He's part-big brother, part-father figure, all-helper. He's the voice of reason, a soothing presence who seeks to understand the life of a modern student-athlete. He's an encourager, an example-setter and a friend.

He's Joe Hall Jr., the director of player development for USF football. Although Hall doesn't call plays, run practices or build workout routines, he serves a critical role in developing successful and productive players — on and off the field.

After a notable seven-year run as director of student-athlete development at Kansas State University, his alma mater, Hall was eager to join an on-the-rise USF football program and supplement the team-building work of head coach Brian Hartline. 

"It's the relationship that I have with the players, first and foremost,'' Hall said in explaining his priorities. "I support them in any aspect, whether it's academic, social, emotional, leadership, career trajectory … I'm the middleman for a lot of those things.''

That diverse support fits perfectly into Hartline's big-picture view.

"When you're a relationship-based person, you can see that (quality) in others,'' Hall said. "Coach Hartline's willingness to have relationships with the players, it's a natural thing with him. He stands out. He's articulate. He's charismatic. He's all of those things.

"I haven't been around too many 39-year-old (head) coaches, guys who were younger than me. He has great energy and recognizes the importance (of communication). As a former student-athlete and professional athlete himself, he recognizes the importance of having a connection with players. That's something I really appreciate.''

Hall, a former Kansas State running back who played parts of four seasons in the NFL, published a 2022 book ("Pay For Play: High Stake and Mental State'') that detailed the challenges faced by student-athletes of his era and how they intersect, mirror and differ from modern-landscape issues.

Many of today's challenges aren't different than the ones faced by a young Joe Hall. But the world has changed, so Hall said he believes today's young people need heightened skill-sets and perspective. Life has gotten awfully complicated.

"We had outside pressures in my day, but we didn't have social media,'' Hall said. "I put myself in the shoes (of current players) and I'm able to say, 'How would I feel if I had hundreds of thousands of fans judging me openly and I had access to that?' The microcosm of that would affect you terribly and that's what they're going through.

"Then there are the decisions they have to make because of their financial status. When I was in college, we were asking for an extra $300. Some of these guys now are making hundreds of thousands of dollars. So, you recognize these days that's it's a different game. All of that stuff just speeds (everything) up. This is the NFL (financially) years earlier now in terms of the worries and concerns they have, but these are young people who aren't prepared to deal with it. You want to help to educate them on making the right decisions and having people in their corner to support them.''

Hall, originally from Compton, Calif., said he thought he had all the answers as a young KSU student-athlete. 

"My problems were more maturity-based than anything,'' Hall said. "I had a great upbringing. But the first time I left California for Kansas and didn't have my dad's thumb on me, I made a lot of (poor) decisions, typical of a young person, without any idea of how they would affect me long-term. 

"It was nothing malicious. I wasn't out to hurt anyone. But I think I drove my parents crazy. You know what? Those things are normal. You just don't want to make catastrophic mistakes, where you don't get a second or third chance. The world (these days) can be unforgiving. We want to put our student-athletes in a position to understand that and foresee how they'll view things as they get older.''

Hall, the married father of four children, has a master's degree in counseling. He builds relationships casually, while looking for common ground and trust. Most of the help he provides comes across in everyday conversations.

"At Kansas State, our program was developmental, bringing in young guys and watching them leave as mature seniors after watching them come in as freshmen who had no clue what they were doing,'' Hall said. "The trajectory of our industry has changed quite a bit because you're not guaranteed to have a guy for four or five years anymore.

"But it's still the idea of having an impact in the short time that you have them, establishing a 40-year plan of being involved with these young men for the rest of their lives, being around for their weddings, the birth of their children, things like that. Kansas State allowed me to do that and that's my passion and purpose – to put down those kind of roots. I'm hopeful of having those kind of relationships at USF.''

Hall said his book often serves as an effective road map.

"The book was just aimed at the normalcy of making mistakes, the normalcy of struggling and questioning yourself and hopefully coming off the other end as an adult with the insight to be able to help and serve others,'' Hall said. "It draws parallels between what was happening then (when Hall was a student-athlete) and what is happening now.

"These days, a lot of people pick a side of 'these kids are entitled' or 'NIL has done this' or 'the transfer portal has done that.' And yes, it's different. It's a totally different game. The faster that we get, the quicker we get to the understanding that it's not the same game it once was. … But it's still about making good decisions, understanding the decisions that you do make and how it can affect you as a 45-year-old man, married with four children, like me. I'm still answering some of the questions I had as a 19-year-old. The young people today have even more things that can be (confusing). That's what I'm interested in. Hopefully, that's where I can help.''

 

–#GoBulls–