A two-star recruit out of Sanderson High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, Hardy received half a dozen offers from schools like Old Dominion, UConn, East Carolina, Coastal Carolina and Charlotte. He wound up sticking in North Carolina, but he ended up out in the mountains playing at Appalachian State.
Hardy redshirted as a true freshman in 2018, and would go on to appear in six games as a redshirt freshman the following season. He found his home at left tackle in 2020, earning a First-Team All-Sun Belt selection while playing the position as a senior.
