"It
was shocking, added Gavin Hardin when he found out about the Ole Miss head coach
getting fired. "It was shocking because I had a personal relationship with
Coach Orgeron. They made me feel so at home around them. It was shocking to me.
It surprised me."What does this do to Gavin' commitment?
"I
am still strong with Ole Miss. My commitment is still solid. Right now, I am waiting
to see if Coach Freeze is going to be there. I am still solid, but this is shocking."
Hardin
has yet to speak with anyone from Ole Miss but expects that to change tonight.
"I
am going to call Coach Freeze tonight. I know he is floored right now with him
being in charge of everything. I just wanted to give him a little time before
I called."
What will Ole Miss have to do to make Gavin comfortable
with his decision?
"It is a mess now. I can not really pin point say
what it would take. I am just ready for them to get a new coach and get to know
him. I am just ready to get all of this over with. All of these coaches are calling
again. I am already tired of it again."
Which coaches are calling?
"Ever
since Kentucky told my coach that I had an offer, they have been calling me all
of the time. Tennessee has been calling a lot too."
What did they say
to Gavin?
"My parents and I discussed it, and we are going to wait
until I talk to Ole Miss before I start answering calls from the other schools."
What
are some of the things that attracted Hardin to Ole Miss outside of the staff?
"I
like their campus alot. I have been over there 5 or 6 times this year. I just
like the small town environment. It feels like home and it is not too far for
my mom to come see me play."
Hardin has another issue he is focusing
on.
"I need an 18 or a 19 on the ACT. I took it for the first time
last school year and made a 15 on it. I am taking an ACT prep class and have been
practicing on it the whole semester. I take it on December 8th. I feel good about
it."
Gavin reflects on his senior season.
"We had a lot
of young guys, a lot of 10th graders starting that did not have any experience
but we had to throw them in the fire. Then I had that injury at the start of the
season and that made it tough on them. We also did not get our new coaching staff
until the week before our first game. There just were not a whole lot of people
for our young guys to lean on. But they are going to be good next year. We have
a great staff and a lot of good young players. I wish I were just a junior to
finish what we started here."
Hardin has not been given his final
stats on the season but was informed that he had made an All-Star game last week.
"I
was selected to the Toyota All-star bowl that is being played in Nashville on
December 12th. It is the East vs the West. I am excited to have one more game
to play before I leave off."
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