Every time BYU football starting quarterback Jaren Hall throws a touchdown pass, tens of thousands of Cougar fans jump to their feet to rise and shout. But one fan stands out among the rest as the most loyal, strong and true — his wife Bre Hall, who is there for it all.
She recently shared her unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on family and football, from how she met Jaren to where they see their path heading in the future.
Past
Bre said she remembers exactly when she met Jaren: she was sitting in an ice cream shop with her friends when Jaren, freshly returned from a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, walked in with his family. They were introduced by mutual friends, but nothing happened for months.
Older by two years, Bre said she never thought she would be interested in a freshman, but after seeing a post of him on Instagram, Bre Hall reached out to a friend for Jaren's number.
Bre contacted Jaren, and after talking for a while, he asked her on a date and the rest was history.
'We were solid ever since then,' she said.
At the time, Bre was a fifth-year senior playing soccer at Utah Valley University. She began playing soccer at a young age and played all throughout high school. She won the state championship and from there, signed to play at the Division I level at UVU. She said her time as a collegiate athlete has helped her support Jaren.
Bre Hall tosses a soccer ball in their air while looking at the camera. Bre Hall played Division I soccer at UVU and now supports her husband, Jaren Hall, as college football player at BYU. (Photo courtesy of Bre Hall)
'It has helped me a lot with just being able to understand where Jaren is coming from,' she said. 'He deals with a ton on a day-to-day basis so I try to be an outlet for that.'
Bre Hall in her wedding dress and Jaren Hall in a suit stand in a field. The two were married in 2019. (Photo courtesy of Bre Hall)
Hollie Hall, Jaren's mom, shared the same observation. She said she sees Bre as being 'super patient' to deal with Jaren being gone a lot, but that they make it work because Bre understands what it is like to be a collegiate athlete and the time it takes.
Bre said after years of playing soccer and letting the stress of the game control her moods and attitude, she learned that college sports were not her identity.
She moved on from sports and focused on her family and said she now helps Jaren keep that perspective on not regretting focusing on things you cannot control.
With college sports comes 'the deepest lows, the highest highs, and just trying to stay grounded with all of it,' Bre said.
Present
Jaren became the starting quarterback in 2021 after Zac Wilson was drafted to the NFL to play for the New York Jets. Since then, he has become a draft prospect, but Cougar fans revere him for his character.
A recent viral post of him showed him embracing the team kicker, Jake Oldroyd, after missing two field goals during a game against Baylor. A week later, social media posts showed Jaren staying 40 minutes after a game to sign autographs and take pictures.
Leadership. pic.twitter.com/9EPff7DsY4
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) September 11, 2022
It’s 12:39 a.m.
Tonight’s game ended 40+ minutes ago.
Jaren Hall just left the field.
Signed every autograph, took every selfie.
Don’t take him for granted, Cougar Nation. pic.twitter.com/zYLWVtigCZ
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) September 25, 2022
Bre said she is not surprised those moments have been cherished by fans.
'I knew his character would kind of shine through at some time,' she said. 'He’s always been a great guy, but it’s been awesome to see who he is shine through and not just his football abilities ... because at the end of the day that’s all I care about.”
While Jaren trains for football, Bre said she spends her days with their one-year-old girl, Jada.
After Jaren spends his mornings training or studying, Bre said she wakes up and works out while Jaren watches Jada, coming home around 11:00 a.m. to which Jaren leaves and does not return home until 6:00 p.m.
During football season, Bre said she struggles with missing Jaren while he is gone. She and Jada try to keep busy by going to parks or hanging out with friends and family. She said they try to keep in mind that the season is only a few months long.
Bre said that football is different for Jaren because he has a family. “Obviously he loves football, but his end goal is just to kind of make a life great for all of us and make us happy,” she said.
From the intense hours day after day at practice and workouts, to traveling every other week for games, to the media attention, the players juggle a lot trying to balance that with family and school. “They deal with a lot and they have a lot of pressure and I think as a wife it’s really important to be able to help carry that with them because they can’t carry that by themselves,” Bre shared.
Jaren talked about how Bre has helped support him through the busy schedule. 'She pushes me to want to be better not just in football, but in all aspects of my life. She’s my rock through all the highs and lows,' he said.
Bre and Jaren Hall pose for a picture with their daughter, Jada, after a football game. Bre Hall supports Jaren through the intense hours of college football. (Photo courtesy of Bre Hall)
Future
As the 2022 football season heads into its final weeks of games before bowl games, Bre said they try to stay present, but are also looking ahead to the future. “NFL is what Jaren's goal is and we’ll see how that goes, but I guess I've never really even looked ahead and been like oh, we're going to be in the NFL, like my mind can't picture that almost,” she said.
With both of their families in Utah and living here for almost 10 years now, Bre said it is hard to imagine being anywhere else. She said in the next few years they hope the NFL will work out. From there they will do a lot of back and forth between wherever that takes them and home to their families in Utah.
“It’s important to be there for him, but also to make him have a different perspective on things and see that (football) isn’t everything and there’s more to it,” Bre said.