COMMITMENT: Elon TE Cody Hardy Commits To NC State - "I Want To Show Them What I Can Do"

NC State has landed a commitment out of the transfer portal from Elon tight end Cody Hardy.

Standing at 6’5 and 265 pounds, Hardy has played in 32 games with 16 starts. He has registered 10 receptions for 63 yards and one touchdown. He also has two rushing attempts for eight yards.

Hardy chose the Wolfpack over offers from Auburn, Illinois, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, and others.

Hardy has one year of eligibility remaining and projects to be an in-line tight end for the Wolfpack.

Inside Pack Sports recruiting analyst P. J. Williams held an exclusive interview with Hardy prior to his announcement.

PJ: First of all, congratulations. Let’s start with your decision. You had some really strong options out of the portal. Why did you decide to transfer, and why did you ultimately choose NC State?

Hardy: Elon was a great place, but I wanted to get on a bigger stage, open up more opportunities for myself, and go to a school that has a winning program that can set me up for the next level and possibly win a bunch of games. 

The reason I chose NC State is because I’m from North Carolina, born and raised. I’m a big family person. I’ve got a lot of siblings that still live in North Carolina. I guess the main reason after talking to the coaching staff and hearing what they had to say and just being there for a couple days, I felt like it was a good fit. Being around the people and the atmosphere that was there, and being at practice, it just came to me. 

Coach Doeren really spoke on the family part, how the program is a big family, and also him saying that everything is earned, not given. That really stuck with me. Going to other places and hearing what coaches have to say, they’re going to tell you what you want to hear, not what you need to hear. What he said to me really stuck.

Growing up, I’ve always worked for what I’ve wanted, and I want to go somewhere where I have a challenge and they’re not telling me everything I want to hear. I want to show them what I can do and that I will be that person for them.

Talk about what it’s like being recruited out of the transfer portal. How is it different from high school recruiting, and how are your priorities different now?

It’s been crazy, honestly. High school is much different. You’re thinking about a place where you want to stay for four years. The transfer portal is much different. In my case, I’ve already been somewhere for three years, and so I have one year left. I’m trying to find a place I feel comfortable and confident going into with one year left to play and trying to make it to the next level.

The whole transfer portal is crazy and overwhelming. The two weeks that you have in it, if you’re trying to go somewhere, it’s stressful. Very stressful. But if you’re blessed with opportunities to go and see and hear coaches and visit different colleges, it’s definitely the time of your life, but it’s a crazy time, crazy situation.

I’m just very blessed that I had the opportunity to see different places, and I’m blessed to finally find the place that I wanted to go to.

Walk us through your visit to Raleigh. What did they have you do, and what were some of the highlights for you?

I got there on Wednesday morning. A couple of the recruiting guys came and talked to me. They showed me around the facility a little bit, the weight room. Then we went out to the practice field and watched practice, how it went, how it ran, talked to a bunch of the coaches out there, the strength and conditioning staff, and a couple other people at the practice field. I actually got to get with coach Doeren and watch practice and talk to him and go through some of the stuff they do. After that we went inside and ate with a couple of the recruiting staff. We toured a couple apartments. They showed us around town and ate dinner that night.

We woke up the next morning and went to position meetings. I talked with the tight ends a little bit. Then we went out to practice again and then we went and ate lunch. Then we came back and talked to coach Doeren and got on our way. It was pretty good.

Talk about coach Anae’s vision for you in the offense.

He’s saying that he wants a guy that can come off the ball fast. A guy who’s not afraid to put his head down and do the dirty work there down on the line of scrimmage. He talked to me about being that guy on the line of scrimmage and trying to come into the tight end room and not just be a follower as a transfer. He said he knows it can be kind of hard to come into a new place and speak up and be a leader, but he wants me to come in and try to be a leader.

Also, with their offense, it’s not just me trying to run block and pass protect. They’re going to try and get me the ball as much as possible. At Elon, I was mainly a run blocker and got some receptions here and there, but after talking to them, they see me as a tight end that has multiple abilities to do multiple things.

Just be a guy on the line and not be afraid to go hit somebody and cause problems at the line of scrimmage, and also getting out in space and catching the ball. Just all the things a tight end can do.

You’ve got one year of eligibility left in your college career. What are some things you’re looking to improve before the start of your final season?

I’m looking to improve everything in my game. Coming to this level, it’s about technique. I’m looking to improve everything I can with coach Anae and coach Locklear. I would say I’m decent at some things, but I’m not as good as I can be.

I would say I can improve on everything I do as a tight end. Route running, blocking, there’s always room for improvement. Going into this next year, I’m going to try and take my game to the next level. Everything: stronger, faster, more physical, better route running, better technique in run blocking and pass blocking. Everything.

What are some of your individual goals when you look ahead to your final season?

The final goal for me is to have a chance in the NFL. Whatever can get me there. I’m not a big accolade guy. I just like to play football. I don’t care if I get whatever. I’m just trying to put my heart and soul into football and into this program. I want to leave a legacy so all the tight ends that come into NC State from here on out are like, “This is what real tight ends are, and this is where the real tight ends go.” I have goals to be one of the best tight ends in the ACC and maybe be one of the best tight ends in college football, and hopefully that will lead me to the next level.

Are you planning to enroll at NC State in January?

Yes sir.

Outside of football, what makes you tick? What are you spending your time doing away from the field?

I’m an outdoors person. I don’t like to sit inside. I live out in the middle of nowhere. When I’m home, I work, I pour concrete. I like to go ride four-wheelers with my friends. Just try to be outside and spend time with my family, playing football, playing wiffle ball. Those are some of the main things I do outside of football. Hanging out outside or riding four-wheelers or working with my dad.

You sound like a Dave Doeren type of guy.

Yep, that’s what I do.

Obviously, you have aspirations to play in the NFL. Do you know what you might want to do when your playing days are over?

After football’s over, I want to come back and start a business in construction. I like to pour concrete, lay brick, and all that type of stuff. That’s what I’ve always grown up doing. I find joy in that, so that’s what I would come back and do.