Harlan football star Aidan Hall's speed, versatility gets attention from Iowa, Iowa State
Alyssa HertelHARLAN — Harlan traveled to Knoxville last Friday for the Cyclones regular season finale, and they did not disappoint those who had traveled two-plus hours to see their team cap their undefeated 2021 regular season.
Junior Cyclones’ star Aidan Hall delivered early, scoring his first of two touchdowns within the first three minutes of the game. He picked up 14 of Harlan’s 76 points in the Cyclones' shutout of Knoxville, which is actually a relatively low-scoring night for one of Harlan’s top players.
Hall is the No. 12 prospect in Iowa for the 2023 class by the Des Moines Register. The 6-2, 200-pound athlete — wide receiver and safety, and currently running back — is one of Harlan’s best two-way players and boasts impressive stats on both offense and defense.
“He brings a lot of speed, there’s no doubt about that,” Harlan head coach Todd Bladt said. “He’s an explosive playmaker, great kid, great person. He’ll easily suit up anywhere he goes and be a good addition to them. He’s a heck of a player but a great person. He’s a genuine one, so he’s a good player to get.”
Through the Cyclones undefeated regular season, Hall led the team in rushing with 554 yards on 52 carries and 13 touchdowns. His rushing stats included a career-high 70-yard run. He recorded the third-highest stats of Harlan’s receiving corps, with 494 yards and 6 touchdowns on 19 receptions.
On defense, Hall is credited with 16.5 tackles this season, 15 of which are solo, and one interception for 10 yards.
Hall is confident, because of these stats and other metrics, that he can not only play but succeed at the next level.
“I have the numbers for it, I guess,” Hall told the Register on Friday. “My 40 time is pretty good and a decent vertical. I can play a lot of positions. Right now, I’m playing running back because that’s what my teammates need from me. But I can play, receiver, safety.”
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Hall doesn’t have any offers yet, but he’s talked to interested coaches from Iowa, Iowa State, North Dakota State, South Dakota and Northern Illinois. He has his eyes on the two in-state programs expressing interest in his abilities and could follow Harlan teammate Will McLaughlin to Iowa State.
He visited Ames for the Cyclones games against UNI and Kansas, and traveled to Iowa City for the Iowa vs. Penn State game on October 9.
“It was a crazy atmosphere up there, and I really liked it,” Hall said, one of dozens of recruits in attendance for Iowa victory over Penn State. “It’s cool because you can kind of share with each other (recruits) your knowledge and you can see their perspective. It can help you out a lot.”
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His versatility between positions will come in handy once his junior season is over and recruitment heats up even more. Hall is currently helping Harlan make a run for the Class 3A state title, but once the season ends, it’s all about recruitment — at least once basketball season wraps up.
“I’m going to go to the Iowa camp (next year), and I think I’m going to go as a defensive back, and then just see what happens,” Hall said. “I’m sure I’ll go to other camps and hopefully I can get an offer somewhere.”
Alyssa Hertel is a college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.