Pitt FB Recruiting
Pitt Becomes Latest Power Five Offer For 2022 Georgia Athlete Will Hardy
Pitt’s most recent offer to a player from Georgia went out Friday night to 2022 3-star athlete Will Hardy from Greater Atlanta Christian in Norcross, Georgia.
Hardy (6-foot-2, 185 pounds) now has five D-I offers and it’s interesting that three of them are from programs in the ACC: Pitt, Georgia Tech and Virginia. Pitt recently started their recruitment of Hardy and felt confident in extending the offer over a phone conversation last night.
“I’ve been talking to Coach Manalac for about a week so it hasn’t been too long,” said Hardy. “He’s been texting me and then last night he asked us to give him a call. We talked to him and introduced ourselves, he was getting some information on me and then said I love your film and we want to offer you a scholarship to Pitt. It was surprising because I didn’t have a super long relationship with them but I guess they were impressed enough with my film to feel comfortable offering. I was pleasantly surprised.”
Courtesy of Will Hardy
“The Virginia offer, which was my first offer, was really surprising to me but I also believe that I showed a lot and improved during my junior season but I think I still have a lot of room to still improve. I believe this is just the start of my recruitment but I am super pumped to be receiving these offers and attention. I really don’t take any of this for granted.”
During their conversation, Manalac explained to Hardy where he envisions him playing and excelling in the Panthers defense. At Greater Atlanta Christian, Hardy plays wide receiver and safety but that would change if he chooses Pitt.
“During our conversation, Coach Manalac said they want me to play the Star linebacker position. He explained to me the plays I’d be making, the coverages I’d be in and my role which seems awesome. I love the position that they offered me at. The Star would be a mix between safety and outside linebacker. I would be covering the slots but also getting some deep coverages, along with send me on blitzes and really doing everything on the field.”
Junior Season Highlights‼️ https://t.co/R2mgj4BJ7W @GACFootball @RecruitGeorgia @ChadSimmons_ @Mansell247
— Will Hardy (@willhardy_5) December 27, 2020
“On defense in high school, I run all over the field to make plays, I really run downhill and hit people,” said Hardy. “I believe that I’m really good at breaking down and making tackles but also am able to track the ball. I do well also in covering guys in the slot along with tall, rangy guys. The Star position fits for what I do well.”
Hardy tells PSN that now that he’s starting to receive major offers, he’s starting to take notes about all of these schools and conversations that he’s having with coaches. In the end, this will be important along with a few other things that his future school must have.
Courtesy of Will Hardy
“My parents and I have some key values that we’ll be looking for in a program,” said Hardy. “One is the program itself and how it’s run by the coaches and the team culture. Second, I really value academics (Hardy has a 4.5 GPA), a lot of these ACC schools are great academic schools which I love. We’re open to everyone right now but when it comes time to trim it down, we’ll be looking for schools that have the same values that we have.”
In terms of a decision timeframe, Hardy believes that it would be very difficult for him to make a college decision without having the chance to see the campus and football facilities in person. He is hoping that visits will be permitted by the summer so that he can get out and see places like Pitt.
