Khenon Hall bio
One of the top recruiting minds in the state of Texas, Khenon Hall is in his second year as Baylor's associate head coach/running backs coach in 2025.
In his first year in Waco, Hall had a drastic impact on the transformation of Baylor’s offense into one of the nation’s best under the direction of first-year offensive coordinator Jake Spavital. Hall’s dynamic running back group, led by freshman Bryson Washington and sophomore Dawson Pendergrass, spurred a six-game winning streak to conclude the regular season, the longest such streak in program history, leading the Bears to the Kinder’s Texas Bowl.
Washington shattered the school record for freshman rushing yards, becoming the first to eclipse 1,000 yards with a 1,028 yard season on 175 carries, totaling 12 TDs, all despite missing the first two games of the season. He rolled to six 100-yard rushing outings, including four straight games and in five of six outings. Over that four-game stretch, Washington rushed for 624 yards, with 10 TDs, including nine rushing. He averaged 113.2 all-purpose yards per game and finished the year as a freshman All-American by The Athletic and the Football Writers Association of America.
Washington was not the only weapon in Hall’s backfield as Pendergrass had another strong season, rushing for 671 yards on 121 carries with six TDs. The underclassmen running back duo was one of just two power-4 schools to have a 1,000 yard and a 600-yard rusher in the regular season, joining Miami (Fla.).
A native of Dallas and a product of South Oak Cliff High School, Hall spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons on the staff at SMU as the assistant coach working with running backs, and in 2023 owning that title in addition to run-game coordinator. Hall previously spent the 2021 season at Texas Southern, which followed seven years at his alma mater, Illinois State (2014-20). He got his start in coaching as a student assistant at Illinois State (2009-10) and as a graduate assistant at New Mexico (2011-12).
Hall helped lead the Mustangs to the American Athletic Conference Championship in 2023, which included an 11-2 record and an 8-0 mark in league play. The Mustangs posted a win over No. 22 Tulane on Dec. 2 in New Orleans to claim the title, which saw SMU rush for 193 yards in the game to win its ninth-straight game. SMU will play in the Fenway Bowl vs. Boston College to conclude 2023.
SMU averaged 40.62 points per game, totaling 181.1 rush yards per game behind Hall's running attack. The 'Stangs ranked among the nation's leaders in first down offense (fourth), scoring offense (sixth), red-zone offense (10th), total offense (14th) and rushing offense (37th). Jaylan Knighton (720 yards, 7 TDs), LJ Johnson Jr. (544 yards, 3 TDs) and Camar Wheaton (410 yards, 5 TDs) helped Hall form a trio of running backs to lead the offense.
In 2022, Hall's running back room helped the Mustangs to several national rankings, checking in seventh in red zone offense, 12th in scoring offense and 14th in total offense. The Mustangs' 331 first downs set a program record, while the 1,005 total plays rank second. The 2022 squad also posted top-three program marks in scoring (3rd, 484) and total offense (3rd, 6,147 yards). SMU won seven games and went 5-3 in league play, advancing to the New Mexico Bowl.
Hall served as the running backs coach at Texas Southern in 2021. He led TSU to the 22nd best rushing offense in FCS in 2021, averaging 188.3 yards per game, with the offense ranking No. 20 overall in FCS with 429.5 yards per outing.
Before his one-year stint at TSU, Hall spent seven years at his alma mater, Illinois State. Hall worked in bevy of roles, which started in 2009-10 as a student assistant, and after time as a graduate assistant at New Mexico (2011-12), returned to the Redbirds to work at ISU from 2014-20.
In his first year at ISU as the team's defensive assistant coach in 2014, Hall made an immediate impact as Dontae McCoy earned All-MVFC Honorable Mention honors. McCoy recorded 67 tackles and broke up four passes. Hall also helped Alec Kocour earn MVFC Honorable Mention honors, despite playing in just nine games due to an injury. He also mentored and developed Davontae Harris, who finished his career with 208 tackles (152 solo stops), 38 passes defended (tied for fifth all-time at ISU), 10 tackles for loss, four interceptions and three sacks in 49 games played for the Redbirds. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. Hall also had a hand in the development of Luther Kirk, who was named the Defensive MVP at the East-West Shrine Bowl. Kirk was also named an American Football Coaches Association FCS Coaches' and FCS All-America First-Team selection while also earning STATS FCS All-America Second-Team and Associated Press FCS All-America Third-Team honors while serving as team captain.
Hall eventually moved over to the offensive side of the ball and spent three years as the team's running backs coach. Hall's presence generated another quick impact as running back James Robinson had his first 1,000-yard season and tied for second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with 12 rushing touchdowns. As a result of his efforts on the field, Robinson was named a STATS FCS Walter Payton Award finalist and an All-American from multiple agencies. One year later, Hall helped Robinson move to another level as a consensus first-team All-American, a STATS FCS Walter Payton Award finalist for the second time and an First-Team All-MVFC selection for the third-straight season. Robinson led the MVFC in rushing yards (1,899), yards per game (126.6) and touchdowns (18) and recorded eight 100-plus yard rushing efforts, including a pair of 200-plus yard efforts in the first and second round of the FCS playoffs that included a school-record breaking 297-yard effort in the first-round when at Southeast Missouri. He finished the season ranked No. 2 in the FCS in rushing yards and yards per game and sixth in rushing touchdowns. One year later, Robinson broke an NFL record for most yards by an undrafted rookie in a Week 1 game as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Robinson finished his rookie campaign with 1,000-plus yards and 10 total touchdowns.
Off the field, Hall also had a major impact serving as the team's recruiting coordinator and director of player personnel. Hall's 2020 recruiting class ranked No. 8 in the FCS.
Prior to joining Illinois State on a full-time basis, Hall served as a graduate assistant at New Mexico working with defensive backs during the 2011-12 season. Hall spent the 2009 and 2010 seasons as a student assistant at Illinois State and assisted with the Redbirds' secondary and defensive line.
Hall's collegiate playing career began at Trinity Valley Community College after a solid high school career at South Oak Cliff in Dallas. Hall ranked second on the team in 2007 with 70 tackles, including a team-high 66 solo stops, in eight games of action. In addition, he added four tackles-for-loss and a quarterback sack and was named to the 2006 All-Southwest Junior College Football Conference Honorable Mention team. He signed with Illinois State in 2008 and would start six games before a career-ending injury led him to coaching.
Hall graduated from Illinois State in 2010 with a degree in University Studies. He has three children: Jazlyn, Khenon Jr., and Khaydon.
Hall File
2009-10: Student Assistant – Illinois State
2011-12: Graduate Assistant – New Mexico
2014-17: Assistant Coach/Defense – Illinois State
2018-20: Assistant Coach/Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator – Illinois State
2021: Assistant Coach/Running Backs – Texas Southern
2022: Assistant Coach/Running Backs – SMU
2023: Assistant Coach/Running Backs/Run-Game Coordinator – SMU
2024-25: Associate Head Coach/Running Backs – Baylor
