Hall knew hed end up at Stanford

The usual emotions are all present and accounted for. Phoenix (Ariz.) Brophy Prep offensive lineman Austin Hall is happy, He's relieved. He's thrilled. Hall is everything every high school prospect is following a commitment to his dream school.

Surprised is not one of his feelings, though. Not today. Ask Hall, the newest member of Stanford's 2014 class, and he'll tell you he's known this day was coming since he was in elementary school.

How's that for confidence?

"I always knew that Stanford is where I wanted to go," Hall said on Wednesday. "As a little kid, my dad took me to Stanford when he playing in San Francisco. I was like, 'this is where I'm going to school.' At first, I thought I was going to go by playing baseball. I got bored with baseball, so I quit. Then, playing football, I was like, 'I guess this is how it's going to happen.'"

Hall earned his Stanford offer with a strong performance at the program's camp and didn't wait long to accept it. Going into the event, the Cardinal staff challenged the three-star offensive lineman to show a mean streak and finish his blocks violently. Hall apparently obliged. He's not shy when he discusses it, either.

"I brought it at that camp," Hall said. "I was ready and I brought it. I knew I had to. It was a little odd for me to put pads on for the first time. Everyone there had been playing with pads on all summer and I wasn't allowed to touch my pads all summer. But after a day, I went out there and did what I typically do. They offered two days ago, and I knew it was right."

Multiple members of the Stanford staff accepted Hall's commitment by phone and found a way to cram in a conversation between the new Cardinal offensive lineman and head coach David Shaw. The situation was quite a whirlwind.

"They were really happy when I told them," Hall said. "Coach Shaw - I guess he was giving some speech -- was just walking off the stage when I called, and the other coaches were like, 'here, here, talk to Coach Shaw real quick.' He was just really excited."

Hall, who holds nine total scholarship offers, says he does not intend to take other visits or look at other schools. He is ranked as the No. 37 offensive tackle in America and the No. 13 overall prospect in the state of Arizona.