DE Zavion Hardy (6-6, 260) of Macon, GA announced his commitment to USC on Sunday via his Twitter account. His announcement came not long after Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer issued one of his “Welcome Home” commitment alerts.
Hardy selected the Gamecocks over a host of suitors, including Georgia, Florida, Miami, UCF, Jackson State, Ole Miss, and Florida State. He narrowed his decision to the Gamecocks, Florida and Liberty and had scheduled an official visit to Florida for October.
His lead recruiter at USC is defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey. The two developed a tight relationship throughout the recruiting process, and they got the chance to visit a good bit during the Gamecocks’ spring game. Hardy said in the spring that the visit reinforced all the good feelings he’s had about the program.
“The fans are real supportive and they bring a lot of energy into the stadium,” Hardy said. “We’ve just been in love with South Carolina since day one. It feels like home. Me and Coach Lindsey have a close bond. He’s one of the coaches that’s been recruiting me hard since day one.”
Hardy is the 19th commitment for USC’s 2023 class and the third on the defensive line. He joins Xzavier McLeod of Camden as the second DL pledge this weekend. McLeod announced his decision on Thursday.
Last season, Hardy recorded 56 tackles, including 18 for loss and 7 sacks.
USC 2023 Commitments:
- JUDGE COLLIER CB 6-1 190 LEGION COLLEGIATE
- MONTEQUE RHAMES DE 6-6 240 SUMTER
- ZAVION HARDY DE 6-6 240 MACON, GA
- XZAVIER MCLEOD DT 6-5 324 CAMDEN
- GRAYSON HOWARD LB 6-3 223 JACKSONVILLE
- DONTAVIUS BRASWELL RB 5-11 200 SANDERSVILLE, GA
- TROVON BAUGH OT 6-4 315 ATLANTA
- ISAIAH JATTA OT 6-6 310 SNOW JC, UT
- JATAVIUS SHIVERS OT 6-7 270 VILLA RICA, GA
- OLUWATOSIN BABALATE OT 6-5 296 HYATTSVILLE, MD
- MARKEE ANDERSON OT 6-5 280 DORMAN
- ZABHARI SANDY SAF 6-1 204 WASHINGTON, DC
- JALON KILGORE SAF 6-2 196 EATONTON, GA
- CAMERON UPSHAW SAF 6-3 185 PERRY, FL
- VICARI SWAIN SAF 6-0 175 CARROLLTON, GA
- CONNOR COX TE 6-6 227 JACKSONVILLE
- KAMRON SANDLIN TE 6-4 210 ANNISTON, AL
- KELTON HENDERSON WR 5-11 175 LEHIGH ACRES, FL
- CJ ADAMS WR 6-3 210 MABLETON, GA
