First-year Utah Valley coach Adam Hall had to bide his time before finally getting (and seizing) the opportunity to lead a Division I program.

The two-time All-American (2010-11) and two-time Pac-12 champion for Boise State got his coaching start on staff at Columbia University following the conclusion of his collegiate career. Then in 2015, he began a nine-year journey at North Carolina State under Pat Popolizio.

“Oftentimes, it’s rare when you have a long-term assistant coach in the game — because it’s hard,” Hall said of the grueling lifestyle and often less-than-glamorous pay.

About halfway through his and NC State’s increasingly successful run in Raleigh, he nearly made the jump to a head coaching position, coming in second for a vacant West Coast job in 2020 – a fact Hall now looks back on with appreciation less than eight months into his gig at Utah Valley.

“I was actually a finalist for the Oregon State job that came down to me and Chris Pendleton. And they made a great decision,” the Bonners Ferry, Idaho native said. “That was right at the start of COVID, and I think the few years of experience longer as an associate (head) coach really helped me prepare for this job.”

Four years later, Hall was tabbed to lead the Wolverines’ program following the 18-year run of retired head coach Greg Williams.

A Western Foundation

Of the 35 wrestlers currently listed on the UVU roster, a whopping 34 of them hail from the Mountain Time Zone or westward.

including Hall, three of the four members of his coaching staff are intimately familiar with the region as well.

Andrew Hochstrasser — a two-time All-American and 2011 NCAA finalist as Hall’s teammate at Boise State — was a four-time Utah high school state champion.

Missouri grad Joey Lavallee — a 2017 NCAA runner-up at 157 pounds — is a Nevada native, as well as a four-time state champ himself.

Hall said the composition of his team and staff was “very intentional.” 

A lot of that has to do with his plans to build the program into a future force to be reckoned with.

“In the past, what I was told was that the best recruits weren’t staying close to home. And I made an emphasis to do that. Really, it starts in Utah, and then building out from there in the West,” Hall said.

“I point toward the top-10 team I was a part of at Boise State. I looked back at our team and all 10 guys that were in the starting lineup were from western states. So, I look at it like it can be done. And I have to be able to recruit hard and heavy in the west before I start branching out.”

But don’t take that sentiment to mean Utah Valley won’t happily welcome the right talent from anywhere it can find it.

“We have plans to build this program and earn people’s respect. At the end of the day, it’s about where you fit. I don’t care where you’re from. Because if it’s a family, if it’s the atmosphere that’s necessary for success, then you fit in.”

Early Expectations

Utah Valley finished 12th at the 13-team Big 12 Championships last season. 

Two weeks later, the Wolverines tallied just a single team point at NCAAs.

Nine days after that, Hall addressed his new team for the very first time, laying down his expectations for a new era of Utah Valley wrestling, albeit to some initially curious looks.

“I asked the guys when I first got here and addressed them on April 1,” he said. “I said, ‘Does anybody actually know what a Wolverine is?’”

As the team glanced around the room with a bit of confusion over the prompt, Hall continued, “‘It’s the meanest, toughest 40-pound animal in the woods. Bears don’t want to mess with them. Wolves don’t want to mess with them. They’re just ornery.’ And I said that is what we will embody and what our team will be about.”

What does that mean in more ‘human’ and/or wrestling terms?

“We don’t train just to see how it unfolds, see how it shakes out, see where I stand with this ranked guy,” the third head coach in UVU program history said.

“The guys know I’m not playing around — that our staff expects them to go out and have the expectation to be in a tight match and get your hand raised.”

Barraclough Leads The Way

Speaking of getting your hand raised, the early-season star for the Wolverines has unquestionably been Penn State transfer Terrell Barraclough.

The sixth-year senior was a spot starter for the powerhouse Nittany Lions in recent years but never broke into the postseason lineup. That sure appears set to change in 2025, as a 6-0 start, including a pair of ranked victories, has already elevated the Kaysville, Utah native up to #7 in the national rankings.

In fact, in their short time together as coach/athlete, Barraclough has already drawn comparisons to one of Hall’s star pupils at his stop prior to Utah Valley:

“He’s very similar to Trent Hidlay, who I coached at NC State,” Hall said. “He’s a high-energy guy who wrestles very hard…They’re both very competitive. Both want to win at everything. Both are really good students. So I see a lot of that quality in Terrell that I had in coaching Trent Hidlay.”

Wrestling fans will remember Hidlay — a 2021/24 NCAA finalist and four-time All-American — as the all-gas-no-brakes 184/197-pound star for the Wolfpack in recent years. So for Barraclough to have already elicited such a comparison from his new head coach should speak volumes.

Thus far, his biggest wins are an 11-9 road victory over Stanford returning All-American and #8 Hunter Garvin and a dominant 8-0 major decision last Friday in Lincoln, Nebraska over 12th-ranked Cornhusker Bubba Wilson.

And it’s only the beginning of what’s set to be a daunting schedule for both Barraclough and Utah Valley this season.

“I built the schedule out for him, and he is running through that gauntlet right now,” Hall said of his starting 165-pounder. “It was built out for Terrell and for these guys that are trying to get to the national tournament. Because at the end of the day the standard you set, people will rise to that.”

That slate includes 11 top-25 teams from Flo’s latest rankings, plus a loaded Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational in early December.

Oh yeah, and then there’s still the postseason.

What’s Next

The Wolverines (1-2) host their marquee home dual of the season this Friday night in Orem, Utah (streaming live on FloWrestling at 7:00 p.m. MT).

Visiting the UCCU Center for a Big 12 matchup is third-ranked Oklahoma State, led by another first-year head coach — one whose name you just might be familiar with.

Four-time World and Olympic champion David Taylor, fresh off a World Championship bronze medal in his final competition as an athlete, will lead the Cowboys (0-0) into a dual that marks their first of the 2024-25 season as well as the first in Taylor’s college coaching career.

Expect a strong home crowd to welcome the visitors, with UVU season tickets having sold out for the first time in program history per an announcement by the school last week.

A big part of that was Hall, who has continued to push the envelope both in terms of sheer volume as well as unique fan experiences — i.e. premium mat-side seating offerings.

“I expect over 4,000,” said Hall of an attendance figure for Friday night’s dual. “I’ll try and really push for 8,000 (capacity). I don’t really know what’s going to show up the day of, but ticket sales are going right now — they’re going pretty strong.”

As for the action on the mat, it’s a bit difficult to project matchups at this point given many of Oklahoma State’s biggest names have yet to compete so far this season.

Hall did point to a few weights he’s looking forward to, however, including 133, 141 and 165.

Kase Mauger (133) is back after a 13-1 loss to Nebraska’s #13 Jacob Van Dee but maintains the confidence of his head coach:

“He’s a kid who’s going to fly under the radar…He can pin people from a lot of different places because he cradles really well,” Hall said of the redshirt junior. “‘33 could be some sneaky fireworks – depending on who they throw out there…If it’s Reece (Witcraft), he’s dangerous and can wrestle from a lot of different positions. That’s Kase Mauger too, though. So, if they throw Witcraft out I wouldn’t be surprised if there were back points in the match.”

At 141, UVU’s Haiden Drury could face #12 Tagen Jamison in a battle of two past national qualifiers.

Back in June, Drury became the first Under-23 freestyle All-American in program history, according to Hall, who describes his 141-pounder as “a dog” and “tough as nails.”

But the headliner of the dual (if it happens) will be between #7 Barraclough and three-time All-American Cam Amine. Much like Barraclough, the sixth-ranked Amine, a Michigan transfer, is spending his final year of eligibility elsewhere from his former Big Ten home.

“65 is kind of the marquee match,” Hall said. “You have two top-10 guys toeing the line — both guys who are going to hand fight hard and who are going to bang. I know it’s something that Terrell has looked forward to for a long time and something that he’s really held on to. ‘It’s finally my time to shine and I’m trying to unleash that on everyone this year.’”

Regardless of which matchups do or don’t ultimately pan out, Utah Valley’s first-year head coach fully expects his Wolverines will be ready to compete in the spirit of their namesake.

“I like where we’re at,” he said, “and I know that we’re going to be prepared for whoever they throw out there.”

Catch the Utah Valley Wolverines' home duals this season on Flowrestling beginning with Friday night's clash with Oklahoma State.