Michigan Football: The Wolverine's Top-25 Since '97 - No. 10
The Wolverine continues its series of the top 25 Michigan players since 1997 with No. 10, Leon Hall.
Hall is one of the best defensive backs to play at Michigan, and went on to play at a high level in the NFL.
A native of Oceanside, Calif., Hall played defensive back and wide receiver at Vista High School, where he finished as a runner up in the state title game his senior season. Ranked the No. 10 corner in the country in the class of 2003 by Rivals.com, Hall was a participant in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in 2003 and committed to Michigan without taking an official visit prior to his commitment.
Hall played in 25 games over the course of his first two years at Michigan and notched five interceptions, but finally established himself as one of the best players on the team in his junior and senior seasons. His junior year, Hall corralled four interceptions and made 61 tackles, and he also returned a fumble 83 yards for a touchdown in the Northwestern game that season.
In his senior season in 2006, Hall made 45 tackles and notched three interceptions. The Wolverines finished the regular season with a 10-2 record and finished third in a tough Big Ten Conference. Hall's final game as a Wolverine was a Rose Bowl defeat to USC. For the season Hall had 18 passes defensed, currently second on the single season school list, and his 43 career pass breakups is also second. Following the 2006 season, Hall was named a consensus All-American. He also finished his career with five fumble recoveries, which ranks seventh on the school's all-time list and his 12 career interceptions stands at fourth all-time at Michigan.
The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Hall 18th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft after Hall ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Hall played with the Bengals from 2007 to 2015, tallying 470 combined tackles, five forced fumbles and 26 interceptions. Hall played the 2016 season with the New York Giants and is currently a free agent.
The full list:
No. 10: Leon Hall
No. 11: Chad Henne
No. 14: Denard Robinson
No. 15: Marlin Jackson
No. 16: Glen Steele
No. 17: David Baas
No. 18: Jourdan Lewis
No. 19: David Harris
No. 20: Ernest Shazor
No. 21: John Navarre
No. 22: Jake Butt
No. 23: David Molk
No. 24: Taco Charlton
No. 25: Jeremy Gallon