The Minnesota Vikings are swapping out quarterbacks. Again. With Kirk Cousins still injured, and having tried Joshua Dobbs and Nick Mullens under center, the Vikes are turning to rookie Jaren Hall in Week 17 when they host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. It’s certainly a choice. Not only is the first-year pro out of BYU making his second NFL start against a division rival in primetime, he’s doing it with the team’s playoff chances in the balance. According to ESPN’s playoff projections, Minnesota has a 20% chance to make the postseason. That jumps to 39% with a win in Week 17 as the Detroit Lions already clinched the NFC North. So what should fans know about Hall as he gets set for a high-stakes start? Here are five facts to get you up to speed.
But that’s not really his fault. After Cousins went down with a torn Achilles in Week 8, Hall started the following week against the Atlanta Falcons before suffering a concussion in the first quarter. He completed five of six passing attempts for 78 yards with a passer rating of 118.8 before the injury. The Vikings quickly put in Dobbs, who went on to start the next four games.
The Vikings selected Hall in the fifth round, making him the 12th of 14 quarterbacks drafted last spring. The Philadelphia Eagles took Tanner McKee in the sixth round while the Los Angeles Chargers grabbed Max Duggan in the seventh round.
The Utah native broke barriers at BYU when he was called on to replace injured starter Zach Wilson six weeks into Hall’s freshman season. In his debut as a starter, Hall passed for 148 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another 83 yards and a score in a 27-23 loss at South Florida. “I’m very proud of my ancestors, very proud of my ethnicity and all the things that come with that,” Hall told reporters before the historic start. “So, it is an honor and a privilege to be here and to be playing in this wonderful university.” Hall finished his BYU career with 6,174 yards passing, 800 yards rushing and 61 total touchdowns on just 11 interceptions.
The big question of how Hall will fit in on an offense with an otherworldly talented wideout like Justin Jefferson was pretty much answered by the receiver himself before Hall took the starting job back. Speaking to reporters earlier this week, Jefferson praised Hall’s progress this year. “I feel like he has been doing a great job in learning and just the process of being a rookie and carrying that role,” Jefferson said. “It’s definitely been a tough year just battling with the injuries. … I feel like Jaren is definitely a great quarterback. He has definitely some potential to spark this offense up if we put him out there to play, but we’ll have confidence in whoever.”
In addition to playing football, Hall was an outfielder for BYU’s baseball team, playing from 2019-20 and making 32 starts. Hall’s family has a long history with BYU athletics. His father, Kalin, was a running back there in 1992-93, his mother, Hollie, was on the gymnastics team in 1993 and two of Hall’s brothers were also on the football team (KJ Hall at running back, Kyson Hall at wide receiver).
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