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OL Marcus Hall (The Bird Man of Ann Arbor)

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Guard Marcus Hall making the grade on the Ohio State offensive line
Doug Lesmerises, The Plain Dealer
updated September 27, 2012

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Marcus Hall took a year off from football to get his academics in order, and now he's starting to make an impact on the Ohio State offensive line.
Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer

Columbus ? Last week, his teammates saw Ohio State right guard Marcus Hall attack.

"I saw him play a little vicious," Ohio State right tackle Reid Fragel said. "The way he blocked there was kind of a mean streak to him, and that was cool to see."

"From last year, he is so much more of a physical player," said OSU center Corey Linsley, who lines up on the other side of Hall. "He was bench-pressing guys off of him. You would never have seen that before this year. He's always had really quick feet, but now he's doing his best to pancake guys, and it's been amazing to watch Marcus progress."

So the fourth-year Buckeye junior and Glenville High grad is getting after it right when the Buckeyes (4-0) need it, as they prepare to face Michigan State (3-1) in the Big Ten opener on Saturday. The Spartans feature the best defensive line the Buckeyes will face in the Big Ten.

Two years ago, Hall also attacked. Not on the field, but to save his football career.

After getting playing time as a freshman in 2009, Hall took a redshirt season in 2010 in order to get his academic work in order. It was an unusual step, a player's classroom shortcomings forcing a public admission that he needed to get away from the game. Hall released a statement at the time that he was trying to take the move in a positive way to "be better prepared all-around for the rest of my time at Ohio State."

Two years later, he admits he dropped his football career to save his football career.

"Man, I was so worried about my career," Hall said recently. "To tell you the truth, that was my main focus, my career. That's why I had to get back in the classroom, and the coaches here helped me focus and get everything back on track."

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http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2012/09/guard_marcus_hall_making_the_g.html
 
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After playing at about 320 or 325 pounds last season, the 6-6 Hall said, he's at 308 pounds right now and believes he's found his ideal body in the 305- to 310-pound range in preparing for his final year of college football.

?I feel so good right now, I would say this is (it),? Hall said. ?I feel like I can move a lot more and I feel comfortable at this weight.?
Ohio State OL coach Ed Warinner on slimmer Marcus Hall OSU offensive line coach Ed Warinner agrees that senior right guard Marcus Hall looks slimmer and quicker, but he was also worried about Hall's pants staying up.

Hall said he hasn't felt this good since his days at Glenville High School, with his first four years at Ohio State (he redshirted in 2010) filled with weight gains, and this last stretch, from the end of last season, filled with a turn the other way.

Off-season workout success stories aren't new. Urban Meyer brought strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti with him from Florida, and considers him his right-hand man, because he believes in what Marotti does with players. Hall is just the latest example. But a look at Hall on Tuesday gave an obvious and easy indication of the change. After an academic hiccup in the middle of his career that brought on the redshirt in 2010, it may be time for Hall to go out on a high note.

He feels like everything in his football life will be better.

?Run-blocking better, pulling faster, everything,? Hall said. ?And I am stronger. So I just kind of feel like I'm more of a complete player.?

?He worked hard,? said senior left guard Andrew Norwell, ?and he looked better running. It shows out there on the field. He can move better and stuff like that.?

The results have led Hall into Marotti's office to say thank you. They have also led him in front of the mirror a little more often.

?I definitely get a couple looks in the mirror,? Hall said. ?I'd be lying to you if I said I didn't.?

For Warinner, Hall has been showing him just what he wants in a lineman.

?He's leaner, lower body fat, higher muscle, and he looks quicker,? Warinner said. ?We'd rather have leaner and meaner than bigger and slower.?

He just wants to make sure Hall doesn't show him too much.
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http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index....ampaign=BR_OSUBuckeyes&utm_source=twitter.com
 
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OG Marcus Hall (6-5, 315, 5.18)
A physically impressive blocker, Hall enters his third year as a starter on the Buckeyes offensive line and is expected to man the right guard spot for Ohio State in 2013. He has been up-and-down over his career, but has steadily improved and reportedly looked leaner and meaner this spring after losing 15 pounds, showing improved movement skills. If Hall takes another step forward during his senior season, the NFL will be a real possibility for him.
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http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/blog/rob-rang/23082920/nfl-draft-ohio-state-preview
 
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High praise from Ohio State coaches shows Marcus Hall's senior year improvement isn't typical
By Doug Lesmerises, Northeast Ohio Media Group
August 19, 2013

COLUMBUS, Ohio ? It happens every year ? seniors raising their game in their last shot at college football. Some go from backups to starters, some from just holding a starting spot to really understanding what it takes to put it all together.

Depending how many seniors do that, and at what positions, it can change a season for a team.

It's happening with Marcus Hall.

Pay enough attention during the preseason and you'll hear or read about every guy on the roster improving. There's not a lot of talk about, ?You know, this guy got a whole lot worse.?

But in the last three days, Hall, the senior right guard from Glenville High, has been pointed to by both head coach Urban Meyer and offensive coordinator Tom Herman as a Buckeye who has made the jump from a year ago. The way the coaches are talking about him now is outside the normal realm of most improvement cliches.

Hall talked early in camp about how much better shape he was in, down from about 325 pounds last year to 308. It's translating to his play. Asked for an offensive player who has improved, Herman interrupted the question Monday to say, ?Marcus Hall. Marcus Hall.?

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http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2013/08/high_praise_from_ohio_state_co.html
 
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Ohio State notebook: Hall’s effort, intensity at guard draw praise
By Tim May
The Columbus Dispatch Sunday August 25, 2013 9

  • The improvement of quarterback Braxton Miller and the returning skills players are not the only reasons that Ohio State coaches believe the offense could jump several notches this season. When asked which player most caught his attention during preseason camp, offensive coordinator Tom Herman blurted the answer almost before the question was finished.

    “Marcus Hall,” he said.

    Herman expounded on Hall, a senior right guard.

    “He was a starter last year, a good player, not a great player,” Herman said. “Marcus physically had a lot of talent, but he was good for about two plays and then became a very average player when he got tired.Now you see him, he’s sprinting everywhere, he’s playing full speed, 100 percent on every single snap.”A sign at Ohio State’s practice facility reminds players to give four to six seconds of relentless effort every down, but who knew that Hall would become the poster child?

    “I shudder to say this,” Herman said, “but we have pointed him out many a time as an offensive staff to the offensive unit, ‘This is how you go hard for four to six seconds. This is how you hustle.’ ”

    Any of the four returning starters on the offensive line likely could have cruised through preseason and been assured of starting on Saturday against Buffalo because line depth is one of OSU’s big needs.

    “(Hall) started 12 games last year, and I don’t think his job was in jeopardy by any stretch of the imagination,” Herman said. “But he came into this training camp and he has been the shining example of how to play with great effort and great intensity.”
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