South Carolina's expectations for Zavion Hardy entering his first year in SEC
How Zavion Hardy wound up at South Carolina is interesting to say the least.
It’s a journey that started with him committing to the Gamecocks as a high school prospect in August 2022. Then, after decommitting a few months later, he flipped his commitment back to South Carolina on National Signing Day in December 2024.
There are still a few years in between the beginning and end of this saga to cover. In a tweet from Jan. 31, 2023, Hardy stated that some academic trouble from early in high school had caught up to him and caused him to take the junior college route. He then spent the next two seasons at East Mississippi Community College, where he became the top-ranked JUCO player.
Then on Oct. 1, 2024, the 6-foot-5, 290-pound defensive lineman committed to Mississippi State. At that point, it was going to be difficult for South Carolina to get Hardy back. But a late-season visit to Columbia for a game changed everything and led to him signing with the Gamecocks when it was all said and done.
Which takes things to present day. Hardy is now going through his first spring practice at South Carolina. Expectations are high for him as he was brought in to help replace what the defensive line room lost from last season. However, the transition from JUCO to the SEC won’t be easy and will take time.
“It’s a big jump. There’s no question about it, going from high school to junior college. He was part of the great junior college program in Mississippi, so he’s used to winning,” head coach Shane Beamer said. “Getting here and understanding how we do things in the weight room, academically, on the practice field. Even though you are an older guy and you’re not fresh out of high school, it’s still new in so many ways.”
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So far, though, things have gone well for Hardy from what the coaches have seen out of him. One thing that has really stood out has been his size and speed, according to defensive line coach Travian Robertson. Those are tools that he can work with to help develop Hardy.
“Zavion is exactly what we were looking for,” Robertson said. “We love guys that play multiple sports and dominated in multiple sports. Zavion kind of fit the trait that Tonka (Hemingway) and Boogie (Huntley) had. When we brought in those guys, they were mostly basketball players during their high school careers. They were pretty good, and they can move really well.”
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As a freshman, Hardy totaled 24 tackles, including 3.5 sacks, in 12 games at the JUCO level in 2023. He then went on to earn first-team All-MACCC honors as a sophomore.
That’s the type of player that South Carolina hopes it will be getting when the season begins in a few months. Beamer said it’s been nice to have some of his former defensive linemen back at spring practice, but he also recognizes none of them are coming back.
Beamer saw something special in Hardy as he and his staff continued to work at it to earn his eventual commitment the second time around. Now he’s hoping to see him step in and help fill the void being left by a group that had a lot of success in 2024.
“Who is going to step up? And we’re still trying to figure that out,” Beamer said. “Zavion has an opportunity to, along with those other guys. But we’re eager to see who takes the next step in that room. It’s wide open right now.”
