Hall’s Decision To Return Provides Huge Boost For UVA

By Scott Ratcliffe

CHARLOTTE — When UVA cornerback Bryce Hall made his decision to put professional football on hold just a little longer and return to Charlottesville for one more season, Wahoo Nation was beyond elated to secure the services of one of the nation’s top defensive backs.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder has had the entire offseason to reflect on his choice, and is overly confident that he made the right one.

“Yeah, I think over these past couple months of me being here, I absolutely think [staying] was the best decision for me,” Hall said during ACC Kickoff at the Westin Hotel Thursday. “There’s a reason I felt like God had called me back for another year. I’m understanding and I’m learning that now, that it’s been the best decision for me.”

Hall led all of Division I with 22 pass breakups as a junior and was tied for first nationally in passes defended (24), and it was widely speculated that he could be taken in the early part of the NFL Draft in April. As secondary-mate Joey Blount put it after the 28-0 Belk Bowl shutout of South Carolina in late December, Hall cares more about his teammates and the future success of the Cavalier program than the riches, the fame, the money.

All of that will come in time, and Hall is aware of that. His focus remains solely on the betterment of his own play and those around him, as he is ready to embrace more of a leadership role as a senior.

“I’ve developed in areas that I might not have been able to develop had I gone to another level, just as a leader,” said Hall. “I’m being stretched every day as far as trying to hold people accountable to the standard, or just progressing and understanding it’s not about you, it’s about other people.”

Hall has been racking up the preseason accolades, including a pair of first-team All-American selections from Phil Steele and Athlon Sports. He was also recently named to the Bednarik Award Watch List, and is a nominee for the All-State AFCA Good Works Team for his off-the-field charity involvement, while all the while staying humble.

“You get a lot of praise, things like that, but also being humble and being the example each and every day when you show up to work, and learning how to encourage others, communicate, share the vision,” Hall said.

Hall will anchor a secondary that lost Juan Thornhill and Tim Harris to the NFL, but returns a wealth of talent across the field with Blount, Brenton Nelson, Darius Bratton and Chris Moore, among others.

The Harrisburg, Pa., native is known for his tireless, workmanlike approach to watching film during down time, constantly searching for ways to improve his skill set. He even has his own little “workspace,” as Bronco Mendenhall explained.

“Bryce Hall’s preparation started with interest and desire,” the coach said. “Bryce was anxious to learn, anxious to improve, to perfect his skills — really was craving feedback on how to become an exceptional player. … Bryce really approaches every day as if he is going to work. He shows up early. He has his own space basically dedicated in our football facility where he studies film and practices his craft on film and on paper. He’s there from morning ‘til night around his classes.

“That’s not something that every player in our program does, but it provides a great example for what I would like the future of our program to look like, by more players,” Mendenhall continued. “When your most successful players have those kinds of habits, it gives you your best chance for them to be passed onto other players in your program and have a strong culture.”

Hall says his personal work area is “very comfortable.”

“It’s like a little — I don’t even know what to call it — but it’s like a monitor and you can just have a film set up at the click of a button,” he explained. “So I just had my own space and I just tap it and this TV comes on and it’s connected to the computer. Get the clicker going, and it’s just a chill spot and I’ve just been kind of planting myself in there for a while.”

The clicking has paid off, not only for Hall personally, but for the overall success of the Cavaliers. One hot topic going into the 2019 campaign is whether this will be the year that the Wahoos get over the hump and win the Coastal Division. Hall has a one-word response for UVA fans for the upcoming season — “believe.”

“We had high expectations for ourselves, even when nobody else really believed in us,” he said. “And so we’ve kept that same expectation and that same work ethic… our hard work is starting to be manifested and it’s starting to pay off. People are seeing that and taking a little notice to that.”

Hall hopes to improve his mental approach and his character, in addition to his play on the field.

“Being more vocal, being someone who’s going to speak up and help others, and sharing the knowledge and understanding that I have through life and just through the game of football with other people,” said Hall. “It’s stretching me to be outside my comfort zone, because usually I’m lead by example, don’t really say too much, but now it’s more, ‘Okay, you have to communicate more, you have to be more vocal and help people, and so I think that’s a part of my progression as a man. That’s been something that’s been huge for me this offseason.”

In about six weeks, Hall and the ‘Hoos will get their first chance at proving that last year was no fluke, and the guy who will be playing on Sundays next fall will have one last ride. If you know Bryce Hall, you know he’s going to do everything in his power to help the team succeed.