BYU football names Jaren Hall starting quarterback ahead of season opener against Arizona

BYU football offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick announced that sophomore Jaren Hall will start at quarterback for the Cougars against Arizona on Sept. 4 in Las Vegas.

“He’s done a great job during camp and earned the job,” Roderick said. “He had the fewest turnovers and most explosive plays during fall camp, and those two things matter a lot.”

Hall was part of a three-man quarterback battle during fall camp with fellow sophomore Baylor Romney and freshman Jacob Conover. Roderick said Romney is the backup as of now, with Conover as the third string.

“It’s exciting to follow in the footsteps of all the BYU quarterbacks before me,” Hall said after the announcement. “I am just looking forward to getting out there and doing the best I can.”

Roderick and head coach Kalani Sitake reiterated several times that “the decision was made on the field,” and the abundance of 11-on-11 scrimmaging gave coaches plenty of data to draw from in naming the starter.

Despite being just a sophomore in terms of eligibility, Hall is entering his fourth year in the BYU football program. He redshirted as a freshman in 2018, started two games in 2019 before a concussion ended his season. He sat out all of 2020 with a hip injury.

Now, after sitting behind No. 2 NFL draft pick Zach Wilson for three years, Hall is the week-one starter in Provo, while Wilson is the week-one starter for the New York Jets.

Roderick said he is not concerned about Hall being “injury-prone” and considers his previous setbacks to be “flukes.” Hall said he relies much less on his athleticism now than in previous years and has improved at reading the defense and making good decisions on the field.

The Spanish Fork native comes from a BYU family. Both his father Kalin and older brother KJ were running backs for the Cougars. Hall became the first African American to start a game as quarterback for BYU when he threw for one touchdown and ran in another against South Florida in 2019. He followed that up with two rushing touchdowns against Utah State, which was the last time he saw the field until this season.

Hall will lead the Cougars against the Arizona Wildcats on Sept. 4 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN at 8:30 MDT.