Friday, January 29, 1999
Wyoming star picks OSU
Hall will play running back
BY JOHN ERARDI
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Richard Hall is headed for Tailback U.
The Wyoming High star running back — who scored 46 touchdowns this year — said Thursday that he has made an oral commitment to attend Ohio State.
Hall said he would be a running back for the Buckeyes.
“You'd think a school that big would be real impersonal, but the counselor spent 45 minutes with me and put me at ease,” Hall said. “It's a family atmosphere up there. Nobody's jealous of anybody else. I really clicked with the guys on the team, and (former Wyoming star) Ahmed Plummer was a real help to me throughout the recruiting process.”
Hall said he may have been able to make an impact quicker at some other school, but that he wanted to be pushed.
“Look at Michael Wiley,” Hall said. “He had to wait his turn, but he worked his butt off ... and now after only one year as a starter, they're already talking about him as an NFL back.”
Hall almost didn't even visit Ohio State.
“He was recruited by a lot of schools and the main three were Ohio State, Indiana and Michigan State,” Wyoming coach Bernie Barre said. “He visited IU in December, really liked it and decided to cancel his other two visits.
“They (the coaches at OSU and MSU) told him "that's fine, if that's what you really want to do,' but that otherwise he should make the other visits just to give him something to compare it to. Richard agreed, made the other two visits, weighed the three options and said, "Ohio State's the best place for me.'”
Hall is waiting for the results of his ACT. If his ACT score is high enough, he might be able to qualify for a scholarship as a freshman — depending on his grade-point average at Wyoming. He could also re-take some prep courses to raise his GPA, Barre said.
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