New York Jets star running back Breece Hall is set to face his old college roommate, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, on Monday night. Both players entered the NFL in 2022—Hall as a second-round pick and Purdy as the last overall selection.
During an appearance on the "Rich Eisen Show" this week, Hall reflected on his former Iowa State teammate, who has quickly become an NFL rising star. Purdy is on track to secure one of the largest NFL contracts next year. When asked if Purdy's rapid success surprised him, Hall offered an honest response.
"I'm surprised how fast it happened," Hall admitted to Rich Eisen. "But as far as his success, just knowing the type of person he is, the type of leader he is, I wouldn't say I'm surprised. Being around a guy like him every day and seeing the way he lives his life, how he is within his faith in God, and his relationship with God, and just seeing how he works every day, his success now doesn't surprise me.
"I just feel like it's a blessing from God, on top of him having that great work ethic and being a great person."
Purdy, in turn, spoke highly of Hall on Friday, praising the Jets' running back.
"One of the most talented football players that I've ever shared the field with or just seen play football live," Purdy said. "Breece is one of the most talented guys. So, seeing his development from when he got there as a freshman to then us, like pushing each other in the weight room and getting on the field and the relationship that we had, like he was a brother to me, like a little brother, bringing him under my wing and just trying to push him and want to see him be his best. To see his mentality flip and to go get after it, it was pretty sweet to see. We pushed each other in everything that we did."
Despite their strong bond, Hall doesn't anticipate speaking with Purdy until after the Week 1 contest, given the intense competitiveness between them. Even in college, losing to each other in a video game would result in a day of the silent treatment.
"When it comes to us going against each other, it's really intense, real serious," Hall added.
Purdy echoed that sentiment, recalling their competitive nature. He commented, "Obviously, you hear the stories of us, like competing in Madden and stuff, and that's all true. We were so competitive with each other and just like offseason stuff, in the weight room, like just pushing each other with stuff where it was basically like you'd try to go for time and length and then you'd fail or whatever, whether it was a core workout or a leg workout or whatever. We were just pushing each other all the time."
The two players, having roomed together for two-and-a-half years, know each other extremely well. Hall shared some personal details about Purdy during the interview with Eisen, revealing the 49ers quarterback's quirky side.
"Me and him were both clean freaks," Hall said. "We were pretty much around each other all day at the facility during the season, so when we got home, we would talk, but we mostly be on our own time, just chilling in our rooms and stuff.
"But being with him, he loves video games, he plays piano, he likes soap operas and musicals and stuff like that. So he's definitely more interesting than what you would think."
Hall even revealed Purdy's favorite movie: "His favorite movie is Mamma Mia!"
The running back noted that Purdy also loves other musicals, though Hall admitted he had to tune them out at times and couldn't name any others off the top of his head.
Purdy and Hall's mutual respect, built over years of shared experience at Iowa State, adds an extra layer of excitement to their matchup in Week 1 at Levi's Stadium.
