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Where did he come from?
High three star offensive tackle Chance Hall committed to Tennessee from Northside High School in Roanoke, Virginia, which is a few hours from Knoxville on I-81.
How did he end up at Tennessee?
@Chance_A_Hall Welcome to Tennessee (GBO) pic.twitter.com/DusbpZwGYp
— Mark Johnson (@markjo1) July 3, 2014
To be honest, Hall's commitment was a surprise, with Vanderbilt and Virginia considered the front-runners. Hall was offered by Tennessee way back in April, and he's unofficially visited Knoxville twice (April and June), but hadn't been mentioned in connection with the Vols in the interim. Tennessee freshman offensive tackle Coleman Thomas is from the same area of Virginia, and has kept in contact with Hall, keeping him updated on the football team and encouraging him to consider the Vols. However, given the likelihood of a smaller recruiting class for Tennessee this year, most recruiting experts thought that the Vols were done taking offensive linemen not named Drew Richmond. Don Mahoney reportedly loves Hall's athleticism and competitiveness, but it's not a good sign for Tennessee's offensive line recruiting that there are three offensive tackles committed in the 2015 class, but none of them are top targets Chuma Edoga (committed to USC), Austin Clark (committed to South Carolina), or Drew Richmond (uncommitted).
Hall is a high three star prospect who plays both offensive and defensive tackle for his high school. He currently holds offers from eight BCS schools (mostly ACC, although he has an offer from Notre Dame) and Old Dominion. In addition, both Arkansas and Michigan have shown interest in Hall, although neither had offered at the time he committed to the Vols.
How will he fit into the Tennessee offense?
At 6'4 and 285 pounds, Hall is a tall, lanky prospect with a large wingspan. On tape, Hall doesn't look like he's quite grown into his frame, and he should definitely be able to add good weight in the Tennessee strength and conditioning program. In pass protection, he shows quick feet, good change of direction, and surprising speed for a man of his size. Hall uses his hands well and has good balance, but needs to work on his knee bend and technique, as he is over reliant on his recovery and punch instead of using his pad leverage. He also needs to work on his lower body strength, as he seems to have trouble holding his ground against stronger players he can't redirect.
In the run game, Hall shines as an athletic blocker who can really get out and run. When he pulls, Hall sometimes has to wait on defenders to arrive because he beats them to the spot. Hall uses his hands well, demonstrating a solid punch to knock defensive players off their feet, and shows good tenacity as a blocker, staying with his assignments and absolutely burying players once they are off-balance. Again, he needs to work on his lower body strength, as he has trouble blocking players with the balance or strength to avoid his punch. Hall sometimes looks like a ballet dancer out on the field, for both good and ill; he's so light on his feet for a player his size that he often redirects players without too much trouble. Unfortunately, when he has to engage someone with good athleticism, Hall lacks the pure strength (and the technique) to have an answer.
With good coaching and development in the weight room, Hall could shine as an athletic zone-blocking tackle in Tennessee's spread offense.
