Rivals Most Wanted: Hardy, Sims, Ohonba
Each week, Rivals.com looks at three players who saw their offer list lengthen considerably over a seven-day stretch. This week's group includes three players from the class of 2018 who are enjoying big springs.
This week’s offers: Alabama, Florida, LSU, Miami, Clemson, Illinois
Status report: It’s understandable why Hardy admitted to being a bit overwhelmed by the flood of bigtime offers that came his way over the last week. One of these offers came in from Alabama, which he stated “has been my favorite college football team.” While he admits to also following a few other programs, it is safe to say the Crimson Tide will be a major player for his services. Hardy plans to wait until his National Signing Day to make his final decision.
In his words: “It’s a great humbling experience. Knowing I have this many options is kind of overwhelming, because I have offers from all of these great schools. Knowing that I can only pick one, but at the same time it’s a great feeling.”
Visit plans: Hardy’s two most recent visits were to Rutgers and Temple. Next on his schedule are visits to Michigan and Michigan State this weekend. He does not have any plans to attend any summer camps at this point.
This week’s offers: Michigan, Clemson, Duke, Maryland, Louisville, Indiana, Michigan State
Status report: Sims has been gradually picking up offers over the last couple of months, but saw his process explode over the last week. One of these offers came in from Clemson, which he mentioned has been a favorite of his while growing up, along with LSU. The offer from LSU has yet to come in, so they are one of a handful, along with Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio State and USC, that Sims hopes to add to his total soon. One of his draws to LSU is that both of his parents are from Louisiana and attended Southern University.
In his words: “To have this happen to me is a real blessing. It's a relief to my parents because they won't have to pay for my college education. Being so early, it also gives me the chance to examine these schools in the upcoming season to narrow down my choices. I am surprised about it, but at the same time I can't really think too much about it because I have to stay focused and not let this get in the way of my goals for this upcoming year.”
Visit plans: South Carolina was the most recent visit for Sims. He does not have any upcoming visits scheduled, but hopes to get out to both Clemson and Ohio State during the summer. No summer camps at schools are planned, but he will participate at the Rivals Underclassmen Challenge in Atlanta in June.
This week’s offers: Notre Dame, Clemson, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Duke
Status report: While Hardy and Sims were already on the national recruiting radar, Ohonba’s recent recruiting explosion came as more of a surprise. He more than doubled his overall total in just a couple of days, with offers coming in from multiple major conferences. The in-state Bulldogs were his first offer in December, but he denies having any favorites or following any schools while growing up. With Ohonba still adjusting to the flood of offers and attention, don’t look for an early decision from the big lineman.
In his words: “It feels great. It's a major confidence booster. I didn’t know that I was of this caliber yet. And me knowing this makes me want more and to get better. Now I know.”
Visit plans: Ohonba has yet to take any visits and has no visits scheduled at this time. He mentioned he would like to check out Duke, Virginia Tech, Alabama and Georgia when the opportunity arises.