Cody Hardy: "It Has Been Fun"
NC State tight end Cody Hardy discusses his transfer from Elon, his position group, getting comfortable in Raleigh, and much more.
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.
Opening Statement...
I'd say it's been great, honestly. Coming from Elon, not far down the road in smaller Division I, but it's been really, really nice. Bigger guys, faster guys, stronger guys. But honestly, I mean, football is football, so it's been fun.
What do you feel you bring to the tight end room that's different?
Oh, I'd say I bring more of a, hardcore headhunter tight end that's, like, trying to go hurt somebody. But, yeah, I'd say that. Like, I'm a big, like, a bigger guy, so, I like to use my body and hit people, and that's what I'm trying to bring to this tight end room. Just like that mentality of, I'm going to step on the field. I'm going to hurt you or beat you. Like, you're not going to beat us. Like, we're going to be the best tight end room. So, like, that's the type of mentality that I want and that I want to embrace into the whole tight end room.
Based on that answer, I'm guessing you have good motivation music.
Oh, yeah, I'd say so.
What are you jamming?
I'm jamming a little bit of, like, Hardy. I don't know if you know that. Hardy country music. Yeah, I'd say just a couple, maybe some Riley Green. I don't know, more of like a, I don't know, smooth, like a calm, but it gets me right, though.
Okay, so opposite of your attitude on the football field.
Yeah, it gets me right. It gets me right, though.
What's it been like just kind of fitting into the tight end room with the guys that are already here?
It's been great, actually. Like, coming in as a transfer, a one-year transfer, it's like you don't know what the other tight ends are going to be like, and with Dante and Justin, they're also one years. So it's like you don't really know how it's going to feel or how everybody's going to react. But when I got here, it was really good. Those are two of the guys I've been closest with. Like, they became, like, real friends as soon as I got here. So it's been great.
What has Coach Locklear been like?
Coach Locklear, I love Coach Locklear. He was, he recruited me. So just, he is so passionate about the game. It's crazy. He came here, has lived here and worked his way up to this position, and he's really passionate about the game, loves us. He wants the best for us, and that's what you got to have in a coach, so.
What are some ways you can expand your game and to build up to August?
I'd say being able to, I guess, like, more open in the route running as such a big guy. Like, it is kind of a little difficult here and there sometimes, but that would be one thing that I could really work on is getting better in route running and learning the defense and seeing things that you don't really see.
Are you a preference in the box? Are you a bump out, or do you have a preference?
Mm-mm, wherever. Wherever on the field I work, I mean, yeah. I mean, I've played normally in the box in my last school, but being here in the spring, like us as tight ends, we move everywhere. That's one thing, so, like, we'll do whatever we get asked.
One of the things about tight ends is if, sometimes if they have those dual skill sets, it can disguise, you know, the sky in the box. Okay, we send this kid in. We know he's going in the box. Do you want to be one of those where they can't peg me. I'm going to be in the game, and, I may do this, I may do that.
Yeah, that's what we want as a tight end room right there. It's like it doesn't matter who's in the game. They don't know what's going to happen because we can all do everything that a tight end can do. So if we put one person in, it ain't like they're going to be stuck on run, that we can throw the ball out of any set, any personnel. Like, I think that's one big thing that we need to do, that's going to help us a lot.
If my memory is right. Very accomplished prep wrestler.
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
How does that help in blocking in football?
Oh, it's helped a lot. Like, one thing that the coaches ask, yeah, like wrestling, but, like, I guess other teammates that may have not wrestled, it helps out a lot, like talking to them and just talking about wrestling. Just like the whole, like, hands and balance and core and a lot of stuff goes into it. Not just like that, but the mentality of wrestling goes into football so well because, it's man versus man, so.
Who's the one teammate that you can be like, I don't know if I'd want to wrestle him. I mean, I would have said Davin Vann a year ago, but you guys didn't overlap.
I don't know. I can't think of anybody.
No? No one you're scared of?
No. I'm good. I'm good.
Do you think an aspirant and idea of, like, we want to be the best tight end group in an ACC, do you think in those terms or is it just winning the day? How do y'all think?
Oh, yeah. So we have a saying. It's like, lay the perfect brick. So we're working towards, you know, laying the perfect brick every day, trying to get better. And eventually, if we lay the brick every day perfectly, we'll have that wall. So once we have that wall, like, hopefully it'll lead to being the best tight end room in the ACC, so. But we're just working, day by day, laying the brick, being the best we can day by day, and then, it'll all work out.