BYU COUGARS
Jaren Hall Is No Longer The Young Guy For BYU Football
PROVO, Utah – BYU’s spring football practice is well underway in Provo and this time of year it allows for players who normally don’t see the field to get a lot of real practice time in hopes of being a key contributor in the fall.
Cougar quarterback Jaren Hall is back and is cemented as the starter for this upcoming 2022 season which will be BYU’s final as a football independent.
The coaches know what they have with him so spring can be a time of looking at the younger guys and seeing what they can do to build depth.
Hall joined UnRivaled and he is pumped about seeing the younger talent out there competing for playing during spring workouts.
“All the young guys who are making so many plays, getting so many reps. In the past, I was one of those young guys, so I was working my way to becoming the guy that plays, and I was kind of with them,” Hall said. “Now I’m a little older I’m able to see the way things going. I was able to see the way young guys approach the game. I’m impressed with all the new guys whose first spring it is or maybe the second spring guys come back from injuries.”
Hall is familiar with competing hard for a starting spot as that is what he was doing all last spring and into the fall. Now he, rightfully, is no longer one of the “young guys” out there competing for a starting spot.
Good to be back ⌛️ pic.twitter.com/q4EvrrChTh
— Jaren Hall (@jarenhall3) March 2, 2022
So, his spring football has a little bit of a different focus.
Now it is the turn of other players who are fighting and scrapping for a spot on the two-deep and are hoping to be the next great BYU contributor. Hall knows he has work to do to get better but he is relieved and can focus on a different part of his game to help the Cougars be successful this next year.
Returning Talent Is Key
With so many players back on this team, the experience is what is going to lead this BYU team going into the 2022 season. With the abundance of talent that is in place, this team is able to work on a few different things within offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick’s plan.
However, don’t expect the offense to be completely different, but rather have some wrinkles mixed into with what they did last year.
“I don’t think we put in we haven’t put in a ton of stuff. We still run our basic offense, but now it’s more as a quarterback returning, I’m able to make some adjustments on the field,” Hall said. “Receivers are more in tune with me and what we’re all seeing.
“It’s just small variations to a very basic place that makes it look completely different to the defense per se. You started putting a lot more of a spring. It’s just our basic stuff, but we’re just able to do a lot more on the fly with it.”
This is a big deal now that Hall is given the green light and confidence to make more play changes as he sees fits on the line of scrimmage. That knowledge and experience from this group knowing if they make one key adjustment from what the defense gives them can go a long way to creating a mismatch that leads to a big play.
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One of Hall’s differing abilities is that he is a fast guy and that comes from him playing baseball and using his legs in a different manner. The ability to move the ball with one’s legs by running or just elongating a play to ultimately pass it down the field is an asset that is in the bag for Hall to use.
“As an athletic quarterback. I don’t think you ever plan on running the quarterback here to throw the ball, facilitate the offense, but there’s always a place it’s a weapon to use,” Hall said. “It’s not your whole offense. It doesn’t feed through that., but with the opportunities there, it’s a great time to keep the defense on their toes, keep them on balance and just keep them thinking.”
Hall did rush for 320 yards with three touchdowns in 10 games last year, and all while he was banged up a bit. A fully healthy Hall could improve off of those numbers and just add another element to his game and the offense.
BYU’s spring football wraps up on Friday, March 25 and its season opener is at South Florida on Saturday, Sept. 3.
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