Who Is Jaren Hall?

            I do not watch football, but I chose Brigham Young University quarterback Jaren Hall for my VIP this week. The BYU Cougars and Baylor Bears played an exciting football game at the LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday, September 10, 2022. The Cougars won the game in a 26-20 double overtime win.

            Jack Oldroyd is a junior kicker for the Cougars, and he had two opportunities to make game-winning kicks. The first opportunity was a 35-yarder in the final seconds of regulation play, and the second opportunity was a 37-yarder at the end of the first overtime. He missed both kicks, even though he has made game-winning kicks in previous games.

            At the end of the second overtime with a score of 26-20 in favor of BYU, an ESPN cameraman caught a moment on the BYU sidelines, and his photo has gone viral on social media. The picture was of BYU quarterback Jaren Hall hugging kicker Jake Oldroyd as the Cougars celebrated the win.

            This article by Aaron Shill has numerous pictures in it with comments from social media. I chose Hall as my VIP because this young man showed what was most important. He wanted his teammate to know that he was loved. By showing such love for his teammate, Hall showed leadership by helping Oldroyd feel less pain about his missed kicks. To me, Hall is more a hero because of his act of love than for anything he has done on the field.