At just past 9 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, Auburn will take center stage at 2022 SEC Media Days. There will be a lot of questions lobbed at the Tigers, considering the headlines coming out of the program since they last took a snap. Reporters have been waiting since February to get a chance to ask about the controversy, the coup that surrounded Bryan Harsin and the fallout from it. The lights will seem bright; the room crowded as queries are continually lobbed their way. It won’t be the easiest of mornings.
Luckily for Auburn, much like on third-and-long, Derick Hall will be there and ready to show why he was the easiest choice for Harsin as a representative.
If there was ever a player who seemed more like a coach, it is the EDGE rusher from Gulfport, Miss. Hall’s play and stats – 54 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for a loss, nine sacks, and two forced fumbles – stand out, but it is the leadership you see when watching him and his position group practice showcases why he is so valuable to his team.
A younger guy screws up a drill? Derick will show him how to do it properly and then make that player do it again until he gets it right. And, on the few times he’s not happy with how he ran a drill, you can guarantee he’s doing it immediately again. A perfectionist, if you want, a man that expects nothing but maximum effort and attention from himself and everyone around him.
He’s also become a “Mr. Auburn,” showing up at other sporting events to show his support. His presence in The Jungle at basketball games this season was evident, the 6-foot-3, 256-pound Hall chirping away at opponents who wouldn’t dare talk back if they were lining up at quarterback and didn’t have a scorer’s table between them. Sometimes shirtless and showing off the physique of every “after” picture in infomercials trying to sell you the next great workout equipment, the basketball Tigers flooded to him after big wins and made sure to thank him for both being there and, most likely, intimidating opponents.
Those are not things a star player who will likely make millions playing professional football has to do. Roc Bellantoni, who took over as Hall’s position coach this offseason, can’t speak more highly of the man. And, the respect Hall shows doesn’t just stick to those who decide his playing time. He’s acquired the nickname “Lil’ Roy” due to his relationship with Roy Parker, an athletic department mainstay and someone who seemingly knows everyone that’s ever been through Auburn. Parker is so fond of Hall that when I told him I was writing this, he reminded me for the umpteenth time to mention that fact.
There’s a maturity about Hall that is way beyond where any college student should be. He handles his business on and off the field, never wavering from his goals and making excuses when things don’t exactly go his way. That’s going to come in handy on Thursday when questions about low expectations, Harsin’s job security, the five-game losing streak to end last season and every other interrogation into the Auburn program is broached. It won’t be a moment for the weak, and every word, sense of tone and inflection of the answers given will be scrutinized.
That happens when you represent a program at SEC Media Days, an event that has somehow become bigger every year. Hall has trained for this, putting the success of the Tigers’ defense (and likely team) on his broad shoulders every practice, every drill and every snap.
Lil’ Roy is ready for his moment.
