Auburn football: Derick Hall coming for Nick Fairley’s sack record in 2022

Senior edge rusher Derick Hall is one of the most important returning players for Auburn football heading into the 2022 season. With a pretty shallow roster at the edge position this season, Hall has stepped up both at his position and as a team leader.

The edge put up monster numbers in 2021, ending the season with 52 total tackles and 12.5 tackles for a loss of 57 yards. He also put up nine sacks with a loss of 49 yards, just short of former Auburn football player Nick Fairley’s single-season record of 11.5 sacks.

But Derick Hall isn’t satisfied, and he plans to put in the work to break that record in 2022, per Auburn Live:

"“Last year was a good year, but watching film from last year, could’ve definitely had that opportunity last year. I should have that opportunity. That’s the goal,” Hall said after practice on Saturday."

Hall has taken on a major role in the offseason, helping the younger edge rushers develop into impact players for the Tigers and forming close relationships within the position group. Auburn football’s edge coach, Roc Bellantoni, has been able to spend a lot of time with each of the edge rushers due to the small group, and Hall said his attention to detail and emphasis on development has been huge for the edges.

"“Individual attention from Roc is huge. He’s very detailed. He wants us to develop and grow our game,” Hall said. “Whatever we’re working on that day, he wants to develop us. Knowing he’s putting everything into it is huge for us as a whole.”"

Heading into the 2022 season, Derick Hall is most definitely poised for success and has a big opportunity to be one of the most impactful players on the Tigers’ roster this year. He was named to the Lombardi Award Watchlist just last week, as well as the Bednarik Award Watchlist and the Nagurski Award Watchlist. We can expect great things from Derick Hall in what is likely his final year on the Plains.