IMG LB Jordan Hall on Ties With Gators Staff, Plans to Visit Florida

Photo: Jordan Hall; Credit: Zach Goodall

Though a coaching change can often lead to a loss of contact with recruits, the Florida Gators have kept in touch with plenty of interested recruits from the 2023 class due to past relationships the coaches have had while at other stops.

That's the case with 2023 IMG Academy linebacker Jordan Hall out of Bradenton (Fla). Hall was lightly recruited by the previous coaching staff under head coach Dan Mullen but has a relationship with new Florida linebackers coach Jay Bateman, who previously served as the LB coach at North Carolina.

On Thursday at the IMG Academy Pro Day, Hall detailed to AllGators about what he's heard from Bateman, the kind of coach he is, and his impressions of Florida since he's been recruited by the new coaching staff, one that has been much more aggressive in recruiting him than the previous one.

"He's a really nice guy. He's a great coach," Hall said of Bateman. "The scheme that he was running at North Carolina, [it] seems like he's trying to play me the same way at Florida. So that'll be good, getting down there trying to continue that relationship and make sure that they're still seeing me the same way with that new coaching staff."

Hall, 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, has the build of a prototypical inside linebacker at the lext level. While his size and strength allow him to take on big offensive linemen inside, he also has the sideline-to-sideline ability to track down running backs, working in coverage, too.

For Hall, he says the new coaching staff understands that and his athletic ability but did clarify they are looking to use him as an inside linebacker in their scheme.

Though Hall vaguely talked to coach Mullen, he's had more conversations with head coach Billy Napier recently, someone he calls "another great coach."

"He's very confident in what he wants to do with that program and turn it around," Hall explained. "And when I talked to him, he was just he was really, really positive about me coming to come up there and see what the changes they're making, and how they're going to improve for the next season."

Florida is coming off of a disappointing season, going 6-7 on the year including a bowl-game loss to the UCF Knights. The season led to a complete rebuild on the coaching staff, and Napier is attempting to right the wrongs that Mullen left behind.

Changes have already begun in Gainesville, and Hall is set to visit the program on March 5, he says, ready to see what the program has going on with a new staff in charge.

When asked about any other planned visits, Hall didn't seem to have anything ready to go as of yet.

"Nothing set in stone right now but I'm trying to go wherever I'm wanted, and wherever I think I'm needed."

As of today, Hall has yet to release a top teams list but says he plans to do so in the next few months. Though he didn't say if they would be, perhaps Florida will be included.

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