Mecole Hardman to Georgia: Bulldogs Land 5-Star Prospect

Mecole Hardman, one of the most dynamic athletes in the 2016 college football recruiting class, is heading to Georgia. It's a major pickup that creates a lot of exciting possibilities for the Bulldogs.

"It is time to get a national title back to Georgia," Hardman said, per Chad Simmons of Scout.com.

Rusty Mansell of 247Sports shared Hardman's unique way of supposedly showing how he intended to decide on a new school:

However, Logan Booker of Cox Media Group Athens showed how Hardman really made his decision to attend Georgia:

Hardman is a 5-star recruit who rates among the top 15 nationally and is considered the No. 1 athlete for the 2016 class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. The outlet also notes he received over 30 offers, mostly from high-profile programs, before making his decision.

It's possible he could have been ranked even higher if he had a defined position. While he's gained experience on both sides of the ball, he's a raw talent who will need to work quite a bit on technique early in his collegiate career, regardless of position.

Hardman possesses blazing speed, which is probably his biggest asset at this point. So it wouldn't be a surprise if he made an impact on special teams as well—at least until he's ready to take on a full workload on one side of the ball.

Radi Nabulsi of UGASports.com highlighted some of the recruit's lightning-quick 40 times:

Speed is always a nice advantage to have because it translates well across various roles. It provides valuable built-in versatility for a young player who's still very much in the development process.

The concern when it comes to Hardman is his size (5'10", 169 pounds). While he's built well for a player with his frame, he's still on the small side, and that would probably limit his impact on offense. That's why defense seems like his best fit for the long haul.

Picking Georgia over the other contenders, including the reigning champions from Alabama, should give Hardman a quicker path to playing time.

The Bulldogs don't have nearly as much depth or experience in the secondary as the Crimson Tide do. In turn, Hardman should have reasonable opportunity to find himself playing meaningful snaps before the end of his freshman campaign.

Exactly how much that played into his decision is unclear, but at the very least, it's an added bonus that also allows him to stay closer to home.

All told, it's easy to get excited about Hardman because the raw talent is highly intriguing. Fans will need to have some patience, however. His involvement should grow steadily over time, though he'll probably make a few flashy plays as a freshman to showcase his upside.

Chalk it up as another promising addition to Georgia's 2016 recruiting class.