TJ Hall determined to prove himself on and off-field in final season at Iowa

Editor’s note: Eighth in a 9-part series looking at the Iowa football team before the season opener on Aug. 30.

IOWA CITY — TJ Hall may never leave a football field.

The California-native has played his entire life — defensive back, wide receiver, quarterback, special teams. You name a position, there’s a chance Hall’s played at least one snap in his life.

He’ll eventually hang up his cleats, sure, but even then he won’t abandon the game.

Hall is a journalism and mass communications major at Iowa. He's taking classes in media literacy, ethics and storytelling — and there's a plan for it all.

Hall may not play football forever, but he can talk about it.

“I want to talk on TV,” Hall, an Iowa cornerback, said during the team’s media day. “Like Shannon Sharp, or like, ESPN.”

Hall’s goal of talking sports as his career is one of many dreams athletes carry. Sometimes it’s after a lengthy career in the pros or after a podcast clip goes viral. Instead, Hall’s planning on studying the industry himself, knowing the ins and outs, while playing the sport, too.

“That’s always something that was fascinating to me,” Hall said. “So really, that’s the path I decided to go with.”

The biggest thing he’s taking away? How communication affects football.

It’s knowing when to speak up and when to listen. Knowing how quickly things change on the field, reading it and communicating it back to his teammates — that’s the key.

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There isn’t any sort of research Hall is bringing into the DB room. It’s about knowing the people he’s surrounded by and how they can also impact the game by just talking and listening to each other.

And also simply knowing a lot about football.

“I feel like just maybe with that background, just expressing to the others that talking is important,” Hall said. “You can just be out there silent. It should be loud, and they should be communicating on the field.”

Hall made the trek from California to Iowa in 2022, playing in every game his freshman year. Even after he missed half his sophomore season with an injury, Hall chose not to transfer. He’s stayed, listening to what his teammates and coaches say day in and day out.

The journey hasn’t been smooth sailing, but stayed put, and with one year of college football left, Hall’s one of three cornerbacks head coach Kirk Ferentz expects to rotate in throughout the season.

“It’s intense everyday,” Hall said. “Everyday, everybody’s coming to compete. Every day everybody wants to come and make plays, and we’re all doing a good job helping each other, helping no matter who’s in at the time … we’re all mentally trying to get our reps on and off the field.”

Hall’s training camp reps were cut short after having to deal with a bone bruise. Ferentz said it initially looked worse than that, but was grateful it was still a minor injury.

“TJ, until he got hurt two days ago, was doing really good,” Ferentz said. “I think as long as we keep improving, we’ll end up OK there.”

He made his return to the field during the final week of camp, and Ferentz had him with Deshaun Lee and Jaylen Watson. Now, Hall has a chance to display that he’s not just a consistent observer and talker on the field, but that he’s a consistent producer, too.

Hall found himself at the top of the depth chart for cornerbacks during the spring, and has the goal to break through in his final year — taking advantage of all the preparation he’s done.

“Just getting more comfortable with the game,” Hall said. “Just watching more tape, practicing, working on my technique every day, day in and day out. So really it's just with more reps and repetition and experience. I'd say that's how I just got a little more comfortable.”

He’ll get his chance to disrupt some opposing offense in a matter of days. If that’s not the case, or if he’s just simply taking a break on the sideline, he’ll go straight back to what his major is all about: communication.

“As far as being a leader and communicating, I think it's my job to figure out how guys respond,” Hall said. “And I feel like I've been doing a pretty good job trying to connect with each player and showing them whether a player is a better visual learner or a drawer, or you need to show it on the board, or you need to go out there on the field with them."

Communicating on the sideline, as a leader, at least, until a microphone is in his hand.

Comments: madison.hricik@thegazette.com