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2013 Virginia Football Roster Profile: Mark Hall

With our countdown at 59, we get another duo. First, we have redshirt freshman OLB Mark Hall. Hall possesses outstanding speed for a 250 pound LB, speed that will make a devastating special teams player this year while he continues to develop his instincts and technique at LB. He has a chance to be a very good OLB in another year or two. His brother is a freshman PG on the basketball team.

Position: OLB
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 250
Hometown: Virginia Beach, Va
High School: Green Run HS

Mark Hall was rated a 3 star recruit by Scout and Rivals and a 2 star recruit by ESPN. Rivals ranked him 68th among OLBs nationally and Scout ranked him 83rd. He also played TE in High School, thought he was recruited solely for OLB. He committed early, so he didn't get more than a token look from other schools, but Virginia Tech, West Virginia, UNC and Pitt were all interested. For a guy with his size, Hall has outstanding speed, in the 4.6 range.

At this point in his career, Hall is probably best known by UVA fans as Devon Hall's brother. Devon Hall is a freshman PG on the Virginia basketball team and could be the starting PG this season. Devon is 6'5" and 210 pounds, so while he looks a bit like his brother, they have vastly different physiques.

Just a redshirt freshman, Hall is listed as the backup SAM LB. His size and speed make him a solid OLB prospect, but he still needs polish. He's best when he's aggressive and flowing to the ball. He wraps up well and can deliver a big hit. But he struggles with play recognition (not uncommon for young LBs) and gets tentative in his reads. He also isn't very developed in pass coverage, although he certainly has the athleticism to cover a RB or TE.

Despite being listed 2nd on the depth chart, it is actually more likely that, in case of injury to Demeitre Brim, Henry Coley would move to SAM and Kwontie Moore to step in at MLB. This is simply because Hall isn't ready to playing defense at this level. After another year developing his skills and reads, he'll be ready. This year, Hall figures to be a mainstay on special teams on punt and kick coverage. He could be very good in that role with his size and speed.