Top 2028 RB Elijah Hall Has Ohio State 'Way, way up there'

Every one-day camp in June at Ohio State has some young prospects that already have people talking, and at Tuesday’s one-day camp, one of those players was Elijah Hall.

Hall (6-0 200) is a 2028 running back out of Tampa Blake High School in Tampa, Florida who was a two-way player last year as a freshman. He rushed for over 800 yards on offense last year while splitting carries, and while splitting quarterbacks, he finished with 15 sacks at defensive end.

Hall has been offered by in-state schools Florida State and Miami in the last 30 days. It was Ohio State back in early May, however, that was his first major offer. Tuesday was his first time in Columbus.

Why did he make the trip?

“This was an opportunity to camp and take basically an unofficial visit to Ohio State and see what they were all about,” Hall told Buckeye Huddle.

And what did he think after seeing things first-hand?

“They’re way, way up there,” Hall said with a smile.

As to why he is so interested in Ohio State, the football reasons are all there, but with Elijah Hall, it goes beyond that.

“The No. 1 thing for me is my faith, and Ohio State is big when it comes to faith,” he said. “I’m drawn to that.”

The Buckeyes and running backs coach Carlos Locklyn are also drawn to Hall. This was more than just a standard camp visit. This was an opportunity for relationships to be built, including with head coach Ryan Day.

The way Ohio State approached this visit made its mark on the rising sophomore.

“Ohio State is the only program that has brought me in and shown me everything,” Hall said. “I even talked to Coach Day. They have been great and everybody is trying to get to know me.”

But it was still also very much a camp day and Locklyn was putting Elijah Hall and the other running backs to work. Locklyn is an eagle-eyed coach who holds every player accountable during drills. If too many mistakes are being made after a coaching point, the entire group has to suffer the consequences.

This was Hall’s first time working with Locklyn, and he appreciated why so much pressure was put on each drill.

“He’s a good guy,” Hall said of Locklyn. “It’s pressure, but it’s really about how you take that pressure. If you make a mistake or mess up on a drill, you can’t just fall under the pressure. He’s going to pressure you but he wants to see you get better. That’s why he pressures you.”

You can get a look at some of that pressure — and Hall’s response to it — below.

2028 RB Elijah Hall already holds an OSU offer. This was his first opportunity to get some work in with Carlos Locklyn. He took the coaching well. Hall had 15 sacks last year and 800+ yards rushing as a freshman playing both ways on varsity at Tampa Blake High School. pic.twitter.com/i8QTk2J9r5
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) June 10, 2025