STRecruiting: OL Brendan Hall says South Carolina continues to impress him after his most recent visit last weekend

2028 OL Brendan Hall of Charlotte made his first game-day visit of the season to USC last Saturday. And he brought his dad, former Spring Valley and Clemson offensive lineman Les Hall, with him. The elder Hall, of course, had been to Williams-Brice Stadium before, when he played for the Tigers.

“It’s been a minute since he’s been there, but he really enjoyed it,” Brendan Hall said. “Obviously, he’s not always going to have something nice to say about it, but he was impressed by the way it was rocking. He was having a good time. He always does, especially at football games.”

Was Hall able to get his dad to shout out at least one “Go Gamecocks?

“He unfortunately could not make himself do that,” Hall said with a chuckle.

As for his own takeaways from the visit, Hall said it could not have gone better for him.

“The visit was awesome,” Hall said. “Coach (Sam) Serbay has just done an outstanding job. He has contacted me every day. He stuck with me throughout the majority of the game. I spoke with Coach (Shane) Beamer. He was unbelievable. He had nothing but nice words. He greeted my family. We were all there for a couple of minutes, and it was right before the game. And for a head coach to make time for a player, that truly says something if a head coach can make time for you, even when it’s a big game. That definitely puts them ahead of other schools, I could say for sure. The atmosphere was amazing, obviously. Like my dad said, if we ain’t swaying, we ain’t playing. It was getting loud, and I loved it.”

South Carolina did not have its best offensive day against Texas A&M. The offensive line had more trouble than usual opening up running lanes. Hall, of course, kept an eye on those guys and their coaches, and wasn’t discouraged by what he witnessed.

“They were moving guys up front,” Hall said. “Every team’s got their ups and downs, but I saw a good bit of ups from them for sure. That last run from Sellers, even though he unfortunately hurt himself, he was untouched. It was a good pullback on his part, but I would still say the O-line moved everybody. At some points, Sellers looked pretty comfortable in the back. Coach Smooth (Jason Smith) and Coach (Randy) Clements have just done an outstanding job. Their resume, their history, that’s definitely somebody I want to be coached by. Just that history they have, that love of the game, It’s insane.”

Hall has always held the Gamecocks in high regard throughout his recruiting, despite the family ties to Clemson. This visit put them in an even stronger position with him.

“I don’t want to put any numbers out there right now, but they are for sure high-ranking right now,” Hall said. “They have done an outstanding job. They were the first school to send my parents mail. They were all handwritten from the staff. I mean, that truly shows that they care. Coach Serby has done an outstanding job. He’s messaging me every day. We do calls every Wednesday. They let me know that I’m a priority for sure. They are extremely high-ranking for me right now. As much as my dad doesn’t want to hear it, they are in my top couple, for sure.”

Hall said he will visit Georgia this Saturday for the Missouri game, take the next weekend off, then travel back to Clemson for the Palmetto Bowl. He, of course, has been to Clemson many times as a fan and a recruit. The Tigers are just as much in the picture as the Gamecocks are.

“I’ve always had a great connection with Coach (Matt) Luke and Coach (Carson ) Kramer,” Hall said. “They are probably some of the most genuine people I’ve ever been around. They’re awesome. They have helped my connection grow with Clemson for sure. They always have a place in my heart. But I’m not trying to be biased off of emotions. I’m trying to go based on the things I’m looking for in a school. And they have sent me mail. They’ve sent me messages. They text me once a week. They do great jobs.”

Hall added that NC State and Virginia are two others that have been pushing hard for him. Virginia Tech was also making a move with him for a while, though he said it’s been a little quiet with the Hokies of late.

Hall doesn’t have a date in mind for making a decision just yet, but he does have a plan for getting there.

“Once I’m finished taking all my game day visits, I’m going to get with my agents and we’re going to settle on junior day visits,” Hall said. “I’m going to release a top eight to 12 schools that I have the most interest in, take my official visits, and then hopefully drop a commitment right before my senior season starts.”