In life, they say size isn’t everything.
For 5-foot-9, 180-pound defensive back recruit Chris Hardeman, his size is one of the main motivating factors he uses when lining up against opposing wide receivers.
“My motivation is to prove everybody wrong,” Hardeman said. “People say I can’t [play cornerback] because I’m this size. I go out there to prove people wrong every day.”
Hardeman, who is a member LSU’s 2014 recruiting class and a junior at Alief Taylor High School in Houston, is one of only two defensive backs under 5-foot-10 ranked on the Rivals.com Top-250 recruits list.
This could pose a problem when Hardeman reaches the Southeastern Conference in two years, where wide-outs are physical machines in between the numbers. For reference, LSU’s top two options at receiver in 2012, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, are 6-foot and 6-foot-1, respectively. Alabama’s Amari Cooper and Kevin Norwood are 6-foot-1 and 6-foot-2, respectively.
Alief Taylor head coach Jody Jordan doesn’t worry about how his junior’s height will affect his future.
“I don’t think [his height] will be a factor,” Jordan said. “He goes up against some of the biggest wide receivers at our school. We have a 6-foot-3 and a 6-foot-4 receiver, so he goes against those kind of guys at practice every day.”
Hardeman uses a combination of technique and speed to overcome any height differential. According to ESPN, the 2014 recruit clocked in at 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
“I get up in there and make everything difficult for [the receiver],” Hardeman said. “If they beat me off the line of scrimmage, I have comeback speed. I just really play my technique and play like I’m [6-foot-1]. It really doesn’t affect me, being a smaller corner and whatnot, and I just go out there and play.”
LSU is renowned for turning defensive backs into superstars in Tiger Stadium. Several recent corners who currently find themselves in the NFL or preparing for the draft include Patrick Peterson, Morris Claiborne, Tyrann Mathieu, Tharold Simon and Ron Brooks.
“It was a big part of my decision,” Hardeman said. “The [defensive backs] coach develops them to be first-round picks, and they play tough as a defense. I feel like I can come in there and make plays, so I was like, ‘Why not go and play in the SEC and be a part of something special?’”
Jordan acknowledged favoring Hardeman’s decision to attend LSU, and it’s one of his player’s main talking points.
“LSU takes its athletes and lets them be athletes,” Jordan said. “I think [Hardeman] will thrive in the system at LSU. He helps improve the people all around him, and he’s big on LSU. He talks about it. I know he’s all LSU right now.”
Hardeman said he already has a game plan for when he arrives in Baton Rouge. Some players like to look at college as a four-year plan, but this recruit has a different, more motivated plan in mind for his future.
“In three years [at LSU], you’ll see me [looking to be draft eligible],” Hardeman said. “I feel like with the determination and dedication I have to this sport, if I come in and prove to the people in college that I can play physical and fast and make plays, then I’ll definitely be drafted in three or four years.”
