Joined by his mom Emily (right), Southern Wayne senior Tyrick Hall signed a letter-of-intent to play football next fall at NC A&T State University in Greensboro. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
DUDLEY — Tyrick Hall fulfilled a lifelong dream.
His aspirations started with the Mount Olive Hurricanes.
Then came middle school.
Four years later, the Southern Wayne lineman is headed to the next level after he signed a national letter-of-intent with NC A&T State University.
“I’ve been waiting for this day … a dream come true, honestly,” Hall said.
Hall described himself as “chunky” in his formative years.
Once he hit a growth spurt, coaches at different levels began helping Hall refine his skills. Though he resembles a gentle giant, the 6-foot-2, 285-pounder displayed a tenacity on both sides of the ball.
He helped guide the Saints to back-to-back, three-win seasons as a junior and senior under two different head coaches.
Hall described his high school journey as “an interesting road.”
“With the change of coaches, the different cultures, the different systems, different plays, the whole process of learning everything back again, it’s really been a mental game,” Hall said.
And a teaching tool, too.
From the opening day of practice last August, Hall found himself taking on a coaching role with younger players. He led by example during daily on-field practices, Friday night games and inside the classroom.
Not surprisingly, Hall gained respect among his peers.
“He’s been a dream since the moment I got this job at Southern Wayne,” said head coach Matt Hine. “He was the first one to start working at about this time last winter. I already knew about him because I had a year with him as defensive coordinator.
“He shows up to play and his highlights take care of themselves. He’s such a good football player, but there’s more to him in terms of being a great person, a great student, a great leader [with] great character.”
Hall joins a prestigious HBCU program.
The Aggies have won seven HBCU national championships, the latest in 2018. The school joined the Big South Conference in 2021 and moved into the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in 2022.
NC A&T will play a 12-game regular-season schedule for the first time since 2008. On the docket is the season opener at Wake Forest, contests against HBCU rivals Winston-Salem State and NC Central, and a solid dose of CAA foes.
Hall eagerly awaits the challenge.
He doesn’t mind putting his nose down and grinding against a better, stronger opponent — which he will face in practice and every Saturday afternoon during the fall.
“I think they view him as somebody they’re going to use on the interior defensive line as a ‘three-technique’,” Hine said. “When coaches watched his film, they loved how he used his hands and loved how physical and strong he was at the point of attack as a defensive lineman.
“He’s got all the skills to succeed at the next level.”
Hall has maintained a 3.0 grade-point average in the classroom.
His academic success stems from his mom, Emily, who constantly pushes him to work hard. He plans to major in computer science and work with a high-tech company in programming.
“It’s going to be a good spot for me,” Hall said.
