\n Ohio State\u2019s first high school football camp of 2026 was headlined by a top-10 overall prospect in the 2028 class that Larry Johnson compared to Chase Young. <\/p>\n
\n\tThe No. 8 overall recruit<\/a> in the rising junior class of high school prospects, Kellan Hall went through a full workout with the rest of the defensive linemen at Ohio State\u2019s first camp of the summer. The five-star prospect enjoyed the tough, hands-on coaching he received from Johnson, which stood out to Hall in comparison to other camps he\u2019s participated in.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSome camps like to just see you work out, but Coach Johnson, he gets after you today. He treats you like a player, and you really get after it,\u201d Hall said after the camp. \u201cIt wasn’t too hot, but it felt like a great work day. I felt like I was one of his players today.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n\tAs you might expect with his ranking as the No. 2 defensive lineman in 247Sports\u2019 composite rankings for 2028, Hall is one of Johnson\u2019s top targets along the defensive line in his class. Already weighing in at 6-foot-4 and 271 pounds at just 16 years old, Hall \u2013 who recorded 53 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks as a sophomore at Christian Academy of Louisville \u2013 could potentially play either defensive tackle or defensive end in college depending on how his body develops. That said, Johnson has already compared Hall to one of Ohio State\u2019s all-time great defensive ends.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhich is crazy, I don’t know if this is true, but he said Chase Young,\u201d Hall said Tuesday. \u201cHe said I can be a do-it-all type of guy \u2026 He said I have traits like (Young). They’re going to have me put on some weight, and they’re going to use me the same way they used him.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tWhile comparing a 16-year-old to a unanimous All-American and No. 2 overall NFL draft pick sets a lofty expectation, Hall already has similar size to Young (who was 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds at Ohio State) and exhibited some of the same speed and power that made Young a star for the Buckeyes as he dominated most of his opponents in one-on-one drills on Tuesday.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tFive-star defensive lineman Kellan Hall showing his burst and power on his final two reps of the day at Ohio State camp. pic.twitter.com\/RToTKXRCdC<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tHall is honored that Johnson would compare him to Young, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist and college football\u2019s national defensive player of the year in 2019.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cChase was a wrecker,\u201d Hall said. \u201cJust hearing the stories, players saying he had to sit out of practice because of how bad he was doing them and just seeing that, that’s a high honor to get paired with someone like that who’s probably one of the greatest D-linemen to ever do it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tOhio State is just one of many schools already recruiting Hall heavily as he enters his junior high school season. He\u2019s already received offers from more than three dozen FBS schools. In addition to Ohio State, Hall has also visited SMU, Texas A&M, Texas and Oklahoma this summer, and he\u2019ll also be visiting Oregon.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tWhere is ? @Hayesfawcett3<\/a> @Aspirationsgym<\/a> @centurions_fb<\/a> @AthletesFirst<\/a> @CamronHahn<\/a> @polynesiabowl<\/a> @UANextFootball<\/a> @Rivals<\/a> @247Sports<\/a> @On3<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/uUv4coyD8p<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Kellan Hall (@KellanHbigdawg) June 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tThat said, Ohio State has a few things going for it in its efforts to win Hall\u2019s recruitment. For one, Ohio State has the advantage of proximity over the other schools he\u2019s visited this summer, as Columbus is just a three-hour drive away from his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cMy family needs to see me play. That’s one thing I want to be. So anywhere I go, I want to feel like home, and being three hours away is a really great deal for me,\u201d Hall said. \u201cWe drove up this morning, and it wasn’t too bad. Took a little nap, and I realized we’re here. So that’s something that made me happy.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tHall is also impressed by the resources Ohio State provides to its players as well as the connections he could make outside of football as a Buckeye.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThey’re going to set you up with the right people, get you money management, set you up outside the game of football. They have a lot of alumni that’s willing to help the football players, and that’s one thing that intrigues me,\u201d Hall said. \u201cLife after football is very big for me.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tHall has already built a bond with Ohio State\u2019s first defensive line commit in the 2028 class, fellow five-star prospect Jameer Whyce<\/a>, who\u2019s recruiting Hall to join him in Columbus. And Hall wants to play for a program where he knows he\u2019ll face competition from other elite players.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHe says they\u2019re the greatest to ever do it,\u201d Hall said of what Whyce has told him about Ohio State. \u201cYear in and year out, they’re always at the top. Everyone wants to be at Ohio State. He said you want all the best players, you want to have competition, that’s what Ohio State gets. You get the best shot from everybody. That’s one thing I believe. I want to be a competitor, so I want everybody’s best shot.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tIn the end, Hall said he\u2019s looking for the school that will develop him best both on and off the field.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI want to get developed not just as a player but as a man. So I want to have a great career, I want to get educated, I want to get a degree, I want to graduate and also, I just want to build a great relationship,\u201d Hall said. \u201cI just want to build relationships that will last me a lifetime.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tThere\u2019s still a long way to go in Hall\u2019s recruitment, and Ohio State will have to beat out many of the nation\u2019s top programs to win that battle. But Hall\u2019s relationship with Johnson and the impression Ohio State continued to make on him on Tuesday has the Buckeyes positioned among his frontrunners.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHe’s been doing this for a long time, so he knows what it’s supposed to look like,\u201d Hall said of Johnson. \u201cSo he’s about the details, and if you ain’t doing it right, he’s going to tell you and let you know that, but it’s all from a great place and it’s all out of love.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI felt like I was one of his players today.\u201d\u2013 Kellan Hall on being coached by Larry Johnson at Ohio State camp\n<\/p>\n \tAdditional Notes from Camp No. 1<\/p>\n \n\tHall was the headliner of Tuesday\u2019s camp as the lone five-star prospect on the field, but he certainly wasn\u2019t the only player of note at Ohio State\u2019s first of four one-day camps over the next two weeks.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThree other prospects in the 2028 class earned Ohio State offers on Tuesday: four-star linebacker Jay Schell<\/a>, four-star wide receiver Hayden Koo<\/a> and three-star safety Troy Bishop<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\tVery grateful and honored to receive a scholarship offer from @OhioStateFB<\/a>!! \ufe0f #BUILT4ships<\/a> @RabunGapEagles<\/a> @coachdtwhite<\/a> @ryandaytime<\/a> @JLaurinaitis55<\/a> @CoachMcGrath22<\/a> @Coachcliff904<\/a> @JohnGarcia_Jr<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/3d6KSi2TMj<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Jay Schell 2028 (@Jayschell1015) June 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\tAll glory to God!!! After an amazing conversation with @Coach_Hankton<\/a> I am blessed to receive an offer from The Ohio State. \u26ab\ufe0f #buckeyes<\/a> @GregBiggins<\/a> @ChadSimmons_<\/a>@BlairAngulo<\/a> @PGregorian<\/a>@BrandonHuffman<\/a> @ocvarsityguy<\/a> @mikehuntley63<\/a> @adamgorney<\/a>@247Sports<\/a> @247recruiting<\/a>\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/NnZ8568fGV<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Hayden Koo 4 \u2b50\ufe0f (@Haydenkoo0) June 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\tExtremely Blessed and Thankful to receive an offer from The Ohio State University!! #GoBucks<\/a>@MattGuerrieri<\/a> @taverj<\/a> @GregBiggins<\/a> @BrandonHuffman<\/a> @adamgorney<\/a> @ChadSimmons_<\/a> @BlairAngulo<\/a> @Realregular4<\/a> @TomLoy247<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Hhoiyo5tiz<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Troy Bishop (@tbishop_0) June 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tHall was one of several 2028 defensive linemen of note in a group that also included four-star defensive tackle Nikolas Stevens<\/a> and four-star in-state defensive end Asa Burch<\/a>, both of whom already had Ohio State offers alongside Hall.\n<\/p>\n \n\tTop prospects on the other side of the trenches included 2028 three-star offensive tackle Austin Ballou<\/a>, whose massive size stood out at 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds, and 2027 in-state offensive tackle Zay\u2019vion Smith<\/a>, a Cincinnati commit who earned a win against Hall in one-on-ones.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\t2027 offensive tackle Zay\u2019vion Smith with a nice rep vs. 2028 five-star defensive lineman Kellan Hall. pic.twitter.com\/BKTB0aYezp<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) June 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tThe running back group was headlined by local standout Edmund McCalister<\/a>, who\u2019s already earned 16 FBS offers entering his sophomore season at Pickerington Central High School and is projected to be one of the top running backs in the 2029 class, though he hasn\u2019t yet received an offer from the Buckeyes.\n<\/p>\n \n\tNone of the quarterbacks at Tuesday\u2019s Ohio State camp left Columbus with offers, though there were a couple of notable prospects in attendance who received attention from Ohio State quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler. Dre\u2019mail Carothers<\/a>, a three-star prospect who holds offers from the likes of Louisville, North Carolina and South Florida, was the top 2027 quarterback in attendance\u00a0as the Buckeyes continue to evaluate their options in the class.\u00a0Alexander Doucette<\/a> is an emerging quarterback in the 2029 class who recently received Big Ten offers from Purdue and UCLA.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \n\tStay tuned with Eleven Warriors for more coverage from Ohio State\u2019s high school football camps over the next two weeks.\n<\/p>\n