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Les Hall was one of the state’s top high school football recruits at Spring Valley High School in the late 1980s. He signed with Clemson and played for the Tigers from 1988-1992. Now, his son, Brendan Hall (6-7, 310) of Charlotte, is following a similar path and is considered a high-level prospect for the 2028 class.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is not one to let a legacy recruit slip through his fingers, and in mid-June, he and offensive line coach Matt Luke made Hall one of their early offers for the ’28 class.
“Clemson holds a special place in my heart,” Hall said. I’ve been going there ever since I was a little boy watching football games. As a young boy, you idolize your dad, so you always want to follow in his footsteps. I’ve been going to camps every year since they allowed it, even during COVID. But they have been treating me wonderfully. Meeting Coach Luke and Coach (Carson) Cramerm just awesome people. Not just coaches, but great people. Also, Coach (Lonnie) Galloway was the one who first called me about going to that Clemson spring retreat visit day, and that was kind of how I started talking to Clemson recruiting-wise.”
Hall worked out for Luke at the Clemson camp, so he got a good dose of his coaching style.
“Obviously, one thing, his saying, don’t be a but guy, be an and guy, so I’ve definitely taken that to heart,” Hall said. “Everyone writing articles, they always say, what does Coach Luke talk about the most? And I tell him, be an and guy, not a but guy. So, he definitely sees that in me, which I don’t have words for that. Obviously, knowing where I come from, Clemson, big, big deal for me.”
Despite that close relationship with Clemson, Hall is not rubber-stamping his recruitment. He is seriously looking at other programs.
“I always look at every school open-minded. I’m never biased,” Hall said. “I always love to see what a school has to offer. A lot of these schools, they have the same facilities. It’s just the people. It’s the relationships. It’s the brotherhood that you form. That’s really what makes a school special. And that’s why it’s not about the money. It’s not about how nice things are, because a lot of these schools have all the proper facilities. It’s the people and relationships. I’ve never been biased. Number one, it’s always an honor to receive an offer, right? And I’m going to be taking that to the full extent. If I go to a game or a visit, I’m always going to go in open-minded. And even my dad said, I don’t want you going to Clemson just because I went there. I want you to go because you truly love it there.”
One of those contending with the Tigers is South Carolina. Gamecock offensive line coach Randy Clements offered Hall about a month ahead of the Tigers, and he’s gone full bore in on him.
“South Carolina said I’m a priority. They are extremely interested in me, and they have shown it,” Hall said. “They have allowed me to tour their facilities, come to a game and hopefully more. And I’ve made really good connections, especially with Coach (Sam) Serby. He’s been a huge help. He’s been my go-to guy if I have any questions. They’ve been making my family feel incredibly welcome and just super special.”
Clements and his assistant, Jason Smith, are building their relationships with Hall, and they’re not letting that Clemson legacy thing with Hall deter them.
“Coach Clements came to my school, and that’s when they offered me. And that’s when I really first met him. And just by looking at him, I could tell he knows his stuff,” Hall said. “He knows the real deal. His coaching portfolio is like what coaches dream of. It’s very professional. And seeing him coach along with Coach Smooth (Smith), seeing that he developed him, that’s a coaching staff’s dream right there. Both of them know what they’re talking about. They’re both very enthusiastic about coaching. They’re professionals. They act like professionals. They know what they’re talking about. They get straight to the point. They’re not scared of telling you how you’re doing it wrong. They’re not scared to send you back. They hold themselves to another level, which is awesome.”
Hall is in the process of figuring out which games he will go to this season. He’s also working on getting down to a list of four or five schools. Clemson and USC appear to have their spots secured.
“Those two have been up there for the longest time,” Hall said. “South Carolina was definitely one of the first ones to be on that list just because of my talks with Coach Serby. They’ve definitely made it known that I would make a big impact. They have definitely made that point at South Carolina. And obviously, just being a Clemson fan and going to camps and just loving the school, it’s definitely been up there.
There are some others which have caught Hall’s attention as well.
“Definitely Virginia Tech. I’ve been up there for a camp and for a visit,” Hall said. “The coaches are some of the nicest people ever. Coach (James) Franklin, he’s a real deal, which I love. I want a coach who’s straight to the point and doesn’t beat around the bush. Just tell me straight up. He did that, and sure enough, he called a kid out of camp, which I thought was awesome. A lot of coaches do that, but they don’t do it; they don’t make it an impact statement. Coach Franklin sat this kid up and was like, listen, you’re being disrespectful right now. You’re doing this, and this. And he embarrassed him. I love that for my coach. So definitely them. Tennessee, I’ve been talking to, and they’ve been awesome. I think I’m headed up for the Tennessee-Texas game, which I’m pumped for. Like all the O-line coaches, assistants have been reaching out and calling me and introducing themselves, which is awesome. Georgia Tech actually came recently, a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been speaking with Coach (Brandon) Torrey. He’s another awesome guy, and knowing that their head coach is an O-line guy, you don’t get that a lot, especially at colleges. And just him speaking about the coach’s experience over there, I was like, wow, you definitely are up there.”
Hall has also landed offers from Virginia, NC State, Duke, Appalachian State, Texas A&M, Missouri, Maryland, Wake Forest, East Carolina and Kentucky.
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