Huskies Receive Commitment from Fresno DB, Flipping Him from Arizona

A day after tight end Ryan Otton picked the UW, defensive back TJ Hall gave his commitment and will join him.

The Washington Huskies have received a commitment from defensive back TJ Hall, Jr. from Fresno, California, which means they flipped the 3-star recruit from an Arizona pledge that stood for all of 13 days.

The Wildcats gave the 6-foot-2, 175-pound safety and cornerback his first Power Five offer back in February, but then his recruitment really picked up. Oregon State offered him next. Colorado did, too. And then the Huskies. 

"Hall had an eye-opening weekend at The Opening Finals football camp in early July," Husky Maven recruiting analyst Trevor Mueller said, citing a California event.  "His star has been rising ever since. He compares favorably to Richard Sherman at this stage in his career."

Sherman likewise was a mid-level 3-star defensive back, filling out to 6-foot-3 and 167 pounds at the time, when he emerged from Dominquez High School in Compton, California, and accepted a scholarship from Stanford before heading to the NFL. 

A offer from the Huskies on July 28 made Hall reconsider his decision and he decommitted from Arizona. According to his Twitter account, he's firm in his new direction.

Hall's commitment comes a day following a scholarship pledge from 4-star tight end Ryan Otton, Husky Cade Otton's younger brother from Tumwater, Washington.

"Hall is a rangy defender who plays aggressive in press coverage despite giving up a few pounds to many receivers," Mueller said. "He uses his long arms to continually deny receivers the ball even when he appears beaten on a route."

The Fresno product is the first defensive-back commit for the 2022 recruiting class and the 10th overall for Washington. 

After taking just 15 players for the class of 2021 last December, the Huskies are expected to sign a small class again this time, maybe matching that number.  

Husky Maven recruiting analyst Trevor Mueller sizes up Hall's game here.