Bio Blast: JQ Hardaway

Kentucky has recorded five recruiting wins in less than a week. The latest was a big transfer addition at a position of need. Cincinnati transfer JQ Hardaway ended his recruitment with a commitment to the Wildcats.

Now it’s time to learn more about the latest member of Kentucky’s secondary.

After just one year in college, there is limited tape on the class of 2022 prospect but we should fully expect the latest addition to come in and compete for a starting position at one of the two open cornerback spots.

KSR’s Bio Blast is here to provide some background on the latest transfer.

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Blue-chip recruit

JQ Hardaway bounced around high schools before settling in at Phenix City (Ala.) Central. Once there, the defensive back prospect became a consensus four-star recruit.

The class of 2022 prospect ended up being ranked No. 273 overall in the On3 Consensus. Hardaway was a top-15 prospect in Alabama and a top-30 cornerback prospect in the country. There was even a blue-chip recruitment.

Florida State, Georgia, and Tennessee issued offers to the prospect while also getting Hardaway on campus. Pittsburgh issued an official written offer. Hardaway was also named an Under Armour All-American.

💫 pic.twitter.com/tKbGfzUJZp

— JQ Hardaway (@Jhardaway_24) December 30, 2021

Cincinnati was able to win out for one of the biggest recruiting wins of the Luke Fickell era. However, Hardaway is on the move after just one season in college and Kentucky is hoping the potential star power flashed in high school shines through in Lexington.

There are real traits

The first thing that stands out about JQ Hardaway is just the sheer size. This is a big cornerback. Checking in at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, the defensive back has excellent positional size and that is a good thing for Kentucky.

Under defensive coordinator Brad White, Kentucky utilizes a zone-heavy scheme that does not put its cornerbacks on islands in isolation situations all that often. Most of the time, Kentucky is falling back into a zone to keep everything in front and forcing passing games to dink-and-dunk their way down the field. In this type of scheme, length is very valuable.

Hardaway is a big cornerback that appears to be a very good fit for a zone-heavy scheme. That could lead to early playing time in Lexington for the transfer.

Position of need

Following Carrington Valentine’s NFL Draft announcement, Kentucky all of a sudden is looking for answers at cornerback. The Wildcats may have just found one in the transfer portal.

JQ Hardaway should arrive on campus in January for the spring semester and will be a participant in spring practice after recording seven tackles and two tackles for loss at Cincinnati last year. There will be a wide-open position battle for both starting roles at cornerback, but Hardaway will be in the mix.

Don’t expect Kentucky to be done in the transfer portal as Ohio State transfer Jantzen Dunn has already received an in-home visit from Vince Marrow and could make his way to campus at some point this weekend for an official visit. However, it’s clear that Hardaway is someone Kentucky likes and believes can help the defense.

Kentucky will be looking for answers at cornerback in 2023. Hardaway has the size, athletic ability, and potential to possibly be a plug-and-play option at a position of need for the program.