'He's Going To Be A Program Guy:' Tuscaloosa's Zay Hall Achieves Dream On Signing Day

TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Zay Hall sits inside Hillcrest High School’s field house, pen in hand, staring at the paper in front of him. As he begins to sign, the kid next to him— three-star receiver Kahden Smith, who just signed with Vanderbilt— leans over towards him.

Hall is the star linebacker on the Hillcrest Patriots, a game-wrecking force of nature who dominated Alabama 7A football this fall. And here he is, sitting next to four of his teammates at Hillcrest's signing day, surrounded by his family, coaches, and friends, about to sign to play football for The University of Alabama.

Similar scenes unfolded all across the country on Wednesday's National Signing Day, where 19 other recruits officially joined Alabama's 2026 class. Many of these recruits are blue-chip prospects, four and five-stars who have had it easy for their entire football careers. They make up the lifeblood of a class that is ranked in the top five nationally. And while the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Hall is in every way a high-level recruit— a player that Alabama's staff is excited to develop into a key piece in the linebacker room— his journey to the Crimson Tide differs from his fellow classmates.

Perhaps Hall was thinking about that as he signed the letter. Maybe he was thinking about a career marked by position changes, school transfers, and an injury that could have dashed his college hopes. Or maybe he was just soaking in the moment.

Whatever he was thinking, the moment he finished writing his name, his expression softened. In an instant, his face erupted into a massive smile, like a kid on Christmas morning. And that analogy, as cliché as it may be, is perfectly apt for the morning that Hall had, where the Tuscaloosa native officially achieved his lifelong dream of joining the Alabama football program.

"This is special," Hall said. "Dream come true. I'm grateful for the opportunity. I'm just grateful and blessed."

Three-star ILB Zay Hall has officially signed with Alabama. The Tuscaloosa native chose the Crimson Tide over Virginia Tech last summer. Stands around 6’3, 225 pounds and was recruited heavily by ILB coach Chuck Morrell. More coming later today for @BamaCentral pic.twitter.com/DvJ1rvIUgc
— Theodore Fernandez (@TheoFernandez__) December 3, 2025

Hall has lived in Tuscaloosa his entire life. He went through the Tuscaloosa City School System and played football in the town from a young age. Hall started at running back as a kid, but told his father, Ivan Cade, in elementary school that he wanted to play defense. Cade kept his son at running back for a couple of years, where Hall excelled due to his speed, but he eventually got his wish heading into middle school.

"I said, 'Do what you want to do,'" Cade said. "He wanted to play defense. I told him to work hard at it and see where it gets him. Well, it got him to The University of Alabama."

Hall was the biggest and fastest kid just about everywhere he went growing up, dominating at the youth and middle school levels. He began his high school career at Paul Bryant, where he played against Alabama offensive lineman Wilkin Formby in his freshman year. Hall has stayed close with Formby and running back Kevin Riley, both Tuscaloosa natives, and they stayed in touch with him throughout his recruiting process.

After two years at Bryant, Hall transferred to Hillcrest for his junior season. Patriots' head coach Jamie Mitchell, a multi-time state champion with over 250 career wins, has developed numerous high-level college players, and Hall was certainly shaping up to be the next to join that group.

A major wrench was thrown into that plan in week three of his junior campaign, when, after a strong start to the year, Hall went down with a high ankle sprain that would cause him to miss time and affect his play for the rest of the year.

"It was frustrating, because I was in the middle of a great season," Hall said. "To come back from a high ankle sprain, a lot of guys miss four-to-six weeks. I came back in two or three weeks, I was limping on the field, and I couldn't make highlights. But I played my heart out and I just knew I had to come back stronger, tougher, and faster."

Alabama had first contacted Hall shortly before the injury. While the sprain could have led Alabama to direct its attention elsewhere, inside linebackers coach Chuck Morrell, who spearheaded the effort to recruit Hall, stayed in regular contact with him throughout the entirety of the setback.

"We've gotten real close with him," Cade said of Morrell. "He told Zay that if he comes in and works hard, gets an education, and does what he needs to do out on the field, nine times out of ten things will work out."

And so that is precisely what Hall did. He continued working to become "stronger, tougher, and faster," and in June, Alabama invited Hall in for a private workout, where he impressed Morrell by running a 4.5-second 40-yard dash. He also participated in other linebacker drills to evaluate his pad level, pass rushing, and ability to move in the open field. By the end of the workout, Morrell and the staff had seen enough and extended an offer to Hall.

"They stayed on me. They could have just easily gotten off when I got hurt," Hall said. "But they stayed in contact, and they just kept on trying to build that relationship. They really did prioritize me."

Hall called receiving the offer "a dream come true." One of his first actions after getting the news was to call his father, a truck driver who was on the road at the time.

"He called me while I was driving, so I had to pull over to the side to hear his voice," Cade said. "It was such a proud moment, hearing him say, 'Dad, they gave me an offer.' I told him, 'You worked for this, Zay, you deserve it.' He was so excited."

Despite getting the offer of his dreams, deciding to stay in Tuscaloosa was not cut-and-dry. Virginia Tech had offered a month earlier, and Hall was "torn" between the two as the Hokies aggressively recruited him. Ultimately, Hall was just unable to pass up everything that Alabama meant to him, and he committed to the Crimson Tide on June 27, live on a local newscast.

BREAKING: Three-star 2026 ILB Zay Hall has committed to Alabama

The Hillcrest product just chose the Tide over Virginia Tech live on @WVUA23Sports with @garyharris_wvua

Hall is On3’s No. 52 player in the state of Alabama pic.twitter.com/miXl4YcEaz
— Theodore Fernandez (@TheoFernandez__) June 27, 2025

"I think Alabama should be given a lot of credit for the way they recruited Zay," Mitchell said. "They did it very, very professionally. They would come by when they could, they would talk to him, they built a relationship over a long period of time, but didn't blast that out everywhere. So I think in the end, they deserve a lot of credit for building a strong relationship with him, and it paid off for them."

Hall is a three-star recruit and On3's 120th-ranked linebacker in the class. He does lack the pedigree that many Alabama commits come in with, which is in large part due to his injury, as well as starting his career at a smaller high school. Regardless of ranking, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer is ecstatic about bringing in the local product.

"It is important to keep the guys that are close here, especially when they're really good," DeBoer said. "Looking forward to coaching him. He's got a lot of goals here, for himself and for our program... He just loves this place already, and he hasn't really taken a snap or anything like that, but he's here now."

Hall's role with the Crimson Tide is yet to be determined. Morrell and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack have discussed the idea of him moving to outside linebacker, something that Hall was open to. A decision will likely come in the spring, as Hall will enroll early to develop with whichever unit he joins. Alabama's depth will also likely be a factor in where Hall lands, but Mitchell has little doubt that he could handle either position.

"There aren't many guys in the world at his size and speed that are out there," Mitchell said. "It will be interesting to see what they do with him. Do they play him closer to the line of scrimmage? Do they play him at the second level? I think he can do a lot of both."

For this upcoming year, Morrell believes Hall has a very good chance to play significant reps on special teams as a freshman. Hall is still a ways away from needing to contribute on the field, giving him plenty of time to adjust to the next level and learn more about the game of football.

"He's come so far in a year and a half in just understanding the schematics of football, understanding coverages and concepts behind him that have to tie into the front end of the defense as well," Mitchell said. "I think he's got to continue to grow in the knowledge of the game. He's behind in that area, but he was a great student of the game. So I think that'll be a good learning curve for him and something that he'll embrace."

In just his two years at Hillcrest, Hall managed to leave a very strong impression on his coach, who spoke at length about his character numerous times at the signing day.

"Zay is such a unique person," Mitchell said. "He is literally one of the most humble players that I believe I've ever coached. It's never been about him here. He has just been the absolute perfect example of what you want a player to be about. He's about his teammates. He's about the spotlight not being on him, and he just wants to go play. And, I say it all the time, but he just is such a better person than he is a player, and he's a freaky, freaky good player."

While Hall may not be on the field much in Tuscaloosa over the next year or two, DeBoer agrees with Mitchell's sentiment, and believes that his presence will certainly be felt in the locker room.

"Zay is a physical guy. He's an energy guy. He's positive," DeBoer said. "You can tell he's one of our guys, you know? That's just the way he is. And so I know, again, he's going to be a culture guy. He's going to be a program guy."

Mitchell and DeBoer's praise of Hall aligns well with the perspective of Hall's family, who, for as proud as they are of his achievements on the field, have worked to keep Hall grounded in the understanding that there are more important things than football. Cade has instilled a list of priorities in Hall that he hopes his son will continue to follow as he moves on to the Crimson Tide.

"God first, then education, and football last," Cade said. "I told him to learn as much as you can learn. Education's going to get him farther than football will, but I'm just proud of him. It's a proud moment right now."

Hall has stayed very grounded in his faith and family throughout the entire recruiting process. He stated that one of the most exciting parts about staying home is that his family gets to watch him play every week, and he appreciates the opportunity that he has to make them proud.

"To get to see them, make them happy, have them see that I'm doing something positive with my life, it's a blessing," Hall said.

Hall has already had a long journey just to get to this point. And he believes that the smile that he let out as he signed that letter on Wednesday morning, that feeling of pure joy that was experienced simply by virtue of getting to call himself a member of the Alabama football team, is just the beginning.

"I want to have more than 300 or 400 tackles," Hall said of his goal for his Alabama career. "A lot of turnovers, lot of big plays, but most of all a lot of winning."

Just seven players in Alabama history have recorded 300 career tackles. Hall's goal, whether he reaches it or not, highlights just how much ambition he carries with him. Mitchell knows that said ambition is far from misplaced.

"He has still got some great football in front of him, and his ceiling is really, really high," Mitchell said. "And I think he's just starting to develop. What he will end up being is going to be really special."

Sitting in that Hillcrest field house, surrounded by family and coaches, Hall achieved the dream he had chased for years. But the smile that lit up his face that morning went far beyond the act of just signing a letter. It was a sign of what Hall believes is still to come. The real work— the tackles, the big plays, and the wins— is still ahead, and Hall knows he’ll need the same determination, humility, and grit that carried him this far if he is going to reach the heights he believes he is destined for.