do you envision yourself being utilized at OSU?
I’ll be a running back, be on kick and punt returns, and maybe catch some passes.
If football didn't exist what would you be doing?
I’d probably be playing basketball.
Western Pennsylvania has become a popular destination for many big time college coaches to travel to during the recruiting period. What about the brand of football in the area makes its players so successful at the college level?
We just play physical football and everybody wants to win.
Biggie or 2pac?
2pac
What current/former NFL Player and Buckeye does your style compare to?
Maybe Archie Griffin because he was my size.
Are you intimidated by the other talented running backs who have signed with OSU as part of this class?
No I don’t believe in intimidation. It’s just more motivation to get better.
Thanks to Jordan and now the obligatory highlight vid:
Comments
Could be a sleeper
I really like this kids attitude..
who is archie griffin?
Biggie or 2pac great question! haha
Nice interview, Alex. Hopefully "Watchdog" won't swoop in and try to claim it.
That backwards pass was a great play call...next time, we can fake the reverse...no, wait...we'll fake the fake reverse
I would be a very big fan of young Mr. Hall if he can be a mixture of Archie Griffin and Barry Sanders. That would be nasty!
Is he an early enrollee?
Thank you mista coach klein! Mamma will be very pwoud of you. lol
I wrote this and posted it on my blog weeks ago. An excerpt:
"Who is your hero and why, sugartits?
My hero is God, because you can accomplish all through him.
Which two fellow recruits do you think might make the biggest impact as freshmen, sugartits?
I’m going to say myself because I’m so motivated. Plus I think I’m underrated. Also, Dorian Bell because he’s nasty on defense.
You committed to the Buckeyes 10 months ago. How did other schools go about trying to recruit you after you gave your verbal commitment and was it easy dealing with other schools that continued to recruit you, sugartits?
They still tried to recruit me, but I remained a Buckeye.
Who is your favorite all time college football player? Why, sugartits?
Barry Sanders, because he reminds me of myself."
If you don't believe me I can show you the rest of the transcript and the initial correspondence (in Aramaic, of course).
Damn, with all these talented running backs, who is going to stand out? I CANT WAIT for the spring game fellas. On a side note, even with all the talent, ESECPN will not mention shit, but last year when USC had all those 'great' backs, they couldnt shut up about it. Is it the second week of sept. yet?
LMAO! This is getting out of hound.......
There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance and I can't tell where he stands. Does anyone think he has a shot of NOT wearing the redshirt next year?
So Jordan's favorite "college" football player is Barry Sanders? And Jordan is how old? hmmm, let's check that birth certificate
I would bet that he gets the shirt right away.......but we'll see
A true testament to Buckeye fandom: With all of our so called "heartbreaking losses", how does ESECPN explain how Buckeye fever continues to rise with every passing day??
Even players like Jordan, who most expect to redshirt, make me salivate at the thought of what could be this season and into the future. I dont think I have ever been more excited about Buckeye football in my 20 years or so of being a rabid fan.
Good luck Jordan!! I hope every player attacks the season with your type of passion.
[...] rest. Thanks to all who defended Alex on Bucknuts, 11W, and any other platform. You can check out his interview with Jordan Hall that was posted on 11W today and check back with DTI for some good stuff [...]
Ohio State has five viable running backs going into next season. Unless Hall really is underrated and wows the staff in fall practice, I think he redshirts. That, or Ohio State is going to be incorporating the USC running back squadronclusterfuckplatoon system this fall.
Glad JT is doing this. Now I wish he would put an American flag on the jerseys.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/c...
"squadronclusterfuckplatoon"
lol.
I would have asked "Zeppelin or Floyd?", but that would have been showing my age.
What about Bing or Frank?
i think he redshirts, too. i think part of the reason people are overlooking Boom is because OSU fans are preconditioned to love big mean monster backs like Beanie and we forget that smooth finesse guys like Boom can be just as effective. he isn't going to put up 1600 yards, but herron is a quality back who showed me last year that he has a TON of potential
i hate this comparison but i think it's accurate: the dude runs like mike hart
Except he doesn't limp off the field every few minutes so he can ride his bike a little more.
Herron showed last year he isn't just a "finesse" back. Against USC, when he had no blocking and no passing game to help him out, he was serviceable as redshirt freshman starter against arguably the best defense Pete Carroll has coached. He had to break tackles to make any yards whatsoever, and he did better than I thought he would.
If we see a new style of rotation, I agree he won't break 1600 yards. If he's fed the rock as often as Beanie, I can easily see him hitting that mark. I think he has the durability.
I couldn't agree more. I'm not sure why fans aren't more excited about Boom. I think he's got a very high ceiling. If he gets the carries, he'll get the yards. He's powerful for a guy his size and until he proves otherwise, I think he'll be durable. He doesn't avoid contact but also did a good job of avoiding the big shots except for when what's his name from Wisky lit him up and that was as a receiver, plus I still maintain that was pass interference. Pryor was behind the line of scrimmage and hadn't yet thrown the ball. Cheap. The Boom Bandwagon will be much more deserving and crowded than the PJ Hill bandwagon. That much is certain. Haha!
Wasn't that Jay Valai that knocked him cold? Dude got bitched by Pryor on the game winner, so the karma evened out.
Jay Valai: almost as dirty as Mark Sanchez
[/12yearold]
Boom very well could be a Heisman candidate type back, but so far he hasnt "wowed" anyone. That could very well be because he doesnt possess amazing size or speed and he played in Beanies shadow this year. I think Boom could go down as a great, but unless he shows the ability to dominate, he is gonna be stuck sharing the load with Berry and Hyde at the least. RB is wide open and Boom will get his chance to prove himself.
Yeah, Jim Tressel has a long, illustrious history of starting true freshmen over upperclassmen going into a season.
Please. Herron has the battle locked up with his performances in Beanie's stead. The race is only for the number two spot between Hyde, Berry, Hall and Saine.
were going to have a stable of running backs... dear lord... take that pete carroll. Ha
Hope his play on the field is as fierce as the words coming out of his mouth.
It amazes me how many people are not sold on Herron being a premier back. The kid did nothing but produce when he was in last year and one could argue may have been more productive than Beanie in some aspects.
-He had 8 carries for a total of 80 yards against Michigan .
-74 yards from scrimmage against USC on only 14 touches (which sadly is a highlight of that game…)
-His 4.9 yards per carry isn’t anything to shake your head at
-He showed time and time again that he’s not just a guy who can keep us ahead of the chains, but he has the ability to go in for 6 from anywhere on the field
-In his 89 carries, he had 6 TDs which is good for a trip to pay dirt every 15 touches…. Beanie need 26 touches for every score (Maybe Beanie could have had a better average had he not checked himself out of the game every time we go into the Red Zone though..?)
-If he had the same amount of carries as Beanie, he would have been a 1,000+ yard rusher with 14+ touchdowns (Based on his average)
Nobody loves the stable of backs we have more than I. Carlos, Berry and Hall could all be studs and then add a healthy Saine (won’t hold my breath) and a Thomas who I think could be used in the backfield from time to time and we have a great group of stud running backs…but the fact that Herron isn’t getting the love or that people think he is going to lose his job over one of the above mentioned names is just insane!
Maybe I’m just high on his Kool-Aid, but everything I heard about the kid in practices and during the Spring was fantastic and he more than backed it up when he was given time last year… The kid is a STUD and will only be better next year with more time in the offense and a QB that is more mature and can pose a passing threat.
Jay Valai is dirty but honestly if he was wearing scarlet and gray he'd probably be my favorite player. He hits like a truck.
I've been a major Boom fan since the spring game last year and I think he is going to shock everybody this year.. I'm going to predict he busts out of his shell even more.. if you watch him run he has great vision.. and he can deliver and take a hit more than people realize..
I was saying all along before the start of this season that Evan Turner was going to blow it up this year and I'm gonna try to go 2/2 on Boom
:)
I dont think Berry came to Columbus to sit.
Stunning numbers. I would have guessed that Boom was far less productive per carry than Beanie, given that we only averaged about 3 yards per carry when Beanie missed games, and 6 yards a carry when he was in the game. But that must be misleading given the QB situation.
So Pogue,
Clarett didnt carry the load when healthy for the '02 team? Pittman didnt share time with Beanie in his freshman season??
I said "sharing the load", not that Boom wont be the starter, but if he is outperformed by Berry or Hyde or Hall, he could lose his carries. Tressel will play the best man for the job.
Until Tressel goes into his shell in the fourth quarter, Herron will be getting 90+% of the carries. He will not be "sharing time". There is a difference between "sharing time" and alternating with spell backs, as Pittman and Maurice did (Maurice more often due to nagging injury problems).
Nice interview 11W. Hall could force his way unto the field in some capacity and I like his attitude.
Speaking of attitudes to love, check out my interview of 2009 WR recruit James Jackson. I hope all these new guys bring in a similar attitude!
AROUND THE "BLOCK" W/ JAMES JACKSON
http://blockonation.blogspot.com/
If he was more productive then beanie (which I don't think he was)it was due to the fact that beanie was out of the game and the d would have relaxed on the run a bit.
However I think Boom is going to be a fine back for us. He runs hard every play and that is all you can ask for. The backfield will be loaded next season with Boom, Saine, J. Hall, Berry, and Hyde. I think maybe Hall will redshirt just because it makes too much sense. It will interesting to see how Saine bounces back after being hurt most of the season. I think we got away from throwing the ball to the running backs and tight ends and I look for that to be a huge part of T Pryor's passing game this year.