JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jordan Hall, the biggest remaining — both figuratively and literally — local football recruit on the local board, promised to put on a show.
The Westside High School senior defensive tackle, fittingly nicknamed Big Baby, put the finishing touches on the early football signing period by picking the Georgia Bulldogs on Thursday.
Hall didn’t come right out and sign with Kirby Smart’s team. No, that would have been far too routine for Hall, a 6-4, 310-pound four-star recruit and jokester extraordinaire, who is the biggest in program history.
Hall cycled through his four choices, slipping on an LSU hat, then an Alabama hat, a Georgia hat and then a Gators hat. He took each one off before asking one of his teammates to come to the stage with a backpack.
Once handed the backpack, Hall took his time before pulling out an oversized Bulldogs hat and putting it on. The hat actually made Hall look small, something difficult to do on the football field.
“Nothing but a bunch of good vibes in that bag. Once I put the hat on all my problems really erased I just, I’m just having fun right now, that’s all it is, just taking in the moment. It just a dream come true, honestly. Words can’t even explain what I’m feeling right now. It’s been a great feeling and it’s something I’ll never take back.”
With a signature, Hall became the last major local recruit to announce his intentions during the three-day early signing window for college football. The All-American selection will graduate early and head to Athens to get started on his college career.
Hall is a consensus four-star player and the top area prospect. He is rated as the 29th best player in the country, according to On3, No. 55 by 247 Sports, No. 61 by Rivals and No. 253 by ESPN.
For a school like Westside to have a recruit like Hall was an anomaly. The Wolverines have fought for a place among the Gateway pack for years with largely below average results. That Hall elected to stay at Westside all four years and resist the pull of other prominent area programs spoke to the legacy he wanted to leave, said Wolverines coach Randy Randall.
“Hopefully it shows them [younger players] about being loyal. It shows them about character in the classroom. It shows them what hard work does. And Jordan always worked hard,” Randall said.
“... Hopefully it shows my younger kids that if you continue to work, continue the course, that it will get you where you want to go. But you have to be willing to work. So this is very good for Westside, and like I said, the whole west side of town.”
His signing adds to a blockbuster class for coach Kirby Smart. According to the On3 consensus team rankings, the Bulldogs rank No. 2 in the country behind Alabama.
Hall said that Jaguars rookie outside linebacker Travon Walker played a big role in his recruiting process during his senior year. Walker was the No. 1 overall pick in last April’s draft.
“Honestly, I talk to Trayvon Walker a lot,” Hall said. “That’s like a good piece to the puzzle why it was Georgia. … He reached out to me like that. He’s the first overall pick in the draft. That’s something I aspire to be. I let him know that.”