Nikolas Hall appreciates sincerity, family atmosphere vibe on ASU visit
The shiny facilities will always be on display during a recruit’s encounter with the school that is pursuing him. But what’s actually inside those walls, in terms of the personality makeup of the individuals a prospect will personally interact with is what usually distinguishes one program from another.
It’s an aspect that didn’t go unnoticed by Austin, Tex. offensive lineman Nikolas Hall who took a trip to Tempe over the weekend.
“It was a really good visit,” Hall said. “100 percent the visit went above and beyond my expectations. I like how the whole campus is spread out, and everything isn’t on top of each other. I liked hanging out with the players; I liked how real the coaching staff is and the area where the school is at. I talked the most to (offensive line) coach Cavanaugh. I really like how he's more like a family guy than a football guy. I can tell that he’s a really good coach, but I can also tell he’s a really good person, too. So it's good seeing that he has two sides, not just football.
“Coach Cavanaugh loves my athleticism, length, and how I use my legs. He said he sees me more at tackle. I like how in their (ASU’s) system, they teach it all and said they’re getting players ready so they can play in the NFL. So, they do RPO’s and everything. And they said they're crazy on technique, which I really like.”
Hall said that he interacted with a lot of current players during his time in Tempe, and mostly with his fellow Texan offensive lineman, LaDarius Henderson.
“He told me that what you see now is what you get,” Hall remarked. “He said there's no switching up. Of course, they're gonna coach you hard, but they're also going to love you hard, and they're gonna look out for you.”
And that was a sentiment he certainly felt with head coach Herm Edwards as well.
“He just kept it real with me,” Hall said of his conversation with him. “He said if I go here, I can be a man. He told me some stories about some players not being ready to come out of college, but they learn real quick. That’s what I like about coach Herm; he gets you ready for real life.”
The offensive lineman said that he was impressed the most how a stigma associated with Arizona State turned out to be untrue, and it was a factor that he undoubtedly appreciated.
“I heard Arizona State's a party school, and I learned (on my visit) that it wasn't like that,” Hall noted. “And I really like that because I'm like, let me get to college, get my degree and get out. Not really like a ‘let’s have fun’ like that. So I really like that Arizona State isn’t a party school, and I guess the rumors aren’t true.”
With a formidable welcoming environment, could Hall see himself joining the ranks at ASU?
“Yes. 100 percent,” he replied. “The other recruits on the visit were cool. I’ve been on past visits where I didn’t like the other recruits like that. But these recruits I really clicked with. We all were talking last night and the night before. The (current) players I got along with a lot easier than I thought I would. They didn’t feel like they needed to try to make an impression on me, they're all cool, and they all took me in easy. So, I definitely feel like if I went to Arizona State, I would definitely be taken care of on and off the field.”
Hall visited Colorado last week and has official trips to Oklahoma State on the 16th and Kentucky on the 25th to 27th. The lineman is undecided on his fifth and last official visit but does plan to unofficially visit West Virginia.
“I thought I was going to commit later in the year, like in October,” Hall stated. “But I think I’m going to do it earlier, like, next month. I’m going to look at the schools and how that coaching staff interacts with each other and how the players interact with each other and interact with us. I just want to see how cool everybody is with each other and if there is a family atmosphere.
“But I also want to see how seriously they take football because around here (at ASU), they take it very seriously.”
(Gabe Swartz contributed to this article)
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