5 things to know about new Gamecocks assistant Montario Hardesty
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer officially re-completed his coaching staff on Friday, hiring Montario Hardesty as USC’s running backs coach. Hardesty joins the Gamecocks staff after previously working for the Charlotte 49ers football team.
Hardesty was a star running back in the SEC during his college playing days, as he played at Tennessee from 2005-09. Here are five things to know about him.
He considered South Carolina as a recruit
The North Carolina native ended up signing with Tennessee, but he was also heavily pursued by the Gamecocks and considered USC for one of his final five official visits. Hardesty, who played in the Shrine Bowl, ultimately had a final two of North Carolina and Tennessee. After originally committing to UNC, he signed with the Vols.
Big game vs. Gamecocks
Hardesty led Tennessee past South Carolina his senior season, rushing for 129 yards and two scores in the 31-13 Vols win. Tennessee wore black and orange jerseys that night for Halloween and knocked off a ranked South Carolina team with Stephen Garcia at quarterback. The game was a part of a monster senior year for Hardesty, as he rushed for 1,345 yards while earning second-team All-SEC honors.
Lattimore approves
Marcus Lattimore, one of the greatest players in South Carolina history, gave a positive review of Hardesty’s hire. The former Gamecocks star running back posted on Twitter before the news became official that Hardesty is “one of the best to ever grace the SEC. And a hell of a human being. Hoping this is true.” Lattimore signed with South Carolina in 2010, the year after Hardesty completed his college career.
Tough luck
Hardesty’s NFL career got off to a rough start. After being drafted in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns, Hardesty suffered a torn ACL during the preseason of his rookie year. He battled back to play 23 games in the NFL over the 2011 and 2012 seasons, but he continued to deal with injuries and was cut by the Browns in 2013, receiving an injury settlement.
Youth movement
Hardesty is only 34 years old and is the youngest of South Carolina’s 10 assistant coaches. The Gamecocks have a young staff overall, with six assistants under 45 years old. Head coach Shane Beamer is 43, making him the third-youngest head coach in the SEC. Before joining South Carolina’s staff, Hardesty previously spent times as: Charlotte 49ers receivers coach (2019-20), offensive quality control coach at Tennessee (2018), assistant strength and conditioning coach at Florida Atlantic (2017), running backs coach and special teams coordinator at Norfolk State (2015, 2016).
This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 3:15 PM with the headline "5 things to know about new Gamecocks assistant Montario Hardesty."
