April 2, 2009
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Winston-Salem State University head football coach Kermit Blount officially announced on Thursday that Alan Hall is the new offensive coordinator for the Rams’ football program. Hall, 36, was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Savannah State University last season and brings a wealth of experience to the WSSU football program.
"We had three guys we brought in to interview and we just felt like Alan was the guy for us," said Coach Kermit Blount, who ran the offense and the play-calling last season.
Hall, a native of Tampa, Fla., was a backup to quarterback Gino Torretta at the University of Miami and was on the Hurricanes’ 1991 national championship team. Torretta was the Heisman Trophy winner that season.
Hall has also been an assistant at East Mississippi Community College, Newberry and Dodge City Community College. He told the Savannah Morning News that it was tough to leave Savannah State but that he wants to be a head coach one day and that this is the right move for him.
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"It's tough when you get close to your kids, but that's the business side of it," Hall told the Morning News. "It's a move I felt I needed to make, professionally…. (WSSU) is where Savannah State is working to be at in the coming years. (WSSU) is in its infancy in the MEAC, but they're a larger school with twice as many students, so they've got a larger revenue stream."
Hall will look to spread out the Rams’ offense and give WSSU more options but the foundations of Kermit Blount’s system will still remain intact.
“We’ll work from the spread but I’m an I (I-formation) guy so we’ll have that in there as well,” said Blount, who is in his 16th season at his alma mater. “We’re just happy to have Coach Hall here and have all the paperwork done to where we can make the announcement. We think he’s really going to help us.”
Hall has been with the Rams since the start of spring practice on Monday afternoon and has made an immediate impact.
Branden Williams, a redshirt freshmen quarterback, says he is excited about having a new offense. "I think we are going to be a more dynamic offense with the ability to run the ball, but also throw it around some," said Williams, who most likely will compete with senior Jarrett Dunston for the starting spot.
Williams, a highly-recruited player out of Seale, Ala., practiced with the Rams last season but never played.
"I know this is my chance to show the coaches what I can do," Williams said of spring practice. "I hear Coach Hall likes to throw the ball, and I think that's great for me because I ran the spread offense in high school."
WSSU will continue spring practice for the next two weeks and will conclude their 15-day spring session on Saturday, April 11, 2009.
For additional information on WSSU Football, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at WSSURams.com.
