5-Star Mecole Hardman Jr. Details Timeline for College Decision
With national signing day rapidly approaching, 5-star athlete Mecole Hardman Jr. has mapped out a plan on how he will make his decision.
“I want to know what school I am going to by the end of November, or somewhere around there,” Hardman told Bleacher Report. “That way, I can start focusing on that team. I will still announce it on signing day like I originally planned. I don’t plan on telling anyone before signing day. Hopefully, I’ll know where I’m going by the end of November.”
In August, Hardman revealed a top 10 that included Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Stanford and Tennessee.
The nation’s top-rated athlete and No. 21 player overall in the 2016 cycle was on hand last week for Georgia’s deflating loss at the hands of Alabama. However, the trip did nothing to hurt the Bulldogs' chances with him.
“Georgia lost, but it doesn’t change anything,” Hardman said. “It just shows how good ‘Bama is and that they came in ready to play. You can make excuses for a lot of things like the rain and weather, but it was still a good game to come to. I enjoyed every part of it.”
Hardman has been a regular on campus, which isn’t surprising considering the Georgia campus is roughly 30 minutes away from his hometown of Elberton, Georgia.
If the Bulldogs hope to keep him close to home for college, they will have to fend off a number of powerhouse programs from around the country.
In fact, Hardman’s schedule may take him to several different campuses in the coming weeks.
“I may go to FSU vs. Miami this weekend, but I don’t know. I have to see how it works out,” Hardman said. “If not, I could go to Georgia vs. Tennessee this weekend. The Georgia vs. Missouri game the week after that. Then, FSU vs. Syracuse, I think I will go to that one. I will also take official visits to Ole Miss and Michigan in November. I might also go to the LSU vs. Alabama game.”
Of that group, it’s the Rebels that seem to be making the strongest push for the Peach State standout.
“I think Ole Miss is coming at me the hardest right now. Of all the teams, they are just really on it right now,” Hardman said. “Georgia is coming after me pretty hard. Tennessee has always been on me. ‘Bama is starting to step it up too. Michigan is doing a great job of keeping up with me. They are all on me.”
If Hardman has his way, he will still be involved with the game of football long after his playing days are over.
As smooth as he is on the field playing quarterback, receiver or corner, the 5’10”, 175-pounder hopes to transition from making plays to breaking them down as a broadcaster when his career concludes.
“Something to do with sports broadcasting,” Hardman told Bleacher Report of his preferred field after he hangs up his cleats. “I’ll probably major in communications or some type of program like that. I’d like to be on TV as a broadcaster. I think I’d like to do that later on in life even if football doesn’t work out. I feel like that’s something I’d like to do as a job.”
In fact, Hardman said he looks up to one former star player-turned ESPN broadcaster in particular.
“I kind of like David Pollack,” Hardman said. “I watch him because he kind of goes against teams that you would think he wouldn’t go against. He gets a lot of attention for his picks, but he’s not afraid to go against the grain. I like David Pollack a lot.”
While he is fond of the former Georgia All-American defensive lineman, Bulldogs fans are hoping that he follows in his footsteps to Athens.
Still, his visit schedule is proof that there’s a long way to go before he’s ready to make a decision.
With a number of important visits on tap, Hardman is taking a business-minded approach with each trip. In fact, he’s outlined the criteria that will eventually help him arrive at a decision.
“I’m looking at how each school is playing and how they will look at the end of the season,” Hardman said. “I want to see the schools in my top group, the schools that I’m interested in, I want to see how they play and experience what it’s like on game day and just go from there. Every school, or most top schools, you can get a good education wherever you go. They all have great coaching staffs. It’s just going to come down to where I feel most comfortable at and where I feel like I can come in and make a great impact early in my career.”
Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.
