Junior defensive lineman Logan Hall has turned the heads of his coaches and teammates over the offseason and is expected to play a major role for the UH defense in 2021. | Couertesy of UH athletics
Those close to Logan Hall describe the 6-foot-6-inch defensive lineman as a man of few words.
Off the field, Hall likes to keep a low profile, spending his free time playing video games like Apex Legends and Fortnite and enjoying being a new dog owner to a husky akita mix.
While Hall is a quiet and easy-going person off the field, he is a completely different animal on the field, being described as a “beast” and “monster” by several of his teammates.
During spring ball, head coach Dana Holgorsen and defensive line coach Brian Early were asked if any player stood to them and they both said Hall had turned the most heads and taken the biggest jump of anyone in the program.
Throughout the spring, Hall wreaked havoc, blowing up play after play.
Hall credits this improvement to focusing on how to recognize specific offensive alignments before the snap, which he never noticed in his first three seasons as a Cougar.
“I don’t think I’ve ever felt so in rhythm with myself and the D-line,” Hall said. “Noticing where the back is. Being conscious of where the center is going to slide. All those things pre-snap allowed me to play a little faster and I don’t think I had recognized those before.”
Over the summer, Hall continued working on improving his craft and building muscle, putting on 15 pounds over the offseason to help him be able to do things he wants to up front.
After seeing Hall’s growth over the offseason, senior defensive lineman David Anenih simply expects Hall to do something special each and every snap, saying that Hall blowing up a play has become a normal and an everyday thing in practice.
“I’ve just seen the growth that (Hall’s) taken as a man, a player,” Anenih said. “He’s way higher than he used to be before. I’m proud of him.”
What stands out the most about Hall to his coaches is his versatility. Hall has the size and speed to line up anywhere on the defensive line and his coaches expect him to create chaos up front regardless of where he’s lined up.
“(Hall’s) unique in the fact that he can play every position on the defensive line,” UH defensive coordinator Belk said. “That’s very unusual for a guy with his length and size to be able to play every position on the D-line and be effective. He’s very disruptive. He can become a matchup issue inside and then he has speed and power on the outside.”
Hall may not say much but he doesn’t need to according to Belk because his play speaks for itself and is far louder than what any amount of words could say.
From what has been on display over the offseason and the first few weeks of fall camp, everyone within the UH football program is confident that Hall will be a force to be reckoned with in the 2021 season.
They fully expect Hall to not only emerge as a star on the Cougars’ defense but be one of the top defensive linemen in the country.
“(Hall’s) development has been very impressive more because he never says a word, he just outworks people,” Belk said. “I’m just excited to see him turn it loose.”
