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Penn State Football Recruiting Commit Breakdown: DL Dorian Hardy

By Marty Leap

Apr 22, 2017; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks on prior to the start of the Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium. The Blue team won 26-0. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 22, 2017; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin looks on prior to the start of the Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium. The Blue team won 26-0. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Penn State Football’s 2018 recruiting class now has 13 commits with the addition of Dorian Hardy.

Penn State Football’s 2018 recruiting class picked up its 13th verbal commitment on Sunday afternoon. This commitment came from 4-star defensive lineman Dorian Hardy. Hardy becomes the first true defensive line commit in the class, although, defensive athlete Nick Tarburton will most likely end up on the defensive line as well.

With the commitment of Dorian Hardy, Penn State’s 2018 recruiting class checks in as the fifth best in the country according to 247 Sports. Hardy’s commitment also helps to start to get some momentum back on the recruiting trail for the Nittany Lions who had not received a verbal commitment in over a month and had suffered a de-commitment during this stretch.

The 6-foot-5, 241-pound Hardy plays primarily defensive end in high school. However, Penn State likes him at defensive tackle at the collegiate level.

Hardy is a native of Paramus, New Jersey, and attends powerhouse Paramus Catholic High School. It is always good to make inroads at powerhouse programs like Paramus Catholic, which is something Penn State has done. This is the second consecutive cycle the Nittany Lions have landed a player from Paramus, after signing fellow defensive lineman Corey Bolds in their 2017 recruiting class.

Dorian Hardy is an extremely athletic player. He is a terror of a pass rusher in high school, and this will translate into him being a handful for interior offensive linemen as a defensive tackle in college.

Hardy has great technique, keeps his pad level low, uses his hands well, and can control opposing players trying to block him. When offensive linemen are able to engage Hardy, he does a great job of shedding off the block.

He carries a very high football IQ and that’s noticeable on tape. Hardy does an excellent job of reading plays and tracking down the ball carrier. Hardy needs to work on his first step and explosiveness off the ball.

However, this is something that can be worked on at the college level. He will have the opportunity to improve those skills once he gets on campus. Hardy gets to work with one of the best defensive line coaches in the country in Sean Spencer.

Hardy committed while on campus for a visit Sunday morning. In fact, Hardy’s visit was a two-day visit that began on Saturday. He was then joined by his family on Sunday morning when he made the call to commit to the Nittany Lions.

Next: What Now At QB Recruiting?

Dorian Hardy chose the Nittany Lions over every major program in the country. He also had offers from Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, among others.

You can watch his film here. Welcome to Happy Valley, Dorian!

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