Mike Hall arrives at Ohio State, gives interior defensive line needed depth
COLUMBUS — Mike Hall has officially arrived at Ohio State, immediately restocking the depth of defensive line.
The Buckeyes have plenty of talented defensive tackles, capable of pressuring quarterbacks and driving offensive lineman into backfields. But each of the expected impact players this season are upperclassmen. Adding depth and talent was a goal in the 2021 recruiting class, and Ohio State achieved that with Hall.
The in-state signee is now in Columbus, ready to begin classes on Monday. He’ll start training with the Ohio State staff, too, readying himself for whenever the defensive line needs a boost.
“I’m really excited,” Hall told Lettermen Row. “I can’t wait to finally get down there. It’s been coming. … It’s gonna be a big change, but I’m ready to go at it.”
A top-100 recruit, he’s already at 6-foot-3 and 275-pounds but has the frame to easily reach 300 or 310 pounds. Hall’s speed is what makes him a difference-maker. If he can add to his frame while keeping some of his top physical traits, the Buckeyes could lean on him this fall.
Mike Hall gives the Ohio State defensive line some much-needed depth. (Mike Hall/Twitter)
Hall opted not to enroll early at Ohio State, instead graduating from Streetsboro in the spring and preparing for his arrival back at home. The defensive tackle has the agility to be a factor as a pass rusher, but he’s a reliable run stopper, too. With his arrival on campus, he’ll now team up with fellow freshman defensive tackle Tyleik Williams.
Williams was present in the spring, but Hall can catch up with an impressive summer in the weight room with Mickey Marotti.
“Really just working on the flaws that I’ve had throughout the season,” Hall said. “Just working on different stuff I can improve my game on, so that Ohio State and coach [Larry] Johnson have one less thing to worry about and take all this time to fix one thing. You don’t wanna really give your coach too many problems that he has to go back and teach this and that. So just working on the little stuff, really.â€
His arrival comes right when Ohio State’s coaching staff is shifting its attention to on-campus recruiting. After 16 long months, the Buckeyes have reopened their doors and have a huge weekend of official visits on tap.
The latest defensive line addition knows that. Hall is excited to be on campus, ready to start classes and put himself in a position to contribute immediately. His addition gives the interior of Ohio State’s defense another talented player for Larry Johnson to start working with. And now that’s he has arrived, he can push for playing time while adding depth to the defensive line.
But Mike Hall is just as ready to start putting in his time at he Woody Hayes Athletic Center, interacting and recruiting high-school prospects.
“Me and the guys are just talking about going to camps because I know we’re having the summer camps down there, and we’re gonna be kicking it with the younger guys and trying to get them to come,” he said. “Because why have just one good class when you can have many? Just have different great classes and win multiple championships.â€
