Ohio State’s first high school football camp of 2026 was headlined by a top-10 overall prospect in the 2028 class that Larry Johnson compared to Chase Young.
The No. 8 overall recruit in the rising junior class of high school prospects, Kellan Hall went through a full workout with the rest of the defensive linemen at Ohio State’s first camp of the summer. The five-star prospect enjoyed the tough, hands-on coaching he received from Johnson, which stood out to Hall in comparison to other camps he’s participated in.
“Some camps like to just see you work out, but Coach Johnson, he gets after you today. He treats you like a player, and you really get after it,” Hall said after the camp. “It wasn't too hot, but it felt like a great work day. I felt like I was one of his players today.”
As you might expect with his ranking as the No. 2 defensive lineman in 247Sports’ composite rankings for 2028, Hall is one of Johnson’s top targets along the defensive line in his class. Already weighing in at 6-foot-4 and 271 pounds at just 16 years old, Hall – who recorded 53 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks as a sophomore at Christian Academy of Louisville – could potentially play either defensive tackle or defensive end in college depending on how his body develops. That said, Johnson has already compared Hall to one of Ohio State’s all-time great defensive ends.
“Which is crazy, I don't know if this is true, but he said Chase Young,” Hall said Tuesday. “He said I can be a do-it-all type of guy … He said I have traits like (Young). They're going to have me put on some weight, and they're going to use me the same way they used him.”
While comparing a 16-year-old to a unanimous All-American and No. 2 overall NFL draft pick sets a lofty expectation, Hall already has similar size to Young (who was 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds at Ohio State) and exhibited some of the same speed and power that made Young a star for the Buckeyes as he dominated most of his opponents in one-on-one drills on Tuesday.
Five-star defensive lineman Kellan Hall showing his burst and power on his final two reps of the day at Ohio State camp. pic.twitter.com/RToTKXRCdC
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 9, 2026
Hall is honored that Johnson would compare him to Young, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist and college football’s national defensive player of the year in 2019.
“Chase was a wrecker,” Hall said. “Just hearing the stories, players saying he had to sit out of practice because of how bad he was doing them and just seeing that, that's a high honor to get paired with someone like that who's probably one of the greatest D-linemen to ever do it.”
Ohio State is just one of many schools already recruiting Hall heavily as he enters his junior high school season. He’s already received offers from more than three dozen FBS schools. In addition to Ohio State, Hall has also visited SMU, Texas A&M, Texas and Oklahoma this summer, and he’ll also be visiting Oregon.
Where is ? @Hayesfawcett3 @Aspirationsgym @centurions_fb @AthletesFirst @CamronHahn @polynesiabowl @UANextFootball @Rivals @247Sports @On3 https://t.co/uUv4coyD8p
— Kellan Hall (@KellanHbigdawg) June 5, 2026
That said, Ohio State has a few things going for it in its efforts to win Hall’s recruitment. For one, Ohio State has the advantage of proximity over the other schools he’s visited this summer, as Columbus is just a three-hour drive away from his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
“My family needs to see me play. That's one thing I want to be. So anywhere I go, I want to feel like home, and being three hours away is a really great deal for me,” Hall said. “We drove up this morning, and it wasn't too bad. Took a little nap, and I realized we're here. So that's something that made me happy.”
Hall is also impressed by the resources Ohio State provides to its players as well as the connections he could make outside of football as a Buckeye.
“They're going to set you up with the right people, get you money management, set you up outside the game of football. They have a lot of alumni that's willing to help the football players, and that's one thing that intrigues me,” Hall said. “Life after football is very big for me.”
Hall has already built a bond with Ohio State’s first defensive line commit in the 2028 class, fellow five-star prospect Jameer Whyce, who’s recruiting Hall to join him in Columbus. And Hall wants to play for a program where he knows he’ll face competition from other elite players.
“He says they’re the greatest to ever do it,” Hall said of what Whyce has told him about Ohio State. “Year in and year out, they're always at the top. Everyone wants to be at Ohio State. He said you want all the best players, you want to have competition, that's what Ohio State gets. You get the best shot from everybody. That's one thing I believe. I want to be a competitor, so I want everybody's best shot.”
In the end, Hall said he’s looking for the school that will develop him best both on and off the field.
“I want to get developed not just as a player but as a man. So I want to have a great career, I want to get educated, I want to get a degree, I want to graduate and also, I just want to build a great relationship,” Hall said. “I just want to build relationships that will last me a lifetime.”
There’s still a long way to go in Hall’s recruitment, and Ohio State will have to beat out many of the nation’s top programs to win that battle. But Hall’s relationship with Johnson and the impression Ohio State continued to make on him on Tuesday has the Buckeyes positioned among his frontrunners.
“He's been doing this for a long time, so he knows what it's supposed to look like,” Hall said of Johnson. “So he's about the details, and if you ain't doing it right, he's going to tell you and let you know that, but it's all from a great place and it's all out of love.”
“I felt like I was one of his players today.”– Kellan Hall on being coached by Larry Johnson at Ohio State camp
Additional Notes from Camp No. 1
Hall was the headliner of Tuesday’s camp as the lone five-star prospect on the field, but he certainly wasn’t the only player of note at Ohio State’s first of four one-day camps over the next two weeks.
Three other prospects in the 2028 class earned Ohio State offers on Tuesday: four-star linebacker Jay Schell, four-star wide receiver Hayden Koo and three-star safety Troy Bishop.
Very grateful and honored to receive a scholarship offer from @OhioStateFB!! ️ #BUILT4ships @RabunGapEagles @coachdtwhite @ryandaytime @JLaurinaitis55 @CoachMcGrath22 @Coachcliff904 @JohnGarcia_Jr pic.twitter.com/3d6KSi2TMj
— Jay Schell 2028 (@Jayschell1015) June 9, 2026
All glory to God!!! After an amazing conversation with @Coach_Hankton I am blessed to receive an offer from The Ohio State. ⚫️ #buckeyes @GregBiggins @ChadSimmons_@BlairAngulo @PGregorian@BrandonHuffman @ocvarsityguy @mikehuntley63 @adamgorney@247Sports @247recruiting… pic.twitter.com/NnZ8568fGV
— Hayden Koo 4 ⭐️ (@Haydenkoo0) June 9, 2026
Extremely Blessed and Thankful to receive an offer from The Ohio State University!! #GoBucks@MattGuerrieri @taverj @GregBiggins @BrandonHuffman @adamgorney @ChadSimmons_ @BlairAngulo @Realregular4 @TomLoy247 pic.twitter.com/Hhoiyo5tiz
— Troy Bishop (@tbishop_0) June 9, 2026
Hall was one of several 2028 defensive linemen of note in a group that also included four-star defensive tackle Nikolas Stevens and four-star in-state defensive end Asa Burch, both of whom already had Ohio State offers alongside Hall.
Top prospects on the other side of the trenches included 2028 three-star offensive tackle Austin Ballou, whose massive size stood out at 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds, and 2027 in-state offensive tackle Zay’vion Smith, a Cincinnati commit who earned a win against Hall in one-on-ones.
2027 offensive tackle Zay’vion Smith with a nice rep vs. 2028 five-star defensive lineman Kellan Hall. pic.twitter.com/BKTB0aYezp
— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 9, 2026
The running back group was headlined by local standout Edmund McCalister, who’s already earned 16 FBS offers entering his sophomore season at Pickerington Central High School and is projected to be one of the top running backs in the 2029 class, though he hasn’t yet received an offer from the Buckeyes.
None of the quarterbacks at Tuesday’s Ohio State camp left Columbus with offers, though there were a couple of notable prospects in attendance who received attention from Ohio State quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler. Dre’mail Carothers, a three-star prospect who holds offers from the likes of Louisville, North Carolina and South Florida, was the top 2027 quarterback in attendance as the Buckeyes continue to evaluate their options in the class. Alexander Doucette is an emerging quarterback in the 2029 class who recently received Big Ten offers from Purdue and UCLA.
Stay tuned with Eleven Warriors for more coverage from Ohio State’s high school football camps over the next two weeks.
