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Nine is oh so fine for the Longhorns

Some guys see their stock rise, some guys burst on the scene and some guys practically explode into the spotlight.
Whether it is on the football field, the basketball court or on the recruiting front, Lancaster defensive end Daeshon Hall has shown he is an explosive presence. At 6-6 and 225 pounds, Hall quickly caught the attention of teammates after moving to Lancaster, Texas from Seattle and he earned the respect of his opponents throughout the season.
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Needless to say it did not take long for college coaches to take notice as well. Offers from Baylor, Oklahoma St., TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Washington were already on the table as of Friday. On Saturday, he was slated to attend the Texas junior day, and while he was a little late due to basketball practice, he was able to make his way to Austin.
"I had practice early after a playoff win," Hall said. "I just decided that I can't miss this Junior Day, I have to go. I told my mom and we called coach Chambers and he said it was cool that we came late. I had a good time."
His efforts were rewarded when the Longhorns let him know they were extending an offer. He then rewarded the Texas coaches on Sunday night, becoming the ninth member of the Longhorns' 2013 recruiting class.
"I thought I could fit in with coach Giles and coach Brown," Hall said. "My mom was excited. I called my dad and my uncles and we talked about it. The tradition and the coaching staff makes it a win-win. Plus, I think I can help them win another national championship.
"This is just a blessing, a great opportunity."
Following the Texas junior day he described the experience in Austin as great, and that leads us to where we are tonight. Now Hall is a member of the Longhorn family, and it's a decision that he and his mother made together.
"I think coach (Bruce) Chambers really did a good job and made sure he was comfortable when he came down for the junior day. Meeting coach (Mack) Brown and his wife, that made his mom feel comfortable with the situation," said Lancaster head coach Chris Gilbert. "I talked to him on the way back, and he said he felt really comfortable about the visit. Coach Brown, coach Chambers and Oscar Giles - he really felt good about them and where they're trying to go with the program. He mentioned coach Brown being very in tune with his grades. He knew details of his transcript. That made an impression on his mom."
As a junior at Lancaster, Hall recorded 60 tackles and 11 sacks on his way to first-team 15-4A honors. He hasn't even been in Texas for a full year after moving in from Seattle, and coach Gilbert thinks his star defender is barely scratching the surface of his potential.
"There's no telling how good he's going to be," Gilbert said. "When he came down, he moved from Seattle, and his favorite sport was basketball. I've had kids that were basketball-first kids that played football. The thing I remember about him, he said 'Coach, I love basketball, but if I get in the weight room, I think I can play on Sundays.' It was a very unique confidence he had.
"I expect him to not only have a chance to pay on Sundays, but also to be really good at it. He has that kind of character about him. This kid's an outstanding young man. He's very intelligent. As soon as his body is ready to play Big 12 football, his mind will be prepared for the mental part as well.
"This is his first time even experiencing Texas football. It's made an impression on him. He goes and plays in the huge stadiums that we have here for high school sports. He hadn't even attended a football camp yet. Some kids, they start kids go to camps when they're freshmen or even before that. He hadn't done any of that."
Hall put in a phone call to Chambers on Sunday night to finalize his commitment. With his commitment, Texas secures a pledge from a speedy edge rusher than can do a little bit of everything on the football field.
"He has tremendous upside. He's rangy, has long arms. He's 6-6 and 220 pounds. He runs really well. He's a pass rushing demon. He's really a very good pass rusher. He has a knack for being around the ball and stripping the ball, creating turnovers," coach Hall said. "And he plays the run better than you would think with his body build.
"You can put some weight on him. And he's committed to the work. That's the thing about him, he's really a committed guy."
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