Photo by Steve Buchanan Photography
As far as college recruiters go, Annapolis Area Christian School’s Joshua Hardy wasn’t on their radar as a sophomore. Hardy’s skills in football still needed a lot of development. That inspired him to get better, bigger, stronger, and faster.
“Something clicked,” Hardy says. “I knew I could be a Division I athlete.”
So, starting in December of 2019, the AACS three-sport athlete spent the next seven months (during the pandemic) working out in his backyard and on the grounds of a nearby elementary school. The four-year starter at defensive end found football drills to do on YouTube, involving workouts with his hands, jumping from a three-point stance, running around cones, and doing parachute runs.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Hardy, a Bowie resident, also started lifting weights when a nearby gym reopened in June of 2020. All told, he worked out about four hours a day.
He continued to lift weights after his junior season for two hours a day and hired a defensive line coach, Aaron Wallace, last summer before football season, to help improve his technique. His development over those two years was dramatic. He went from standout player to Division I recruit. “I became faster, more muscular, and more explosive,” Hardy explains. “And now I have great technique.”
As a result, he had an impressive list of colleges that aggressively recruited him: Navy, Army, Boston College, Fordham, Old Dominion, Toledo, Buffalo, and Bowling Green. The 18-year-old Hardy ended up settling on Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference and signed a National Letter of Intent in mid-December.
“Most players are already noticed early in their high school career,” Hardy says. “I wouldn’t say I was overlooked. But I got noticed later than everyone else. I am kind of like a late bloomer.”
Hardy fell in love with Boston College after he visited the school in early December. He plans to major in film studies. “They play a high level of football in the Atlantic Coast Conference,” he says. “I thought it was the best place for me to succeed on and off the field.”
Hardy, a four-year starter, had a season to remember as a senior. He finished with a whopping 36 sacks for the Eagles, who compete in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association C Conference. He also compiled 16 sacks as a sophomore.
AACS Football Coach Michael Lynn says Hardy could have registered double-digit sacks every season if he’d been playing in the MIAA A Conference, which features some of the best teams in the state. “He was double and triple-teamed a lot,” Lynn says. “He has long arms and is so powerful and explosive. He was a force on every play.”
Hardy played some tight end for the Eagles, but it was easy to forget any contributions he made on offense in some of his game performances. He had seven sacks against Severn, including four in a row on the game’s final drive. Hardy totaled six sacks versus St. John’s Catholic Prep and recorded five against St. Michaels High.
“He is the highest recruited player we have ever had,” Lynn says. “We were hearing from schools like Arizona and Syracuse.”
Hardy didn’t take a break after football season ended. He’s a starter at small forward on the school’s varsity basketball team. Hardy will also compete in track and field in the spring for a second consecutive season. He runs the 100 and 200 meters.
“He is an amazing athlete,” AACS Athletic Director Josiah Wolf says. “He is the total package. He has strength, power, and coordination. Seeing him excel in three sports has been amazing to watch. We have had good Division I athletes, but he will be playing a sport at the highest level that no one else has [for AACS].”
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