Penn Hills standout Daequan Hardy commits to Penn State

Penn State picked up commitment No. 22 Tuesday night, as Penn Hills Ath. Daequan Hardy officially announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions

Listed at 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, Hardy took an official visit to Penn State over two weeks ago, Jan. 18-20. He left town without a scholarship offer, but James Franklin and his staff, notably lead recruiter Terry Smith, made it clear to Hardy that one could come if they have the scholarships late in the cycle. That came to fruition earlier today when Hardy announced his offer via Twitter shortly after 11 AM ET.

Back in December, Hardy grabbed headlines when he had one of the best performances in recent memory during the PIAA 5A state championship game. He finished the game with 340 all-purpose yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions. In addition to two receiving touchdowns on offense, Hardy took a kick return 84 yards and an interception return 100 yards for scores. Penn Hills defeated Manheim Central, 36-31.

Throughout the 2018 season, Hardy totaled 37 receptions for 817 yards, averaging 22.1 yards per catch. He also had 373 yards rushing on 21 carries, good for 17.8 YPC. Including special teams and defense, Hardy totaled 22 touchdowns. He made a big impact his junior season, too, totaling 783 yards receiving on 37 receptions (21.2 YPC). He scored 10 all-purpose touchdowns that year.

Despite his offensive productivity, we expect Hardy to begin his career at cornerback. His quickness and speed could matchup well against receivers in the slot. He's also proven to be a major weapon on special teams. That played a big part in Franklin extending the offer.

In addition to earning multiple all-state honors, Hardy was named Class 5A Player of the Year by the Pennsylvania Football Writers Association. He's also a finalist for the Mr. PA Football Award for big schools (Class 4A-6A), along with another Nittany Lion, CB Keaton Ellis. The award will be announced Feb. 16. It was also announced last week that Hardy will represent Pennsylvania in the Big 33. That game takes place May 27.

Over the past year, Hardy claimed 13 scholarship offers. Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska all extended verbal offers at one point, but ultimately went in a different direction. Many major power five schools showed interest, but were worried due to his size. Over the past two months, he took official visits to Akron, Kent State and Toledo.

The Nittany Lion coaching staff now turns its attention to National Signing Day, where they're still in the mix with four potential prospects. You can read our FREE preview here!

Join us inside The Lions Den to discuss more on Hardy and National Signing Day!