‘He’s a future star.’ Why Shane Beamer picked Montario Hardesty for Gamecocks staff
Injuries kept Montario Hardesty’s NFL career from becoming what he hoped it would be, but they also helped speed up the process of him realizing another dream.
Hardesty was officially introduced as the running backs coach at South Carolina this week, accomplishing his goal of coaching the position in the Southeastern Conference, something he set out to do when he got into the profession.
Coaching has always been on Hardesty’s mind. Growing up, he would work out with his friends and little brother and was “coaching those guys along.” During his senior season at Tennessee, he was named a captain and realized then how much his teammates respected him. That only furthered his desire to coach.
After paying his dues with stops at the Division II level, FCS and non-Power 5 programs, Hardesty has earned his shot and is ready for it.
“Running back is what I played my entire life. I’ve been a running back since I was 7 years old. So that’s always been near and dear to my heart,” Hardesty said. “To coach really good running backs and be in the SEC coaching them has been a dream of mine.”
Hardesty is back in the SEC after starring there in the late 2000s. He spent four years at Tennessee before being drafted in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. He suffered a torn ACL during a preseason game his rookie year and was never the same.
After battling a couple of other injuries, he officially moved on from playing in 2013 and started his coaching journey in 2014.
Hardesty has been a part of the staff at Chowan University, Norfolk State, Tennessee, Florida Atlantic and Charlotte. He most recently worked as the receivers coach for the Charlotte 49ers for two years before being hired by new Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer last week.
“Super pumped to make that hire. Somebody that I’ve known of and have followed his career since he got into coaching. ... What really attracted us to him was just the kind of person he is and then just his story,” Beamer said. “So many coaches that I talked to when we were doing our research on Montario, more than one coach or administrator used the word ‘star’ to describe him. They said, ‘Shane he’s a future star.’”
What is it about Hardesty that stands out? According to Beamer, there’s a lot.
Part of it is all of the people that he has learned from, starting with his playing days at Tennessee and continuing throughout his short time in the NFL. With coaching, he has learned from a number of head coaches and offensive coordinators in his seven years.
“In a young coaching career, he’s been exposed to a lot of different styles, systems, situations, roles and was just a guy that had great experience from that standpoint,” Beamer said.
Beamer was also impressed with Hardesty’s football knowledge, the way he talked about the game and the ideas that he has for helping USC. His personality is “electric” and “dynamic,” Beamer said.
“Always a smile on his face. He’s high-energy, positive. That’s what I want in this building. That’s what I want this program to be about. Positive, high-energy guys,” Beamer said. “And he’s that way. He’s always got a little pep in his step and always got a smile on his face.”
That personality and positivity should translate well on the recruiting trail.
The decision to hire him was easy. Shortly after Hardesty interviewed with Beamer and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, the Gamecocks knew they had their man.
“I was in my office talking to him on zoom and Satt was in his office on zoom. We were up here late one night last week and as soon as it was over he walked in my office and was like, ‘What are we waiting for? Who else do we need to talk to?’ ” Beamer recalled. “He was that impressive and (we) got it done shortly thereafter.”
For Hardesty, the fit was also right.
He had a previous relationship with Satterfield, who is a Tennessee native. And USC offensive line coach Greg Adkins was the offensive line coach at Tennessee when Hardesty played for the Vols. Hardesty felt comfortable with Beamer after playing in the SEC when Beamer was an assistant in the league and after being recruited by Shane’s father — Frank Beamer — when he was the head coach at Virginia Tech.
“I think just the familiarity with the guys here, and when I finally got on the call with Coach Beamer and Coach Satterfield, just how I felt like it was a really good spot,” Hardesty said. “I liked what they were building. I liked the roster here. I think this place has all the potential to be a great football place.”
This story was originally published February 12, 2021 at 12:00 AM with the headline "‘He’s a future star.’ Why Shane Beamer picked Montario Hardesty for Gamecocks staff."
