College

Mecole Hardman’s ‘where he needs to be’ at receiver

HOOVER, Ala. — There is no more debate about it. Mecole Hardman is a wide receiver, plain and simple. He's no longer a part-time defensive back.

“I think that’s safe to say,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said at SEC Football Media Days on Tuesday. “You guys have finally cracked the egg.”

The new 2017 media guide, just released this week, was one indication. It has only “WR” next to his name in his bio on page 42. Then there was the evidence offered in spring football practice. Hardman worked at wideout “95 percent of the time,” Smart confirmed.

“He did double as a DB on some occasions as were very down with DBs in the spring,” Smart said. “But we think Mecole’s biggest attributes are going to help us in the offensive slot and the return game. He can do a lot of different things. We’ve got to find a way to get him a ball but he’s also got to find a way to protect the ball. That’s going to be a growing curve for him.”

Hardman signed with the Bulldogs’ as a 5-star cornerback out of Elbert County High School, even though he played almost none at the position on that level. He was primarily a quarterback for the Blue Devils, while also returning kicks and occasionally playing some free safety.

Sid Fritts, Hardman’s high school coach, understood the Bulldogs’ desire to try Hardman as a cover corner because of his incredible speed and quickness. But he always maintained, “I’d have a hard time not getting the ball in his hands as much as possible.”

The Bulldogs have apparently come to the same conclusion. With Isaiah McKenzie leaving a year early for the NFL and vacating the coveted slot position, Georgia decided to give him a long there. They like what they’ve seen.

“I don’t know that we could really spare (Hardman) defensively,” Smart said. “That’s why it was such a tough decision. We went into the spring with essentially two scholarship corners. That’s what was so tough about the move is it probably hurt us development wise. … You’re making that move to make the offense better, but you’re betting on the incoming freshmen to help us in the two-deep at defensive back.”

Georgia has others to fill in at McKenzie’s slot position, where he led the team in receiving last season. But nobody comes as close as Hardman to reproducing the explosiveness factor McKenzie brought to the offense.

“Isaish is one of the most explosively quick players I’ve ever been around,” Smart said. “He is smaller than Mecole, though, and he has a little more straight-line speed. He’s able to go out and compete on our track’s 4 by 100 team. But he probably can’t make you miss in a short are like Isaiah could. So there not exactly the same guys. But I’m really excited about the work habits Mecole has and he’s very bright.”

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