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We’re in to game week now, and that means the final few players on the countdown. Today we begin with a 5th year senior that has been bothered by injuries a bit.
Kamal Hardy - Sr.
Mirarmar, FL (St. Thomas Aquinas HS)
5’11”, 195 pounds
Cornerback
2018 Projection: Reserve at cornerback
Hardy started his career as a JuCo transfer from Monroe College in 2016. Darrell Hazell brought him in to shore up the secondary, but a shoulder injury ended his season after one game. That enabled him to redshirt, however, and hang on to two years of eligibility. Last season he played in eight games and started once. Most of his action came against Nebraska, where is he was forced into action for the injured Da’Wan Hunte. He finished that game with 8 of his 13 tackles and he added two more the next week in a start against Illinois. He also had a late interception against Missouri.
In high school Hardy was a standout corner at St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the best programs in the country down in Florida. His team won a state championship his junior year and is always among the nation’s best programs.
As for this season, it is up int he air how much Hardy will play. Dedrick Mackey and Kenneth Major have come out of their redshirt year expecting big minutes at cornerback. Tim Cason and Antonio Blackmon are also expected to play extensively, if not start. That might leave Hardy as the fifth man in a four man rotation.