PSU cannot ignore Penn Hills’ Hardy
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State offered Daeqaun Hardy of Penn Hills a scholarship Tuesday, one day before the start of the NCAA’s second signing period for football recruits.
It’s easy to think, then, that Hardy might have been a virtual afterthought — or perhaps a Plan B or C after a more coveted prospect opted to play elsewhere — for the Nittany Lions coaching staff.
But even though Nittany Lions coach James Franklin acknowledged Wednesday that Hardy was “a guy we went back and forth on the entire process,” his body of work proved to be simply too intriguing to ignore.
“What really helped us was two things,” Franklin said. “Number 1, he came to [a summer] camp last year and … ran a 4.4. There just aren’t too many human beings on the planet who run 4.4.
“That was going into his junior year and, on top of that, he had a dominant senior year. An unbelievable amount of touchdowns [25], an unbelievable amount of interceptions [10] and, I want to say, five [actually, four] touchdowns in the state championship game.”
Hardy is not physically imposing — Penn State lists him as being 5 feet 9, 160 pounds — but Franklin suggested that it’s possible to put too much emphasis on vital statistics, rather than the stats players produce on the field.
“What happens sometimes with coaches is that you get so caught up in the eyeball test and measurements,” he said. “If you put the tape on and watch his production, he had as good a senior year as anybody in the country.”
Franklin said Penn State recruited Hardy as a cornerback/athlete but has not ruled out using him in other roles.
“We know he can be a wide receiver, as well,” he said. “There was a lot of conversation about that. We know he can be a return man. We know he can be a specialteams guy.”
Hardy is one of four prospects who submitted letters of intent to the Nittany Lions on Wednesday. The other new members of their recruiting Class of 2019 are:
• 3 stars: T.J. Jones, a 6-1, 175-pound wide receiver from Lake City, Fla. “We kind of fell in love with him late in the process,” Franklin said. “Another prospect we feel has a lot of upside.”
• 3 stars: Joseph Darkwa, a 6-5, 272-pound defensive tackle from Dusseldorf, Germany. “He’s probably a lot more advanced than we anticipated him being,” Franklin said. “Very athletic. Excited about his future.”
• 3 stars: Smith Vilbert, a 66, 245-pound defensive end from Montvale, N.J. “Smith Vilbert reminds us a lot of [redshirt freshman] Jayson Oweh,” Franklin said. “He only played [high school] football for one year. His potential, his ceiling, is very high.”
Although Franklin said that “overall, we’re very pleased with the class,” he did not rule out adding another player or two to the 23 who already are part of a group ranked 11th in the nation by Rivals.
The Nittany Lions’ top remaining target is believed to be four-star defensive back Nick Cross, a Florida State recruit.
Cross has narrowed his choices down to the Seminoles, Maryland and Penn State. His interest in the Terrapins is recent and appears to be the reason he has not made a decision.
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NOTES — Franklin said safety Lamont Wade of Clairton, who entered — then left — the NCAA transfer portal, explored the possibility of leaving Penn State because he “wants to play more, wants to have a big impact.” Wade is expected to contend for the starting spot opposite Garrett Taylor this fall. … Franklin confirmed that Tommy Stevens will be the No. 1 quarterback when the depth chart is put together, but there will be an open competition for the job.