Montario Hardesty made the most of his first year as New Bern High School’s (NC) starting tailback, rushing for 1,983 yards on 240 carries, catching 16 passes for 304 yards and scoring 20 total touchdowns as a junior last season.

What separates Hardesty from other tailbacks is speed. During the Nike Camp in Charlottesville, he posted a 4.5 flat in the 40-yard dash. On track, he posts 40 times in the high 4.3s according to New Bern Head Coach Chip Williams. He also excels in the 100 meters. During the East Coast Track Championships in July of this year, Hardesty posted a 10.71 in the 100 meters.

Hardesty says most schools are recruiting him as a tailback, and his combination of speed and vision is the likely reason why.

“Pretty much all of the schools are recruiting me as a running back,” Hardesty said. “FSU has told me they like me on the other side of the ball, but that’s it. Now that they all have film on me, they all like me as a running back. Schools like my vision and my speed – that’s a lot of it.”

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