With a name like Myles Garrett anchoring down the Texas A&M defensive line, it can be easy for the common fan to lose sight of his teammates grinding with him in the trenches. 
Even a man with the caliber of junior defensive end Daeshon Hall — who actually out-produced Myles Garrett statistically in last Saturday night’s victory over Arizona State ­— can be forgotten. Hall logged seven tackles, recorded a nation-leading four sacks, and forced two fumbles. However, his stat line came as no surprise to head coach Kevin Sumlin.
“Well, we said during fall camp, it could be a big year for him,” Sumlin said. “He is extremely athletic. He’s taller than Myles [Garrett], he’s long, you know, he’s still learning the game, but he’s got great energy, great passion and he’s extremely athletic.”
Hall, nicknamed “Dae-Dae,” grew up in Seattle, Wash. and initially focused his 6-foot-6 frame on basketball. When he made his official visit to Texas A&M for football, he only weighed 208 pounds, said Sumlin.
Hall moved to the Lone Star State with his mother and brother his junior year and played football at Lancaster High School where his reputation as a quick, lanky pass rusher off the edge gathered steam.
However, he moved back to Washington briefly before his senior season to pick back up his pursuit of basketball. Before the fall semester, he experienced a change of heart and returned to Texas and focused entirely on football.
When it came time to choose a college, Hall initially committed to the University of Texas, before flipping to the University of Washington in his former home state. He finally elected to go with the Maroon and White in part to stay in proximity to his mother and brother.  Unfortunately, Hall’s early career at A&M has been limited by a bevy of injuries stemming back to his days at Lancaster. 
“In high school I had two torn labrums before I came here,” Hall said. “And I just got braced up and I had to get thrown out there. But it helped me off in the long run.”
The 260-pound Hall is doing just fine after establishing perhaps the best performance of his career last week.
The defensive end said he will always, without hesitation, be sure to point out the efforts of his other teammates and the overall emphasis of teamwork in the sport.
“You know, as a defense, when Daylon [Mack] makes a tackle, Alonzo [Williams] makes a tackle, Myles [Garrett], I’m jumping on ’em,” Hall said. “So, we’re all excited for each other.”
Hall said he has the highest respect for his defensive end partner in crime.
“Myles is a good player,” Hall said. “Probably one of the best defensive ends in the country. I’m happy for my man, whatever accolades he gets … My game will play for itself. I’m excited for Myles every time he makes a play.”
Hall and Garrett constantly engage in a friendly competition over who’s going to get more sacks, and even more importantly, look to each other for energy and confidence in times of fatigue and weakness.
“We do that all the time,” Hall said. “When it started along, we were a little winded, he look at me, I look at him, let’s go. We give each other confidence when we get tired, or if I’m tired, if he’s tired.”
The duo spearheaded a defensive attack that was night-and-day different from the unit on display a year ago.  
The root of this improvement was most visible in A&M’s ability to secure tackles in the Arizona State backfield. A&M logged 14 tackles for loss, which ranked fourth in the nation after week one, for a net of -63 yards of Arizona State offense.