Zero-star recruit turned Rose Bowl starter, which tells you most of what you need to know about how he plays. Hardy came through the Navy prep pipeline with no recruiting ranking (the 2023 prep year at NAPS produced no NCAA stats), earned a role by 2024 — 22 tackles, 2 picks, 2 forced fumbles in 10 games — then detonated in 2025: 103 tackles, 8 sacks and 5 breakups across a 16-game Playoff run. Eight sacks is outlier blitz production for an off-ball linebacker, and the downhill trigger shows up all over the stat sheet. However, it is one breakout year at 5-11, 227, and a sack total like that tends to regress once protections start accounting for him. He is tracking to the 2028 class with time to prove it twice. Fringe-draftable today, and a genuine riser if the 2026 production looks anything like 2025.