The 2022 Liberty defensive line was arguably the best the program had ever seen. The Flames, led by senior Durrell Johnson, led the nation in tackles for loss. That group was the strength of the defense and even the team that season.
Last year, Liberty had several new faces stepping into new and more expanded roles on the defensive front. A true freshman, TJ Bush, would go on to start every game at defensive end. CJ Bazile played sparingly as a true freshman in 2022 but became a starter on last year’s squad.
The same can be said for the interior of the Liberty defensive line last year where Jay Hardy, Bryce Dixon, and Chris Boti all stepped into prominent roles. Now, entering the 2024 season, this entire group is back and they hope to push the Flames’ defensive front back towards the level it was at in 2022.
“I really like the depth of our defensive line,” said head coach Jamey Chadwell. “I don’t think there’s a drop off. If we get guys injured, or just rotate guys, I don’t believe there’s that much of a drop off. So, I really like watching them compete. They’ve done really well this fall camp.”
Now a senior, Jay Hardy is a leader in the room and is hoping people will begin to see his production on the field. Hardy saw playing time in all 14 games in 2023, starting five including the CUSA Football Championship game and the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. He finished the season with 31 tackles and ranked fourth on the team with five tackles for loss and also added two sacks.
Hardy was a highly rated prospect out of high school. He was a four-star prospect ranked in the top 100 nationally and in the top 10 at his position by multiple services. His offer list included all of the household names in college football. Hardy would eventually sign with Auburn, spending the 2020 season in the SEC with the Tigers. He played in one game as a true freshman that year and then transferred to Liberty.
In 2021, he redshirted and did not see the field during his first season with the Flames. In 2022, Hardy played in all 13 games, including a start, and finished the season with 16 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
“He’s a guy that gets in his own head sometimes,” Liberty DL Coach and Co-Defensive Coordinator Skylor Magee said of Hardy. “He just needs to go. If he goes, he is an NFL caliber defensive lineman. Sometimes he thinks too much and gets tired. He doesn’t go like he should go. When he goes, he is hard to block, he is hard to deal with on a consistent basis.”
Hardy agrees with his coach and has been working on letting the game come to him. His added playing time on the field the past couple of seasons is letting the game slow down and he can get out of his head and react. Getting on the field and seeing first hand how fast the game is should really pay dividends for Hardy entering this season.
“The past couple of years I’ve been in my head every play, thinking too much about formations, thinking about where the back is,” Hardy explained. “I did too much thinking. When I don’t think about that and I just go with my instincts, that’s when I feel like I’m pretty good.”
Hardy played at 340 pounds last season, but he is down to 310 now. That lost weight will reduce the stress on the rest of his body. He’s already had to fight through multiple surgeries on his knees and ankles. Now he’s much lighter, more agile, and ready to showcase his true talent.
“I feel like this is probably going to be the year that my name really gets put out there and everybody will know who I am,” said Hardy. “(My teammates) see it every day, but not a lot of people have seen it yet.”
