On his way to becoming the winningest quarterback in BYU history, Max Hall learned a thing or two about how to excel, and it all started with the first practice of fall camp.
“It was a lot of fun. Outside of the conditioning testing, it was a lot of fun,” Hall said on the “Y's Guys” podcast. “Just the feeling that football was about to start, the two practices a day, being in the film room the whole time, I just enjoyed the practices. I knew it was time to get ready for the season and get not only myself but the team ready and on the same page. It was really fun.”
BYU opens fall camp next week ahead of its second season in the Big 12 Conference, and unlike Hall's three 32-win seasons from 2007-09, the Cougars start this year with uncertainty at quarterback.
Third-year player Jake Retzlaff, who started the final four games in 2023, and graduate transfer Jerry Bohannon will compete for the starting spot, with Hall indicating he will make a decision soon.
“I always think that once we have a starting quarterback, we need to give him 90 percent of the practice time in camp so he's comfortable playing in the offense,” he said. “It'll be interesting to see how BYU handles it. With more practice sessions, the game slows down and reads start to open up, but that only happens with the experience of getting practice.”
Hall is the offensive coordinator at ALA-Queen Creek in Arizona, where he's in the middle of a quarterback battle, and while the level of competition may be different, the process of finding a starting point guard is the same.
“First, I'm going to play the guys that I have the most confidence in,” he said, “and secondly, when the play call isn't perfect or things go wrong, I want to play the guys that can turn a negative into a positive and make the play or make the right decision in those moments.”
What's most important, Hall said, is what the rest of the players are doing.
“You watch the team. You watch how they respond to the quarterback. You watch how the quarterback interacts with the receivers and the offensive line. You watch what kind of energy that quarterback brings to the team,” Hall said. “Does it feel different when you have one quarterback? Sure, you can count the number of completed passes and all that, but at the end of the day, you want the right energy, the right enthusiasm and players that are going to give your team the best chance to win. Continuity on the team is important.”
Run the ball
Regardless of who wins the quarterback spot, for him to be successful, BYU will need to play the run better than it did last season.
Hall believes the hiring of new offensive line coach/running game coordinator TJ Woods and tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride is a step in the right direction.
“I like what I see, I like what they're emphasizing,” Hall said. “I think Aaron Roderick is a great offensive coordinator, but his offense runs when he can run the ball, and that's what this offense needs most. I'm sure he'll say the same thing.”
The Cougars averaged just 3.5 yards per carry during last year's 5-7 season.
“If they can find a running back that works well with the offensive line and the new coach and things go well, BYU could have a very explosive offense this year,” Hall said, “but the question will be can they run the football in the Big 12?”
BYU vs. ASU
On Nov. 23, when BYU takes on Arizona State at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, Hall will be on the Cougars sideline watching his two favorite teams.
“I grew up an ASU person. I have an ASU family. I chose ASU over BYU,” Hall said. “I'm an ASU fan and always will be, but of course I'll be rooting for the Cougars. I want to win that game.”
Hall played his freshman year at Arizona State before transferring to BYU after serving a church mission and hoping for a reunion with the Sun Devils in 2009, but that never happened.
“My senior year (at BYU), we were scheduled to play ASU in the first game, but they forfeited and we ended up playing Oklahoma,” he said.
Instead of playing against the Sun Devils, Hall threw a touchdown pass to MacKay Jacobsen with 3:03 left to lead the team to a 14-13 win over the third-ranked Sunners in what would become his signature victory.
Arizona State leads the overall series against BYU 20-8, but the Cougars have won the past three meetings, including a 13-10 victory the last time they met in Tempe in 1997. New coach Kenny Dillingham takes over a team that went a combined 6-18 over the past two seasons.
“I love the Sun Devils, but they haven't lived up to expectations the last few years and haven't been filling the stadium,” Hall said. “So unless they go out there and have a great year, maybe we (BYU fans) will fill the spot.”
Max vs. Thailand
Long before the BYU and Arizona State University reunions, there was another gathering that was important to Hall and his former boss, Ty Detmer.
On Thursday, Sept. 12, ALA-Queen Creek and ALA-Gilbert North will square off, pitting two of BYU's most successful quarterbacks against each other.
“It's definitely going to be a chess match,” Hall said. “I had a lot of respect for Coach Detmer when he was here. He's taught me a lot, not just the ropes but how to be a coach and how to play the game.”
Detmer and Hall rank first and second, respectively, at BYU in total offense, passing yards, completions and touchdown passes. Through the air alone, the two have combined for 26,393 yards and 215 touchdowns.
Hall won the most games (32). Detmer won the Heisman Trophy (1990).
In February, ALA Charter System moved Detmer from his position as head coach at Queen Creek High School to head coach at its Gilbert North campus. Hall remained at Queen Creek High School.
The midfield meet-and-greet during pre-match warm-ups in September was unlike any other.
“I'll try to understand him a little bit. We'll shake hands, we'll hug, we'll say good luck to each other, we'll go through four quarters and we'll do it again after the game,” Hall said. “The rivalry between these two schools has always been intense, but I think the attitude and the atmosphere has changed a little bit. There's a high level of respect for Ty for all he's accomplished, but unfortunately he's going to have to compete against me.”
