Advertisement
football Edit

3-star ATH Hardy still "100 percent" committed to Cavaliers

UVa was the first program to offer 2022 3-star athlete Will Hardy, who committed to the Cavaliers in April.
UVa was the first program to offer 2022 3-star athlete Will Hardy, who committed to the Cavaliers in April.


With the start of his own ACC football career fast approaching, Will Hardy admits he’s been watching college games on Saturdays a bit differently this fall.

“I’m always watching safeties,” explained the three-star athlete. “Specifically Joey Blount. I watch him a lot. He just makes plays. Running around, flying around making plays, which is just fun to watch.”

But which ACC program does Hardy plan to sign with in December?

Since mid-April, he’s been committed to follow in Blount’s footsteps and make the trip from Georgia to play in the Virginia secondary. But he still hears from Georgia Tech, where safeties coach Nathan Burton is a graduate of Hardy’s high school, Greater Atlanta Christian. And two weekends ago, Hardy was in Chapel Hill to watch North Carolina’s 45-42 win against Miami.

Hardy downplayed that recent visit to UNC in a conversation with CavsCorner this week, saying he’s still “100 percent” committed to UVa.

“I feel really good about my decision and I’m glad where I’m at,” he said.


Advertisement


Virginia defensive coordinator Nick Howell made a “very unexpected” offer to Hardy back in late January. It was the first time the Peach State native had heard from the staff; UVa was also the first school to make Hardy an offer. He strengthened that relationship with the staff through regular virtual conversations on Zoom, and paid a visit to Charlottesville in early April to get a feel for Grounds.

Conversations with both Blount and inside linebacker Nick Jackson, another Atlanta native, helped Hardy finalize his decision. He committed to Virginia on April 19th.

“I wanted to make my decision early because they didn’t know how many safeties they were gonna take,” Hardy said this week. “I did not want to miss out on that opportunity.”



Hardy hasn’t been back to UVa for a game yet this season, but he did make an official visit the first weekend in June. He texts with safeties coach Shane Hunter on just about a daily basis. Despite being recruited to play defense, he has marveled at the show the UVa offense has put on this season en route to a 6-2 record.

“Winning against BYU would be huge. A top 25 win; I think they’d bump into the top 25 with a 7-2 record,” Hardy said. “I think they’ve bounced back from those two losses in a row and they’re trending up. I’m excited.”

But Hardy’s commitment to the Cavaliers hasn’t stopped those Coastal Division rivals from keeping tabs on the Peach State prospect. UNC in particular is “recruiting me pretty hard” after offering Hardy a scholarship late last summer.

Three of his former teammates at Greater Atlanta Christian now play for the Tar Heels. He and his father, the head coach of the Spartans, saw the visit to Chapel Hill as an opportunity to see some familiar faces in addition to getting a better feel for the UNC program and coaches.

“We took that as a recruiting visit, but it was also an add-on to see those guys, and just to watch a college football game,” Hardy explained. “None of this was available last year, and I really wasn’t being recruited this highly last year. These opportunities to go visit, I just wanted to see as much as I could.”

That’s the only visit Hardy has made this fall. He has one more on his schedule—a trip to Scott Stadium to watch the Wahoos host Notre Dame on November 20th.

“I am excited,” Hardy said, emphasizing each syllable to reinforce that anticipation.

Hardy is also eager about what he hopes will be a strong finish to his high school football career. With limited depth on the roster, Hardy has played nearly every snap on both sides of the ball this fall. He’s played receiver and occasionally as a wildcat quarterback on offense, and been used in a variety of roles on defense.

He’s forced two fumbles and his seven interceptions in eight games are the most in the state of Georgia. He recently got a text of encouragement from Blount, a fifth-year senior coming off his own strong performance last Saturday against Georgia Tech, who’d been watching some of Hardy’s highlights from this fall.

The Spartans have two games left on their regular season schedule, including senior night in two weeks. After a down season at Greater Atlanta Christian, the Spartans will have to hit the road for the playoffs, meaning that will be Hardy’s final game at home. Once the season is finished, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound future college safety will turn his attention to getting stronger and faster.

“Just one more home game in my high school career,” Hardy said. “Gotta enjoy it. Not a lot of football left at this level.”



JOIN CAVSCORNER TODAY!

If you are not already a member of CavsCorner, come join us and see what all of the buzz is about.

Click HERE to subscribe and get all of the latest news and join hundreds of other UVa fans in talking about Cavalier football, basketball, and recruiting. You won't be disappointed!


Advertisement