The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1497536
MAY 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 7 Freshman running back Benjamin Hall (5-foot-11, 235 pounds) was overlooked on the recruit- ing trail but made his presence known during the public's first look at his skill set. The three-star winter enrollee (and No. 1040-ranked recruit nationally in 2023, per the On3 Consensus) from North Cobb (Ga.) High, finished the Michigan spring game with 13 carries for a game-high 96 yards and a touchdown. If not for his footing, he would have had another score. "I told him today he should have had two touchdowns but he fell twice," running backs coach Mike Hart said. "He stepped out of bounds once and tripped on the other one, but I just think that his maturity is amazing. You wouldn't guess he's 18 years old. It's like he's been here a long time. He works hard. He studies, and he understands the offense. He's just getting better and better every day. He's built like a grown man. His legs are huge. He runs hard. We are so excited about his future here." Hart, a former program legend in his own right, compared him favorably to a pair of past U-M power runners — Hassan Haskins (2018-21) and Kevin Grady (2005-09) — both of whom were extremely physical and hard to bring down. "He's Hassan-like — he's hard to tackle," Hart said. "His legs are just so thick. You look at him from the waist down, he's a big guy. I would probably compare him to the guys we've had here, to Hassan. Go back to Kevin Grady, if you want to go back in the day." Hall might not be a threat to take carries away from senior Blake Corum and junior Donovan Edwards this fall, but he has officially positioned himself as a player to watch moving forward. — Anthony Broome PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL THE BIG PICTURE BENJAMIN HALL HEADLINES SPRING GAME SURPRISES