After standout defensive back Cooper DeJean went down with an injury in the first half of Iowa’s 2022 regular-season finale against rival Nebraska, head coach Kirk Ferentz was desperate for options.

He chose true freshman TJ Hall. A young but talented player, Hall primarily played on special teams during the season.

The Cornhuskers quickly took advantage of DeJean’s absence, scoring two touchdowns on Hall’s side of the field on the way to a 24-17 upset victory at Kinnick Stadium.

But instead of letting the disappointment sting, Hall used it as preparation and as an important lesson for how he can improve his game down the road.

“I use it as motivation sometimes,” Hall said. “So whenever I’m slacking or don’t want to get out of bed, I’m like, ‘Come on, TJ. You can’t let that happen again.’”

Hall might have learned this way of thinking from his father, Terrence Hall.

“I tell him all the time, it’s not a loss — it’s a lesson,” Terrence told The Daily Iowan. “Just take the lesson and go for it.”

After a year of growing in the system and fine-tuning his game in 2023, Hall was named a starting cornerback ahead of this season alongside Jermari Harris. Now, the third-year player looks to continue his production on the vaunted Iowa defense.

“I’m just trying to be the best player I can be each and every single day,” Hall said.

California love

Hailing from Fresno, California, Hall is the oldest child of Monique and Terrence Hall, a former standout wide receiver at Western Illinois in the early 2000s.

TJ’s full name is Terrence Javaughn Hall Jr., but his mother didn’t want to confuse her husband and her son all the time. They began calling their son TJ when he was born, and the name stuck.

Due to his family’s athletic background, Hall quickly discovered a passion and talent for athletics His father remembered Hall’s distinct devotion to sports from a young age.

“All the other kids were always focused on the pizza party or the snack after the game,” Terrence recalled. “I know he was thinking about that too, but he was always focused on winning and trying hard.”

Hall began playing football in third grade through a local Pop Warner league, bypassing flag football altogether, an uncommon path for young players.

The cornerback didn’t have much knowledge of the game of football as a youth, but he learned to play many offensive and defensive positions, including quarterback and linebacker. Absorbing knowledge while taking on tacklers was difficult for Hall to handle, but he made steady progress.

“He had his growing pains, but he was still learning the game,” Terrence said.

Despite his passion and instincts in football, Hall’s first love was baseball, a sport he began playing around the time he started his football career.

Hall could bat from both sides of the plate, a rare skill in professional baseball, let alone for a third grader. He often played center field, idolizing MLB superstars Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, and Rickey Henderson. Hall flashed a smile when describing the various catches he made on the diamond.

“That’s where he had his success at an early age,” Terrence said. “We used to always play catch, and he would just pick up the baseball bat and swing it.”

But football gradually took over as Hall’s primary sport. He continued to play baseball until high school, but he dropped the sport after his freshman season to focus on football. Even still, Hall continued to put his baseball skills to use on the football field.

“As far as ball skills, like center field, you have to track the ball,” Hall said. “I feel like playing multiple sports helps you with everything, with different types of movement, changing direction, ball skills. Sometimes I miss it, sometimes I don’t.”

Those skills would soon be put to the test as Hall prepared for high school.

Panther pride

Hall attended high school at San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno, a private Roman Catholic school located just north of downtown Fresno. The school has a rich history, with an alumni list that includes NBA players Robin and Brook Lopez and current U.S. congressman Jim Costa.

Hall played for the school’s football program from 2018-2021 under legendary head coach Anthony Goston, who served at the helm for two decades before retiring in 2023.

During his 20 seasons, Goston elevated a small Panthers program into a regional powerhouse, compiling 159 victories, three Central Section titles, and a trip to the Division-2A state championship game in 2018. His program has produced numerous college stars, including former Washington wideout Jalen McMillan and current Fresno State wide receiver Mac Dalena.

Hall began his high school career on the JV squad, but Goston and the rest of his coaching staff quickly recognized his talent and brought him up to the varsity team. Initially, he played wide receiver but soon began competing on both sides of the ball.

“He was young and wasn’t very big and was still trying to find himself, but I tell you what, his work ethic and his commitment and him working on his craft, he just got better and better,” Goston said.

 Terrence wasn’t surprised by this statement, adding TJ had goals at a young age.

Ask Hall his favorite moment during his high school career, and he’ll pivot toward an interception return for a touchdown on the first play of his junior season, a year that saw him grow into one of the leaders of the Panther team.

“He was playing corner for us, and no matter who we were playing or who we matched him up with, it was kind of like, ‘OK, he’s going to shut down that guy,’” Gaston said of Hall. “‘He’s gonna take away whoever their best guy is.’”

Hall became the focal point of the San Joaquin defense by his third season, and college recruiters began to take notice. Nearby Division I schools, including Oregon State, Washington, Arizona, and hometown Fresno State, were quick to offer.

Hall originally committed to Arizona in July 2021 but flipped his commitment to then-Pac-12 rival Washington.

“I didn’t really have a lot of offers at the time, and then Washington came into the picture,” Hall said. “And then I decided, you know, they usually have a good defensive back corps. So I was like, ‘I think I want to go to Washington.’”

His commitment to Washington seemed set in stone for a few months, but Big Ten schools Iowa and Michigan swooped in with offers that October. Hall took an official visit to Iowa City on Oct. 9,  2021, where he witnessed the 23-20 Iowa victory over No. 4 Penn State. The raucous atmosphere at Kinnick Stadium impressed Hall and his family.

“That was the game where everybody rushed the field,” Hall said. “So that kind of blew my mind. And I really started paying attention to Iowa and realized the kind of secondary they had, the type of coach [Iowa defensive coordinator] Phil Parker is, and I had no choice but to come here.”

“We had gone to other games, UCLA and local stuff, but the fans and attendance weren’t the same,” Terrence added. “They didn’t have the same passion for the team. So when he saw that, that was another big moment.”

In addition to Iowa’s strong history on defense, Hall cited his family’s connection to Don Patterson, who coached Terrence at Western Illinois and was a former offensive coordinator under legendary Iowa head coach Hayden Fry.

“I was very familiar with the program,” Terrence said. “So, I told him that the defense was big-time. So that was huge.”

Tough debut

Hall began his freshman season at Iowa primarily on special teams behind standouts DeJean, Harris, and Riley Moss.

The Hawkeyes suffered an up-and-down 2022 season, but had a chance to clinch a weak Big Ten West division with a victory over 3-8 Nebraska in the regular-season finale at Kinnick Stadium.

It seemed like an easy task, but DeJean was injured on the first series of the game after taking a brutal hit from a Cornhusker blocker. Ferentz and Parker turned to Hall, marking his first major playing time in a Hawkeye uniform.

Hall’s parents were in attendance that day, and his father recalled the experience.

“As parents, we didn’t really know what to expect,” Terrence said. “We were excited, looking forward to it.”  

Nebraska immediately recognized DeJean’s absence and targeted Hall on the first play. The result was an 87-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Casey Thompson to wide receiver Trey Palmer, stunning the Hawkeye faithful.

“I was shocked, but I knew that they would test him because I’ve been around football,” Terrence said. “We went from really excited to not very excited.”

Two drives later, Hall was beaten by Palmer yet again on an 18-yard post route that gave the Cornhuskers a 17-0 lead, ending Hall’s day and Iowa’s division title hopes. Palmer celebrated by dancing in the back of the end zone while Hall looked on for a moment before quietly jogging off the field.

“​​It was definitely a crazy experience,” Hall said. “I wish it didn’t go the way it did, but, you know, everything happens for a reason, and I feel like it was just another stepping stone that I had to go through.”

Hall would have to wait over a year for his next chance to start, but once it came, he would take full advantage.

 Resilience is key

Hall hoped to play a bigger role during his sophomore season in 2023, but a foot injury during practice sidelined him for the final eight games of the year.

Second-year cornerback John Nestor held a starting spot during the spring, but Hall earned the first-string role for this season after a solid fall camp.

“I feel like even going all the way back to spring ball, I felt like everything was starting to click in,” Hall said. “I felt like the game was starting to slow down for me.”

“I was happy for him because I knew he could do the work,” Terrence said. “ He was always putting in the work, but I knew he couldn’t work this summer and spring coming off an injury. I knew he was prepared for the opportunity.”

Hall’s first career start came in the season opener against Illinois State on Aug. 31. He was targeted twice to begin the game, but held his ground as the Hawkeyes rolled to a 40-0 victory.

“Yeah, it was kind of crazy. I was thinking about that play all week,” Hall said. 

 “I just saw someone who’s just been waiting his turn,” fifth-year linebacker Nick Jackson added. “We’re all excited. We’re all proud of him.”  

 During media availability before Iowa’s game against Iowa State, Hall reflected on his unconventional path to becoming a starter.  

 “I would just say a lot of hard work and preparation by myself, away from the team,” Hall said. “But it takes that extra preparation. So stuff like that just helped me get to the spot where I am.”

 Iowa wideout Jacob Gill has been on the receiving end of Hall’s improvement, often lining up against him in practice. A transfer from Northwestern, Gill is new to the team but took notice of Hall right away.

 “TJ is a great player,” Gill said. “He’s a great competitor. He’s just keyed in to all the little details and things like that. It’s awesome. It makes me better. Makes all the receivers better.”

 Hall has collected four tackles and one fumble recovery in Iowa’s first three games. He nearly had his first career interception in the loss against Iowa State on Sept. 7, but Cyclone wideout Jayden Higgins plucked the ball away for the touchdown. 

“Higgins is a great receiver,” Terrence said. “I thought [TJ] was going to make a game-changing play. He was right there. Next time.”

Hall’s most recent contest against Troy saw shades of the 2022 Nebraska game. Hall was assigned to guard the Trojans’ leading receiver, Devonte Ross, and the wideout flew past him for two long touchdowns. Both scores came on a classic double-route, where Ross faked a quick slant to the inside of the field and then quickly sprinted up the sideline to catch an easy touchdown.

Despite the tough setback, Hall remains a starter and his teammates are confident he will bounce back as Big Ten play begins. 

“I just told him to keep his head up and keep doing what you’re doing,” fifth-year safety Quinn Schulte said. “You can’t just hang your head on one play.” 

Fifth-year linebacker Jay Higgins admitted that it’s difficult to sympathize with Hall’s struggles considering their differences in position. Higgins said that as a linebacker, he can’t guard a receiver 60 yards downfield, but added that ultimately Hall is still a teammate and deserves support.

“We know he’s a competitor,” Higgins said.  “We know he’ll respond and we’re just excited to see what he does this week.” 

As Hall’s junior season with the Hawkeyes continues, his family and friends continue to praise him for his character and work ethic on and off the field. For them, Hall’s growth was inevitable. 

“I’ve been so proud of him and everything he has accomplished so far,” Terrence said.

“He’s grinded and he’s worked, and he’s put himself in position, because of that work, to be a valuable member of that defense and that team,” Goston said. “As his former coach, I’m excited and proud that he’s doing a lot of the same things at a higher level. I couldn’t be more proud and happy for him.”