INDIAN HILL, Ohio — Leon Hall walked with a defined purpose during the Cincinnati Country Day School football practice Tuesday morning.
The former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback monitored the secondary and discovered teachable moments on the second day of the Nighthawks' practice.
In another instance, Hall motioned a player to go deeper on a formation instead of a lateral movement. He also instructed the defensive backs on their shoulder placement and conducted a back pedal drill.
"I've always loved the idea of coaching," Hall said. "I knew a couple years ago when I first got into it that I was going to enjoy it. Now I didn't know I was going to enjoy it as much as I am honestly. But, the kids are great. I'm having a great time. I'm just happy to be out here."
Hall, 37, played 12 years in the NFL including from 2007 to 2015 with the Bengals. He completed his NFL career with the Oakland Raiders in 2018.
"Later, as I got into my career, I realized that you got life after football," Hall said. "And I've always loved the idea of coaching."
Hall's focus these days is on his family and the student-athletes at Cincinnati Country Day School. Hall and his wife, Jessica, have three children and they all attend CCDS from the elementary to middle school levels.
"It felt good when I came here," Hall said. "If it fits and it works and it's true why not? It was one of those that you felt comfortable here. We kind of went all in."
Hall, a 2007 NFL first-round selection from the University of Michigan, was named the CCDS defensive backs coach and assistant defensive coordinator in February. It was a successful football season for Hall to watch. Not only did the Bengals appear in the Super Bowl but Michigan defeated Ohio State.
Hall said he had a great deal of fun watching the Bengals' deep playoff run.
"It's fun to see just the city in general or just people I run into every day," Hall said. "I'm not even part of the team. I haven't been part of the team since 2015. And just to still see and feel the energy of it and I haven't been down there at all. So it's just one of those things were it's good to see the city behind it. I think it brings a little spark to the city which I think we needed."
Hall coached middle school football at CCDS for the past two years, holding positions as a defensive coordinator for the 2021 season and wide receivers and defensive backs coach for the 2020 season. He has also worked with the summer camp program for football and basketball.
"Coach Hall is a really quiet guy; very cerebral," said CCDS head football coach Dennis Coyle, who is the school's athletic director. "And he fits in with a lot of our kids. I really expect him to have a great relationship with our kids because obviously he comes in and there is instant credibility. People look up to him."
CCDS, a Division VI football program, has 30 players in its varsity program. The players understand how Hall can help the team this season.
"He knows everything about a DB," senior wide receiver/defensive back Kyle Collett said. "Obviously, he played in the NFL. He knows what he's talking about. To be able to learn from someone with that much experience is really cool."
Hall challenged the players to improve on one aspect of their skill set on Monday. He noticed progress on Tuesday morning.
"You can see how absorbent they are of the information," Hall said. "And that's fulfilling in of itself because you are trying to help them reach a goal whether it's being a starter, whether it's getting playing time. Whatever position they might play you're just really trying to help them take a step toward whatever individual goal they may have."
The goal isn't just about wins on the field. Hall's impact extends beyond football, too. He wants to utilize football as a way to establish young men as leaders in society.
"You try to build them to be better people," Hall said. "And then you love for them to be good at football as well. So you kind of build your base off of that and you go from there."
That's exactly why Coyle thought Hall would be an excellent fit to the varsity program.
"He's not on our staff because he played in the NFL," Coyle said. "He's on our staff because he is a great human being. He's going to be able to coach the game of football. And it's a plus that he played in the NFL and all the knowledge he brings."
