NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Lemanski Hall, a nine-year NFL player and veteran college and high school coach, has been named Vanderbilt football’s director of player development, head coach Clark Lea announced Wednesday.
Hall takes over for former Commodore legend Earl Bennett, who was recently promoted to senior associate athletic director for strategy and business operations. In the player development role, Hall will work daily with the student-athletes in the football program while focusing on off-the-field areas. He will advise players in life skills and career development alongside the Ingram Center staff, while also helping coordinate community service opportunities.
The Valley, Alabama, native played collegiately at Alabama. He led the 1992 Crimson Tide national title team in tackles (70), before making 73 tackles as a senior in 1993. He earned All-SEC honors in both 1992 and 1993, with Alabama posting a 40-9-1 record during his four seasons in Tuscaloosa. He was honorable mention All-America in 1992 and named a team captain in 1993.
Hall was drafted by the Houston Oilers and was a member of the team when the franchise moved to Tennessee in 1997 (the team played in Memphis that season). He played in 101 NFL games over nine seasons, including time in Chicago, Dallas and Minnesota following his tenure with the Oilers.
After retirement, Hall moved to Nashville and was an NFL Diversity Coaching Fellow with the Titans and spent time as a volunteer coach at Centennial High School in Franklin, Tennessee. In addition, he worked as a recruiting coordinator and professional performance director at D1 Training and was a strength and conditioning coach at Christ Presbyterian Academy.
Hall then spent seven seasons as linebackers coach and fitness instructor at Nashville’s Ensworth School before jumping to the college ranks at Clemson, joining the staff of his college teammate, Dabo Swinney.
Hall moved to Clemson in 2015, first spending two seasons as a defensive analyst and one as senior defensive analyst. During his three seasons as an analyst, Clemson went 40-4, won three ACC titles and made the College Football Playoff three times.
In 2018, Hall was promoted to defensive ends coach, helping the Tigers to a school-record 54 sacks en route to a national title. Clemson defeated Lea, then defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, in the College Football Playoff semifinal that season. That campaign saw Clelin Ferrell win ACC Defensive Player of the Year before being selected as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
The 2019 Clemson defense held each of its 12 regular season opponents under 300 total yards, the first time a team accomplished that feat since at least 1996.
While being named a co-finalist for FootballScoop’s Defensive Line Coach of the Year, 2020 saw Myles Murphy earn Freshman All-America honors while winning ACC Co-Newcomer of the Year. That season, Hall and the Tigers faced off with Lea twice as the Fighting Irish won a regular season contest before Clemson took home the ACC Championship game.
Murphy and Xavier Thomas were both All-ACC selections under Hall in 2021 as Clemson finished second in the nation in scoring defense. Murphy became just the fourth Clemson player since 2000 to post more than one season with multiple forced fumbles and at least four sacks.
Hall mentored Murphy and KJ Henry to All-ACC status in 2022, with Murphy being selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
All told, Hall was part of a Clemson staff which finished in the top four of the AP and Coaches Polls each season from 2015 to 2020.
Hall was two-way player at Valley High School, earning all-state honors. As a senior, he totaled 1,110 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns while contributing 20 interceptions.
