It’s About ‘Trusting The Process’ For Utah Football’s New LB Johnathan Hall

SALT LAKE CITY – As Utah Football prepares for its Saturday showdown with the Oklahoma State Cowboys, preparing the defense for a tough test is a big focus this week.

Without veteran linebacker Karene Reid, it will be on the entire defense to raise their level of play. However, converted safety Johnathan Hall has made the move to linebacker and could see an increased role due to his promising outlook.

Utah Football opens #Big12 conference play against No. 14 Oklahoma State on Saturday. Here is how you can watch, stream, and listen to stay caught up with all the action!#Big12FB #GoUtes #CFB https://t.co/NdpVr64rcE

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At first, the position change wasn’t an opportunity that Hall jumped at.  But after careful consideration, he bought into an old mantra of the program and is already seeing positive dividends.

Johnathan Hall’s move to linebacker is all about an old Utah Football mantra, trusting the process

For Hall, this is his second year in the program. He joined Utah as a safety and had been competing for a bigger role the past two seasons but playing time has been hard to come by. As fall camp approached its conclusion a couple of weeks ago, coaches approached him about making a move.

“Coach Whittingham and I talked at first about it, and I won’t lie there was a lot of doubt at first, I wasn’t sure about it,” Hall described. “He told me he feels it’s the best for me in the long run, and said I can be a really good player at this position but I just wasn’t sure.”

After he played safety at a rather high level throughout his prep career, that hesitancy is understandable. However, Hall has bought into an old mantra of the program which has helped him in the transition.

“After thinking long about it, I said I’m just going to trust the process, and just keep going,” Hall said. “Last week, just trusting the process, I’ve been making more plays, and I’ve been loving it so far.”

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Hall’s new role for Utah Football hasn’t impacted his mindset

“It felt amazing being back on the field,” Hall said of last Saturday’s game.  “I don’t really know how to describe how it feels exactly, I just love flying around,  and making plays.”

Despite the lack of playing time the past two seasons, Hall’s mindset hasn’t been affected in the slightest.

“I’ve always been used to making plays, like if I don’t make the play, I’m upset,” Hall described. “That’s just my mindset, I’m mad if I’m not flying around, making plays, and doing all I can to help my team out.”

“Saw some good stuff, especially from Jonno. I think he had 37 snaps- really was productive, he’s a very sure tackler. He’s a guy that once he gets his hands on you, it’s over, he can tackle as good as anyone we’ve got.” – Coach Whittingham on Johnathan Hall’s performance vs USU

RELATED: Top Five Takeaways From Utah Football’s Kyle Whittingham Week Three Press Conference

Against Utah State, Hall finished third on the team in tackles with 5, which included a tackle for loss, and another for no gain. He displayed really promising athleticism, tenacity, and want-to in his new role.

His That process includes a lot of time with Coach Swan

“Coach Swan, he’s been helping me a lot, every day, two or three times a day we be in the film room,” Hall described. “He was really the main guy that recruited me here, so I had that relationship with him, and we’re just in the film room all the time now.”

Hall is often one of the last players off the field at practice. He spends a lot of extra time with other linebackers and coaches working on finer points of the position. That speaks to his mentality and the way he’s embraced the opportunity.

“I’mma put my all into it this year, I love it here,” he said. “I’m just going to keep going, keep trying to make plays, keep trusting Coach Whitt, Coach Scalley, and Coach Swan, and just see how far it takes me.”

Utah Football Schedule

Utah will hit the road for their first conference game against No. 14 Oklahoma State.  You can find Utah football’s conference schedule here.

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts The Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to break down the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

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