San Jose standouts share 49ers bloodlines
Cade Hall and Derrick Deese Jr. have keyed San Jose State to a 4-0 start
Cade Hall and Derrick Deese
Jr. have keyed SJSU to a 4-0 start, stand near top of Mountain West stat charts.
The story of San Jose State’s 4- 0 start cannot be told without mentioning the emergence of defensive lineman Cade Hall and tight end Derrick Deese Jr.
Hall leads the Mountain West in sacks and Deese has racked up highlight catches all year. Together, the third-year Spartans are helping to usher in a new era of San Jose State football.
But there’s one other tie that connects the two: 26 years ago, their fathers were teammates with the Super Bowl XXIX champion San Francisco 49ers.
“It’s destiny that we’re here to
gether, and we’re playing together in the Bay,” Deese said.
Rhett Hall and Derrick Deese Sr., fathers of Cade and Derrick Jr., played together for just one season, but it was a memorable one. The 1994 San Francisco 49ers won 10 of their last 11 regular-season games and rolled past the Bears, Cowboys and Chargers to win the Super Bowl.
Flash forward, and Cade and Derrick Jr. are crafting their own
history, just 50 miles south of their fathers’ old stomping grounds.
“He’ll send me something when he sees something my son’s doing. I’ll send him something when I see something that his son is doing,” Deese Sr. said.
For Cade Hall, the Bay Area is part of his identity, having been raised in Morgan Hill and starring at Bellarmine Prep. Cade even had a tattoo depicting the numbers “408,” the area code of San Jose.
“I got it to represent where I come from,” Hall said.
A short car ride away from home, Cade is a key part of a vastly improved San Jose State defense, one that’s allowing the second-fewest points per game in the Mountain West Conference.
Even despite last week’s game with Fresno State being canceled, Hall leads the Mountain West with 5.5 sacks. For comparison, he had 4 sacks total in his first two seasons combined. Last week, he earned Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week honors for his three sacks and four tackles for loss against UNLV.
“This dude is a beast on the field,” Deese Jr. said.
While Hall has helped stop explosive plays, Deese Jr. has been a source of them. In four games, he has 10 receptions and 145 receiving yards with a careerhigh three touchdowns. Aside from the counting stats, Deese has made several eye-popping grabs.
In San Jose State’s seasonopening win over Air Force, he made a tip-toe catch in the back of the end zone for a touchdown, one that evoked memories of Santonio Holmes’ game-winning grab in Super Bowl XLIII. Against San Diego State, Deese had a one-handed catch, as well as another tip-toe reception on the sidelines.
“He’s a matchup nightmare,” said quarterback Nick Starkel. “You put a linebacker on him, they’re going to be too small in terms of trying to catch a jump ball and they’re going to be too slow to run with him. You put a safety on him, and they might be able to cover him, but he’s got the body to box them out and try to make a catch.”
Despite Deese’s frame, one that’s tailor-made for tight end, he played wide receiver at Orange County’s Kennedy High and Golden West Community College in Huntington Beach. That changed at San Jose State, where he was converted to tight end upon transferring.
Deese was initially reluctant to move to tight end after lining up at wide receiver his entire career, but he understood how his ability to block combined with his receiving talent could contribute to winning. Of course, his father’s 11-year NFL career as an offensive lineman may have helped him.
“Obviously he would have the benefits of knowing some of the blocking stuff, getting some inside information on how to block and things like that,” Deese Sr. said.
With Cade on defense and Derrick Jr. on offense, the two clash during practice, just like their fathers several decades prior.
To Rhett and Derrick Sr., the success hasn’t been a surprise. They’ve provided expertise, but both emphasized that the success of their sons has been a product of their sole willingness to work.
“A lot of it is self-discovery,” Rhett said. “I talk to him about defensive line play technique, and I’m sure he’s willing to listen, but the majority of what Cade has built has been his experience with coaches and his personal work ethic.”
The fathers know how much work is required to succeed. They spent about two combined decades in the league, and their one season together with the 49ers was a catalyst for both of their careers. Their paths to San Francisco, however, weren’t lined with gold.
The elder Hall, a former Cal standout, was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 1991 draft but would be waived five times in his first three seasons before making his way to the 49ers.
Deese Sr., like his son, started at community college, playing at El Camino College before transferring to USC. He signed with the 49ers in 1992 after going undrafted but didn’t make his debut until 1994.
Hall and Deese Sr. ended up being pivotal players on that championship team. Deese provided protection for Steve Young, the league MVP, while Hall recorded three sacks in the playoffs, including two in the NFC title game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Now, Hall and Deese Sr. have the opportunity to see their sons as teammates not too far from where they played together.
It’s not quite the Super Bowl, but Cade and Derrick Jr. have propelled San Jose State to its first 4-0 start since 1955. This weekend, the Spartans have an opportunity for a statement win against Boise State. Regardless of the outcome, Cade and Derrick Jr. will be right in the thick of things, linked by their teammate bond and their fathers’.
“It’s a special time and a special moment,” Deese Sr. said.