Super 11: Offense to defense switch pays off for Westside defensive tackle Jordan Hall

Imagine Jordan Hall, all 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds of him, football in hand, steamrolling his way toward the end zone.

Scary thought, right? It almost became reality.

"When I was 8 years old, playing with like the 12U and 15U [age levels] wasn't that fun, so I just played AYF [American Youth Football] where you get to play the kids your own age," he said. "I mean, I played everything. I'm talking about running back, quarterback, corner, receiver, O-line, D-line."

Now entrenched on the defensive front, the rising senior, rated among the nation's leading tackle prospects in the recruiting class of 2023, leads the way for Westside on the Times-Union's annual Super 11 for the leading high school football recruits entering the season in Northeast Florida.

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As a junior, Hall dominated the heart of the line despite constant double-teams, recording 34 tackles (15 for loss) and five sacks. He also forced one fumble and recovered another, earning All-First Coast recognition as well as the district's player of the year award.

Hall is now pounding down barriers in a new way, mauling offensive lines for the Wolverines to earn a berth on the Times-Union's annual Super 11 list for high school football prospects.

"Before I got there, I know for my generation, nobody wanted to go to Westside," he said.

The school hadn't produced a Super 11 selection since linebacker and future Gators national champion Brandon Hicks in 2006, when the school was still known as Forrest High.

It's different now. Firestone Road is firmly on Duval's football map entering the District 3-2M season against Riverside and White, and Hall has played a big role in turning that story around.

Hall is accustomed now to life in the trenches, not that he still doesn't occasionally feel that urge to produce those highlights on offense as in the old days. He still talks about the thrill of scoring his first touchdown when he was 7 years old, listening to the cheers in the end zone — a far cry from the more anonymous life as a tackle.

"Big linemen, we never really get much love and praise like we feel that we deserve," Hall said.

Hall is in the thick of a recruiting chase that's gathered momentum over the past year, with nearly every elite program in college football in pursuit. In July, he named his top 10 candidates, a virtual who's who of the gridiron: Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Ohio State, Oregon, South Carolina and USC.

Those running back days? As much as he savors the thrill of the touchdown, they're in the past. Once Hall enrolled at Westside, he said, he dedicated himself full-time to developing his craft as both a run stuffer and a pass rusher by studying the skills of the best defensive tackles in the sport.

"I never really looked up to anybody other than skill players growing up, honestly," he said. "When I got to high school, D-line was my main focus, so I started watching more D-line film, grasping the position a little more, turning my focus on it and working harder, watching Chris Jones and Aaron Donald."

Now, the instant thrill of the scoring play isn't the only part of the game that thrills Hall. Whether he's tossing blockers aside, denying a running lane or simply squashing a quarterback into the turf, the Westside senior has found a new skill set to savor.

Ball carriers, look out.

"Hitting people, tackling people," he said, "they're just fun."

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Times-Union Super 11: Jordan Hall, Westside defensive tackle