EDITOR’S NOTE: Since 2002, the Times Free Press has highlighted the top 12 college football prospects among Chattanooga-area seniors with its preseason Dynamite Dozen. The countdown of this year’s list continues with No. 4.
Once J.R. Hardrick is able to get his hands on the quarterback or another ball carrier in the backfield, it typically means any hope of gaining yardage on that play comes to an abrupt end for the opponent.
One of the scarier aspects of facing South Pittsburg’s imposing defensive end is that he not only has a fast-twitch takeoff at the snap but a wingspan of 82 inches. That’s more than two inches longer than the wingspan of Jevon “The Freak” Kearse — who was an All-American at the University of Florida, a first-round draft pick of the Tennessee Titans, and both an All-Pro first-team selection and the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year in the 1999 season.
The wingspan of the 6-foot-6, 235-pound Hardrick, who was recently laser timed at 4.8 seconds in the 40-yard dash at a college camp, makes it incredibly difficult for offensive linemen to reach him before he’s able to swipe away their attempts to block him, then get to the ball. It also helps disrupt opponents’ passing lanes.
“His measurables — the length and his wingspan — are what make him stand out,” South Pittsburg coach Wes Stone. “He moves so well. The thing is, he’s faster now at 235 (pounds) than he was at 205. He’s developed and worked so hard to get there.”