Hardrick takes in SEC visit on Spring break

The 6' 7", 315 pound offensive tackle out of Ft. Scott CC went home to Batesville (MS) for Spring break this past Friday. The next day, he got up and drove 20 miles down the road to meet with the staff at Ole Miss. How did the visit go?

"It went good," added Jermarcus Hardrick, who goes by "Yoshi" from family and friends. "I got to talk with their OL coach one on one. We talked about football and just life in general."

The former South Panola standout was recruited by Ole Miss out of high school but that was under the Ed Orgeron regime. This trip gave him an opportunity to meet the new staff.

"They made a good impression with me. They are definitely coaches I can play for. They did a good job with the other South Panola boys (Peria Jerry, John Jerry, and Jamarca Sanford), and I liked how they talked about their education programs. Their program is on the rise too."

What questions did Hardrick have before he arrived on the visit and what did he learn about those questions?

"I wanted to check out the academic stand point. You get your degree at Ole Miss. It is not all about football. I wanted to see if I could fit in with their coaches, which I can. I wanted to see the direction the program is headed, which is real good. And lastly, I wanted to see how quickly I could get on the field, and they want to play with me Bobby Massie. I would probably take over the right tackle slot, where John Jerry plays right now. It just depends on Bobby."

What impressed Jermarcus the most during the visit?

"Coach Markuson impressed me the most. He is so calm and cool. That was the first face to face we have had, and it was like we knew each other all of our life. He really impressed me a lot."

Where do the Rebels now stand?

"Well, I really do not have a leader, but I kind of say I am looking at them pretty hard. I am looking at all of the schools who have offered me (OM, Arkansas, Nebraska, South Florida, USM) real hard, but Ole Miss is keeping a good connection with me. I like that, and I am going to keep that in my head."

Anymore visits on tap?

"Not that I know of, but my coach from Ft. Scott CC is supposed to be taking us to a few Spring practices coming up."

Hardrick had already accumulated 24 hours at Ft. Scott CC with a 2.63 GPA before the Spring semester started. He is expected to graduate in December of '09.