Hall says staying with Lobos ‘felt right’ despite interest from Duke, Kansas, UConn, other major programs
At the end of the day, the allure — and the monstrous payday that certainly would have come with it — of playing for college basketball’s most storied programs wasn’t enough to drag Jake Hall away from New Mexico.
The record-setting shooting guard followed his stellar freshman season with the University of New Mexico men’s basketball team by jumping ever so temporarily into the NCAA transfer portal. He barely lasted a week in the free-agent market before recommitting to the Lobos for the 2026-27 season.
Programs like Kansas, Duke, UConn, North Carolina and others reached out to discuss options with Hall and his family. The entire time, Hall said, he kept open communication with Lobos head coach Eric Olen.
“I mean, it’s hard to turn down schools, you know, that are blue bloods and that you kind of dream of going to, but I think it’s just best for my career to be with Olen right now at New Mexico,” Hall said, adding, “New Mexico really felt right, and it was kind of like my gut telling me to go back.”
Hall’s decision came less than a day after his younger brother, Dax, signed with the Lobos. The brothers, Jake, a 6-foot-4 player of the year as a senior at Carlsbad (Calif.) High School and Dax, a 6-1 point guard from Santa Fe Christian in the San Diego suburb of Solana Beach, did manage to get Lobo fans’ hopes up before Jake’s announcement.
The pair posed for a few photos in UNM uniforms during Dax’s official on-campus visit on April 10, just days after Jake entered the portal. If one were to read the tea leaves, it was a sign the Halls were committed to wearing the cherry and silver for at least one season.
“No, honestly, I didn’t,” Jake said when asked if he’d already made up his mind to return when the photos were taken — a full six days before his announcement to come back. “My mom truly wanted us in jerseys together, kind of just to see us together. She kind of made me do that.”
Jake’s record-setting freshman season saw him start every game for the Lobos on his way to setting the program standard for made 3-pointers in a season and points by a freshman. He was named a first-team All-Mountain West performer and voted as the conference’s top freshman.
His blue-collar style made him an instant hit with UNM fans. Nicknamed “Pump Fake Jake” for his penchant for deking defenders off the floor before firing away, he said he’ll spend this offseason working to develop his mid-range game and taking the ball to the basket.
As for his brother, he said Dax — with whom he’ll share a residence next school year — has always been the quintessential point guard known for his defense.
Jake said he wanted to allow Dax and himself to make independent decisions on their college future, but the draw of playing at least one year together was too intoxicating. The pair went to different high schools and faced each other just once, a San Diego CIF playoff game where Dax’s Eagles ran a box-and-1 to slow down Jake’s all-around game.
By Jake’s memory, Dax wound up with more points, but big brother’s team got the win.
“I think he went for 27, I’m not going to lie — he was hooping,” Jake said. “He was lucky I wasn’t guarding him, though.”
Jake did not disclose how much money UNM has agreed to pay him next season, but various online chat forums and internet trolls suggested it was in the high six figures. He almost assuredly would have gotten a seven-figure deal from a higher-profile program.
Hall said the first phone call he made after his decision was to Olen. He said he thanked his coach for advising him about the portal process and helping him develop his game during his freshman season. It took a minute or two, but Hall eventually told him he was excited about the players Olen was bringing in for next season.
“I think we can do something really special,” he told Olen. “I don’t want to leave New Mexico without a championship, and told him I was coming back. He was fired up, and it was pretty cool. Yeah, that’s something I’ll probably never forget.”
Hall said his decision wasn’t based on money. After meeting with a number of coaches, he learned that the process of building a roster for the nation’s elite programs means waiting out NBA-ready talent for the draft and filling those holes with players who can fill certain roles rather than be established stars.
“The thing with these blue bloods, they’re not really worried about their guys going to the transfer portal,” Hall said. “It’s more who’s going to the NBA and who’s going to test that process. That’s a long process; they’re going to test and come back, and I didn’t want to wait because I knew Olen was building something special and I wanted to be a part of it. I knew if I waited too long, the opportunity might not be there anymore.”
So, to steal a phrase coined by UNM football coach Jason Eck shortly after announcing in December he’d return for a second season, Hall became a “Real One” for committing to the Lobos. The “Real One” tag also applies to fans, whom UNM is rewarding with memorabilia through season ticket packages and online promotions.
For at least one more year, Jake Hall is back as a Real One.
