MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – In an ideal world, Isaiah Hardy would be starting on the West Virginia offensive line next season with another year of practice under his belt.
Alas, the world is not often ideal.
Hardy has hit his maximum of four games played this season. With just one additional snap, the senior’s eligibility will be gone next year. Heading into the season, West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen envisioned Hardy being part of the Mountaineers’ future. As recently as last week, Holgorsen was still hoping such a thing was possible when Week 1 starting right guard Joe Brown was cleared to return from a neck injury.
Current events have dictated otherwise. While Brown was back in uniform against Iowa State, Holgorsen determined he wasn’t quite ready to start. Thus, Hardy has officially moved from guy the Mountaineers hoped to stash on their bench to starting right guard.
“He’s a starting lineman for us right now,” Holgorsen said of Hardy. “We don’t redshirt starting linemen. Joe Brown was available, but he’s pretty new to the program. When he’s not practicing at a high rate, we’re not going to play him. He needs to practice at a higher rate.”
With West Virginia in an open week before facing Baylor, there is at least a chance Brown will make up the necessary ground to keep the Hardy redshirt plan viable. But it’s not something anyone should be holding their breath over.
“He’s going to be healthier this week and have more opportunities to practice. So, that could change how we insert people into the game,” Holgorsen said. “But right now, Isaiah is one of our best five, and he’ll keep playing moving forward. It would’ve been nice to be able to [redshirt him], but we’re a little more worried about this year and putting our best lineup out there against Baylor than anything that happens after this year.”
According to Pro Football Focus, Hardy graded out as the second-best lineman for the Mountaineers against Iowa State behind right tackle Colton McKivitz.
