Kentucky-bound OL Nikolas Hall ready to answer the call as All-American

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Nikolas Hall couldn’t believe what he was seeing on his caller ID earlier this week.

After months and months of waiting to get an invite to one of the national high school all-star football games, his phone was telling him something special was about to happen.

Nikolas Hall was about to become an All-American.

Hall, a four-star Kentucky offensive line signee from Austin (Texas) Akins, was a late invitee to the All-American Bowl that’s being played at noon Saturday at the Alamodome. With COVID protocols decimating the West squad, game organizers turned to Hall to bolster the West offensive line.

It was an opportunity Nikolas Hall said he couldn’t refuse.

“I didn’t know what to think when I got the call,” Hall said. “I had to talk my mom into it. She works a lot. I was like, ‘Mom, come on. It’s 1 hour away. Please.’ I was begging her pretty much. She gave in and is excited now.”

Hall said it’s been a dream of his for years to be called an All-American.

“I’ve been trying to get here ever since I was first offered a scholarship in my sophomore year,” Hall said. “I thought it wasn’t going to happen. I was a little disappointed. But I thought, ‘I’m playing at Kentucky, so that’s big-time still.’ As soon as I got the call, I was like ‘I’m playing.’”

Nikolas Hall came to prove himself

Yes, Nikolas Hall was a late addition to the All-American Bowl roster, but he’s out to prove to folks he belonged all along.

Hall is the No. 22 offensive tackle in the country, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Most in the recruiting industry rank him as a three-star prospect. But On3 strongly disagrees with those rankings and has him pegged as the No. 92 player and the 8^th-best offensive tackle in the country.

“That’s a big reason why I’m here,” Hall said. “I came to prove myself.”

He did a solid job of doing just that on Thursday. Charles Power, On3’s Director of Rankings and Scouting, listed Hall as one of his top performers from the practice session.

“The four-star prospect worked at both tackle and guard,” Power wrote. “He’s a fluid mover but was clearly adjusting to things in his initial practice. There was still a lot to like, and I’m excited to see how he does the rest of the week.”

Nikolas Hall said he’s fired up for the practice on Friday and will be ready to prove himself during Saturday’s game.

“There’s a lot of good talent,” Hall said. “It’s different than playing teams that have that ‘one guy.’ Everybody here is that ‘one guy.’ It’s a little bit different change of pace, but I’m ready for it.”

“It’s good to be here with the other commits and be able to rep our school. Just tell the Kentucky fans to keep an eye out for me and all the UK guys.”