Brandon Hall - Football Coach - Troy University Athletics

Brandon Hall

Title:
Outside Linebackers / Special Teams
Email:
brandonhall@troy.edu
Phone:
3682

Brandon Hall, a 20-year coaching veteran, begins his third season as Troy’s defensive coordinator and fourth overall season with the Trojans. Hall coached Troy’s outside linebackers and served as special teams coordinator in his first year with the program.

Troy’s defense posted one of the best turnarounds in the nation in 2020 as Hall had a full roster of players at his disposal following a 2019 season that saw the Troy defense decimated by injuries.

The Trojans improved 63 spots nationally in scoring defense from 2019 to 2020 and 38 spots in total defense. Troy led the country with four defensive scores and the Trojans finished the season ranked as the nation’s No. 15 defense per PFF. Troy ended the season holding four of its final six opponents to 20 points of fewer.

No player in the country has more tackles than linebacker Carlton Martial the last two seasons as the rising junior finished the 2020 season with 113 stops – tied for the most in the country – after recording 126 tackles in 2019. Martial was ranked as the No. 35 player in the country and as an All-American by Pro Football Focus in 2019 and became just the 12th player in the last 20 years to finish a season with 100 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and three interceptions on his way to All-America honors while true freshman safety Dell Pettus was named a Freshman All-American.

Hall's first season at Troy saw the Trojans rank third nationally in turnovers gained, 10^thin sacks and 16^thin tackles for loss. A league-high 12 defensive players were named to the All-Sun Belt Team following the 2018 season with a trio of first team selections. Additionally, Troy had one of the top special teams units in the country ranking fourth in net punting and ninth in kickoff returns.

The Trojans finished the 2018 season with a 10-3 overall record and defeated Buffalo in the Dollar General Bowl. Troy ranked 31^stnationally in total defense with just 347.9 yards allowed per game and led the Sun Belt in red zone defense by holding opponents to points just 77.3 percent of the time.

Hall joined Troy’s staff coming off a four-year stint as the co-defensive coordinator at Jacksonville State where he also coached the Gamecocks' safeties. In his four seasons at JSU, the Gamecocks rolled off a perfect 31-0 mark in Ohio Valley Conference play, won four conference titles and posted a 43-8 overall record.

Jacksonville State's defense ranked in the top 20 nationally in each of Hall's four seasons, including a pair of top-five units his last two seasons with the program. In 2017, Jacksonville State finished second nationally allowing just 239.6 yards per game and first allowing 3.84 yards per play, while in 2016 Jacksonville State ranked fourth nationally allowing 274.9 yards per game.

The Gamecocks earned a top-three seed in the FCS Playoffs in each of Hall's four seasons including as the No. 1 seed in the 2015 playoffs. Jacksonville State did not lose a regular season game to an FCS opponent during Hall's tenure with the program.

Jacksonville State defensive end Darius Jackson, a two-time All-American, received the top defensive honor for an FCS player as he was named the Buck Buchanan Award winner following the 2017 season. Additionally, Jackson was twice named the Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Additionally, safety Marlon Bridges flourished under Hall's coaching. The 2016 OVC Freshman of the Year, Bridges has a pair of All-America honors on his resume just two years into his collegiate career.

Hall, who served as the safeties coach under Gus Malzahn at Arkansas State in 2012, followed Malzahn to Auburn as a defensive assistant in 2013 and helped the Tigers advance to the FBS National Championship game against Florida State.

While at Arkansas State in 2012, the Red Wolves won the Sun Belt Conference Championship for the second straight year, including winning the final eight games of the season.

Prior to his year at Arkansas State, Hall completed his second stint as defensive assistant at Oklahoma. Before his second stop at OU, he also served as the co-defensive coordinator at Central Oklahoma, the defensive coordinator at Broken Arrow (Okla.) High School, the linebackers coach at Northern Iowa and he began his coaching career as a defensive graduate assistant coach with the Sooners.

He rejoined the Sooners after working as an assistant coach at Central Oklahoma the previous three seasons. Hall served on the coaching staff in a different capacity each year at UCO, including co-defensive coordinator, linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator.

Hall went to UCO after spending the 2007 season as an assistant coach at Broken Arrow, where he was in charge of linebackers and helped the Tigers to the state playoffs. The season prior he served as linebackers coach at Northern Iowa, helping lead the Panthers to a 7-4 record in 2006.

Hall started his coaching career as a student assistant coach at Oklahoma from 1998-2000. He then worked three seasons as a graduate assistant with the Sooners, coaching linebackers. He joined the OU staff as a full-time defensive assistant for quality control in 2003 and served in that capacity for an additional three years.

During Hall's tenure at Oklahoma, the Sooners won the 2000 national championship with a perfect 13-0 record and played in two additional national championship games. Oklahoma also posted a 78-14 record during Hall's seven seasons at the school and claimed victories in the Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Rose Bowl, Holiday Bowl and Insight.com Bowl.

A native of Newcastle, Okla., Hall earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Oklahoma. He is married to the former Crystal Latham of Tuttle, Okla., and the couple has two daughters, Maddie and Charlee Kate, and one son, Will.