“It was tough to watch and miss,” Hall told ESPN.com. “I played in two and a half games or something. I was happy for my team, but I just wanted to be out there so bad.”
The running back figured to be out there a lot for Ohio State after the team completed spring practice last April. New head coach Urban Meyer singled out Hall as one of few bright spots for an offense he called a “clown show.” But Hall’s fortunes turned in late June, when he cut his foot on a broken glass bottle strewn in the front yard of his residence.
The “freak accident” set off a series of setbacks for Hall, the Buckeyes’ likely starting running back before his injury. After undergoing surgery, missing preseason camp and the first two games, Hall returned in Week 3 against Cal but suffered a partial tear of his PCL two weeks later at Michigan State. He sat out the rest of the season and received a medical hardship. This spring, the coaches moved Hall to the slotback role where Percy Harvin had shined in Meyer’s spread offense, and Hall had a strong start to the session before being slowed by a hamstring injury.
“I just want to get out there,” Hall said. “I had to miss a lot of time.”
Hall is back to full strength this summer and looks forward to going through a full preseason in the offense. The slotback role is similar to what Hall played in high school, when he teamed with former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor in Jeannette, Pa.
Hall also has slimmed down 10-12 pounds from his 2012 playing weight and checks in at 191 pounds, the lightest he has been since high school.
“I feel a lot better in and out of my cuts,” said Hall, who had 653 rush yards, 197 receiving yards and 1,494 return yards in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. “Top-end and everything, it just feels better. I feel like I’m hitting a gear I never really hit before. I’m 100 percent healthy, so I feel like I’m ready to go.”
Ohio State took no chances with Hall after the hamstring injury this spring, and Hall admits he wasn’t completely ready when he returned to the field last season.
Continue reading this article at ESPN: Buckeyes’ Jordan Hall gets back to business
