In the wild jungle of social media, where influencers will do just about anything for a viral clip, one former college football player-turned-fitness guru has taken things to an absolutely unhinged level. Meet Ashton Hall—part time running back, full-time social media spectacle—who has the internet in a chokehold with his over-the-top morning routine. With an eye-popping 9.1 million followers, Ashton Hall has practically turned himself into a human science experiment, waking up at 3:52 a.m. to put himself through the type of self-inflicted torture that makes Navy SEAL training look like a casual Pilates class. But while the internet had a field day clowning him, Pat McAfee decided to step in and show some love. And boy, that did NOT sit right with the fans.

Ashton Hall is living in his own football universe right now—minus the actual football. The guy is a former running back turned fitness influencer, stacking views and engagement like it’s a national sport. The man’s literally built like Johnny Bravo, and his routine is downright insane. Ashton Hall wakes up at exactly 3:52 a.m., rips off his mouth tape (yes, he sleeps with tape on his mouth like Patrick Bateman from American Psycho), and immediately hydrates with Saratoga Spring Water like it’s the fountain of youth. By 4:00 a.m., he’s outside, squeezing in a quick pump. Then at 4:38, it’s straight into reading, journaling, and listening to some deep spiritual podcast—because apparently, enlightenment comes before breakfast.

But just when you think it can’t get weirder, 5:12 a.m. rolls around, and Ashton Hall is rubbing a banana peel on his face as part of his skincare routine. By 5:46 a.m., he’s dunking his face into ice water—again—because apparently, once wasn’t dramatic enough. At 6:38 a.m., he’s on the treadmill, sprinting like he’s late for his own life, all while rocking a $4.6K Van Cleef bracelet. Because if you’re gonna run for your life, you might as well flex while doing it. By 7:36 a.m., it’s pool time—first swimming laps, then chilling like he’s at an all-inclusive resort. And of course, at 8:45 a.m., it’s time for round 3 of the ice-water face dunk before finally clocking in at 9:16 a.m.—right on cue as breakfast gets served up.

But here’s where things get shady. X users started dissecting his timeline, and man, it’s got more gaps than a busted O-line. He says he’s reading at 5:30 a.m., but unless he’s got superpowers, he somehow finishes in zero seconds. And that 7:36 a.m. swim? Apparently, it takes him a whole four minutes just to hit the water. Somebody make it make sense. The internet ain’t letting that slide.

That’s the Ashton Hall experience.

Now, let’s talk football—because technically, that was his career before becoming a walking motivational poster. Ashton Hall started at Alcorn State, where he rushed for a grand total of… 8 yards on 6 carries over 2 seasons. Ain’t gonna lie, that’s not even a D3 athlete’s numbers. After that, he tried transferring to UCF, but that didn’t go anywhere either. So yeah, when football didn’t exactly pan out, Ashton pivoted hard into fitness influencing—and to his credit, it worked.

But while the internet was roasting him for his diabolical morning routine, Pat McAfee wasn’t having any of it. On March 25th, McAfee came to Hall’s defense during a live segment: “That guy’s a former football player, right? He can move. Dude, this guy can move. I saw Lethal Shooter, once again, hit a gummy bear into a bottle yesterday, and then I watched this guy run. And it’s like some of these fitness influencers are a little bit different than the others; some of these trick shot people are a little bit different than the others. This guy sticking his face in sparkling water is certainly something. But I got massive respect for this man. Massive respect for this man.”

Classic frat boy energy from McAfee. The guy loves chaos and looks like he’d totally vibe with Ashton Hall over protein shakes and ice baths. But the fans? Oh, they were fuming.

The Internet went crazy after Pat McAfee showed love to Ashton Hall’s insane morning routine

As soon as Pat McAfee’s clip hit IG, the comments section turned into an all-out roast session. Fans weren’t buying McAfee’s admiration for Hall and wasted NO time clowning the former running back’s, uh… “storied” football career.

The fans started with pretty obvious, “What pyramid scheme is he selling?” Nobody’s really clear on Hall’s business model, but let’s be honest—guys with those crazy aesthetic morning routines pushing online fitness programs? While pyramid schemes might seem like the quick route to making money, Hall seems to have just found a way to get rich by selling pure “grindset.”

The next fan brought Ashton Hall’s college football receipt: “He has 8 yards from 6 carries FYI.” This one is straight-up brutal. Like, 8 yards? In two seasons? That’s one first down… stretched over multiple years. The internet never forgets, and someone just pulled the worst receipt in Hall’s playbook. When your football résumé looks like a typo, no amount of banana peel skincare is saving you from the slander.

One user commented, “He definitely drinks that VOSS water after making out with his plants.” Now this right here? A hilarious reference to Hall’s high-maintenance hydration game. The man ONLY drinks Saratoga Spring Water, which just sounds like the rich man’s VOSS. With that water constantly in his videos, everyone figured it was a brand deal. Turns out, nope! Saratoga’s parent company, Primo Brands, says they’re not affiliated at all. But get this: they’re loving the buzz and have actually reached out to Hall about a real partnership now.

Even McAfee wasn’t safe from the backlash. “PAT NO. DON’T HYPE.” The fans wanted him to stop glazing Ashton Hall like a donut. Pat hyping up a guy who played 6 career snaps had some fans wondering if he had an agenda—or if he just respects the grind that much. Either way, the crowd wasn’t rocking with it.

The last user called Ashton Hall’s college football career: “Zero Respect.” And there it is. The final nail in the coffin. This fan wasn’t here for the jokes or the playful roasting—he just hit Hall’s football career with a straight-up obituary. To some, Ashton Hall is an elite fitness influencer. To others, his football career was a meme before he even left the locker room.

Love him or hate him, but you can’t stop watching him. Ashton Hall is winning the social media game. Sure, his football career might have been blink-and-you-miss-it short, but he’s found a hustle that works. Whether you think his morning routine is next-level discipline or just an elaborate PR stunt, the dude has figured out how to get people talking. As for Pat McAfee? He’s going to respect whoever he wants—and he clearly sees something in Ashton Hall’s diabolical dedication. But the fans? Nah. They weren’t letting this one slide. Zero respect for his football career. Maximum clowning. End of the day, the internet stays undefeated.