NC State tight end Cody Hardy recently met with the media to discuss his role in the offense, the upcoming matchup against Virginia Tech, and much more.
NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.
On his performance in the Duke game...
It was all right, a bunch of things we can clean up as a unit and individually, but it was nice to see our tight end room kind of go around those two different spins. Proud of Justin and Dante going out there and showing what it's like. Overall, it was a good day in the tight end room, but there's definitely things we need to clean up and get better at and come out with the W instead.
What was it like getting your first reception of the season and being in special teams here?
Yeah, the reception, honestly, I don't really remember catching the ball. Kind of just called it and I don't know, it was fun. That was fun, catching the ball for the first time.
And then special teams-wise, that was really exciting. I kind of felt that it was going to come. And then, just doing what I had to do to get a first down. Really, really glad that that happened.
Which one was better?
Oh, goodness. I'd probably say, I don't even know. Oh, maybe the reception. Yeah, because the contact after I caught the ball, that was pretty nice to feel. But, yeah, probably that.
What's it like to have your, I mean, you go into the huddle and you hear your name called. Like, all right, this one's set up for me. I mean, what are the nerves like going into that play?
Oh, yeah, there's a bunch of nerves. But at that point, you just got to believe in yourself and trust yourself like the coaches do to be able to call that play for you. Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, it's football. You got to make plays.
Obviously, it wasn't the greatest day for CJ with four turnovers. But what's it like kind of seeing him take accountability right away and try to be as good as he can be?
Yeah, yeah, that's one thing about CJ. He's going to take accountability for sure. As the game went on, he's the biggest, like, hype man. No matter what's going on, no matter, like you said, through intersections, he's still there for us, and he's still, like, he's still the leader, and everybody believes in him.
And that's just how he is and how he's going to be. But, yeah, for him to take accountability for all of that shows you how special that kid really is.
On the transition from playing at Elon to having played four games at NC State...
Yeah, I played against Duke last year. Elon kind of felt the same defensive ends. Did okay against them. But I guess playing three ACC schools was kind of a little bit different, but it's just the way you prepare, I'd say.
And just honestly, just the way that I kind of just, like, believe in myself, and I just want to go out there and show people what I'm made of and test my own limits, honestly. So each and every game, like, it doesn't matter who we play, the rest of the season, I just want to be able to see and test myself on what I can do. And being able to go out there and do decent is nice to see and just keep grinding.
When you talk about that, was that the whole point of you transferring up from Elon, kind of see what you're made of against high-level competition?
Yeah, that was the whole point. That's why I wanted to transfer up, to be on a bigger stage and more eyes and just see if I see what I'm made of, honestly. I want to test myself, and coming here was a good option.
What's been your evaluation of it through four games of how it's been in that sense?
It's been pretty good. I feel like we've played some good [comparisons] to Elon. I know against Virginia, one of my old teammates from Elon, he was a defensive end, played him. That was pretty fun. And then Wake Forest, they were pretty good as well. And then Duke, obviously they had the two pretty good defensive ends.
So all the guys we've played have been really good, and it's just been really fun to go against people that's good like that and then see myself come out, I guess, a little bit on the top side and be like, okay, well, this is going the right way. So, okay, keep building.
You mentioned the fact that Justin and Dante were progressing in the blocking category, too. I think all three of you ranked as the top three, according to PFF, for run blocking this past weekend. How much pride do you take in that aspect?
Oh, that's big time. We talk about it a good bit, just trying to be the best tight end group in the ACC, the nation. And I don't know, I just love it. I love that it's like all three of us. It's honestly awesome. That is so cool.
But, yeah, those two have really been just nonstop working, nonstop working in the run blocking, trying to get better, being better, everything, and it's pretty awesome to see all three of us that are up there in the top. So, just really blessed to have the two other senior tight ends that are pushing me, and I'm pushing them. So, it's a good time.
What are some of the ways that you guys bond off the field in terms of, it seems like a lot of guys like to fish, a lot of guys like to play video games. What kind of clique have you kind of latched yourself onto? With the tight ends?
I golfed a good bit this past summer.
What else did you do with the guys? Who's the best golfer on the team?
Oh, the best golfer on the team? I don't know.
Usually it's a kicker or a punter.
Yeah, I don't know.
Did you think of Coach Doeren?
He's pretty good, I guess. I ain't ever seen him play golf, but I guess maybe. I'd probably say a specialist somewhere. There's got to be one of our specialists.
Are you good at golf?
Am I? Oh, no. I'm all right. I'll say that. It's good enough to go out there and hit some balls.
Have you scouted Va. Tech, and how deep are you in that, and what are your impressions?
Yeah, we dug into them the past, what, two days, and their defensive line looking very, I guess, athletic. Their Buck is pretty athletic, and then their other defensive end is a bigger, stouter dude. And then their backups are bigger and stouter dudes as well.
Just going into there, just seeing the way that they play and kind of focus on the things that are going to help us play against them and their techniques. They look pretty solid, that's what I'm going to say. They have had a rough start, but they're not going to just lay down and just give up. We've got to be ready for anything and everything and play it like it's the biggest game of our lives.
