South Carolina flips, signs D-lineman who was committed to SEC school
Former South Carolina commitment Zavion Hardy made a promise to join the Gamecocks one day. He delivered on that declaration Wednesday.
USC announced the 6-foot-6, 280-pound defensive lineman as an official signee for its 2025 recruiting class. Hardy attended East Mississippi Community College and was committed to Mississippi State.
Hardy, a four-star high recruit, signed in February 2023 to attend East Mississippi Community College. He announced at the time that he needed to go the junior college route and said he’d begin his USC career after the 2024 season.
“Gamecock Nation I appreciate all the love and support you guys have been showing since the day I got offered,” he wrote then on social media. “You know we still locked in but unfortunately I ran into some academic trouble from my earlier years of high school and it caught up with me...
“But with that being said I have to attend JUCO (and) I will return December 2024.”
Hardy was the No. 28 ranked high school player Georgia for the 2023 class. He committed to South Carolina in August after totaling 56 tackles and seven sacks during his junior season. He also spent time at tight end that year.
Hardy played for Howard High School in Macon, Georgia as a senior and was described by 247Sports as an “explosive player” with a frame that fits the prototype of an SEC defender.
