Lakeville South Grad Mitch Hall Is Hoping That College Football is a Snap

Mitch Hall, a 6-foot-1, 255-pound lineman from , is hoping that playing football at Division 1 and Big 12 powerhouse Missouri will be an easy adjustment for him. In fact, he is hoping that it is a snap.

Hall will be a preferred walk-on long snapper at the University of Missouri this season. He has been working hard to improve his craft, working with former NFL and Minnesota Viking long snapper Mike Morris during the offseason.

Lakeville Patch recently caught up with Hall to learn more about his college choice, working with Morris and his top moments playing for the Cougars.   

Lakeville Patch: When did you decide to walk-on at Missouri?

Mitch Hall: A couple of months after the season. I had sent my tapes out to a couple of schools to see what kind of response I would get. I got the most attention from Missouri and went down there for a visit. I liked the opportunity that I had down there  and decide after that.

Lakeville Patch: What other schools were you considering besides Missouri?

Mitch Hall: Iowa State and Northern Iowa.

Lakeville Patch: Are you doing summer school? 

Mitch Hall: No, I am not. I go down there on the 17th and classes start on the 22nd.

Lakeville Patch: What are you working on to get ready for the upcoming season?  

Mitch Hall: I work out with Mike Morris, who you might know from KFAN radio. He has a personal gym that I work out at four times a week in Burnsville.

Lakeville Patch: Long snapping is an underrated skill that no one really notices how important it is until there is a bad snap on a punt or field goal attempt. Do you feel pressure at times as a long snapper?

Mitch Hall: Oh, definitely. Junior year was my first year as a snapper on the varsity. My first snap sailed over the guys’ head, so I didn’t snap for the rest of the year. My senior season, in my first game, I felt a little pressure, getting over the first bad snap. Once I got past that, it was pretty smooth sailing. 

Lakeville Patch: What is the long snapping situation at Missouri?

Mitch Hall: I am going to redshirt this year. That is the plan. The current snapper is a senior, so he will be done after this year and their backup is a junior, so he will be the snapper when I am a redshirt freshman. Once he graduates there is no one ahead of me. 

Lakeville Patch: So you have a chance of being the long snapper for three years, right?

Mitch Hall: That is a definite possibility.

Lakeville Patch: Was that one of things that attracted you to Missouri that you could be a starting long snapper for a couple of years?

Mitch Hall: Definitely. The situation of when I would show up versus their current roster situation was perfect. It couldn’t have been any better, really. Iowa State had a kid that had just redshirted and he would have been one year ahead of me. Northern Iowa had the same kind of situation and Missouri had no one for a couple of years

Lakeville Patch: Have they said much to you about what you would have to do to earn a scholarship down the road? Are the other snappers on scholarships?

Mitch Hall: Both snappers are on scholarship right now. I believe that generally once you become the first snapper that they put you on scholarship. They usually scholarship the first guy and will try to find scholarship money for you down the road. 

Lakeville Patch: That is obviously a pretty big goal to play enough that you can get on scholarship. 

Mitch Hall: Yes, for sure.

Lakeville Patch: Have you thought much about what you might major in at college?

Mitch Hall: Business marketing. My dad is a marketing major and I like what he does. I could see myself doing that down the road.

Lakeville Patch: What is it like to work with Mike Morris, who was a long snapper for the Vikings, Browns and Patriots and in the NFL for a long time?

Mitch Hall: It is unbelievable. I lift weights with him four days a week. I have probably gained 50 pounds over the past two years and I don’t look as big as I am. I’ve been told that I don’t look that big, so it is a lot of muscle and I have gotten a lot stronger in a lot of areas. You look at his experience and he knows the right people to get you hooked up with the right places. I have been very fortunate to get hooked up with him. 

Lakeville Patch: He was one of the best long snapper in the business, so you can’t really get a better teacher than that.

Mitch Hall: He knows everything there is to know about that talent. I was pretty fortunate.

Lakeville Patch: What does he say about your long snapping ability?

Mitch Hall: He says that it is a really big deal that I have the opportunity to go down to Missouri. He is excited for me and very proud of me that I put in the time and the effort to go lift and work out. It has definitely paid off.

Lakeville Patch: What did you think of the Missouri campus during orientation?

Mitch Hall: It is unbelievable. I can definitely see myself there for a couple of years

Lakeville Patch: Are you strictly a long snapper or would you play another position on the field?

Mitch Hall: Long snapping is definitely the main focus, but when I am at Missouri, I am going to have to practice with the offensive linemen. That is pretty much how they do it. You don’t just specifically long snap. I’ll be on the roster as an offensive lineman, but long snapping will be my gig.

Lakeville Patch: What position did you play at Lakeville South besides snapper?

Mitch Hall: I played offensive guard.

Lakeville Patch: Would you play more guard or center in college?

Mitch Hall: I’m thinking center is what the coaches are looking at.

Lakeville Patch: Is that mostly due to your height (college centers are usually the shortest players on the offensive line)?

Mitch Hall: I think so.

Lakeville Patch: Were you able to make it down to Columbia for a game this past year?

Mitch Hall: Not this past year, but the previous year we did. That was even before I planned on snapping there. My grandpa (Howard Hall) played football there. Both of my grandparents went to school there and we went down for a trip to the school, because I wanted to see it. 

Lakeville Patch: Do you have any relatives nearby?

Mitch Hall: My great grandpa’s sister lives down near campus, but my immediate family is up here and my closest relatives.

Lakeville Patch: Missouri has been a very good team the last several seasons. Was that something that was appealing that they have been a bowl team for quite awhile?

Mitch Hall: It is definitely appealing that they are always in a slot of nationally ranked teams. It is definitely a bonus when you are looking at schools.

Lakeville Patch: When you look back at your time at Lakeville South, what is going to stand out as some of your favorite memories?

Mitch Hall: My senior year. It doesn’t get any better than that because you feel that closeness with your team. We were pretty successful. We made it to state, so that was fun. We won a lot of games and were pretty close-knit. It is something that you will never forget.