Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, GA) class of 2022 safety Will Hardy verbally committed to the University of Virginia when the recruiting dead period was still in place, before he had the opportunity to meet head coach Bronco Mendenhall and company in person. This past weekend, the reasons why he chose UVA were affirmed when he was on Grounds for his official visit.

“I knew, unless it was totally different than what I had been hearing, that Virginia was the spot for me,” said Hardy, who committed to UVA over Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest, among others. “This trip wasn’t a big step. I had been very confident in my decision. It was just really cool to see and finally meet the coaches in person. If someone would have told me two years ago that I would commit to a college without meeting the coaches in person, I would have said they were crazy. But everything I had heard on Zoom was right. I was impressed with all the coaches.”

Hardy, who was accompanied on the trip by his mother and father, arrived in Charlottesville last Friday. He had lunch before heading to Coach Mendenhall’s house, where he saddled up for a horse ride, an official visit tradition since Mendenhall became UVA head coach.

“I loved it,” Hardy said of his first-ever horse ride.

Hardy visited Virginia once earlier this spring, during the recruiting dead period and before his commitment. While he could not have any interaction at all with the Cavalier coaches, he was able to watch a spring practice from afar.

“It was very efficient, very tidy, which is good when you have to get things done in a short period of time,” Hardy said of the practice.

This past weekend’s official visit enabled Hardy and his family the chance to further explore UVA’s Grounds, including the football facilities, the indoor practice facility, John Paul Jones Arena, the Rotunda and the Lawn. In addition, Director of Athletics Carla Williams discussed the Virginia football facilities/renovations coming in future years as part of UVA’s “Master Plan”.

“Dr. Williams spoke in front of all of [the recruits and their families],” Hardy recalled. “She talked about the Master Plan that includes a huge building with a new locker room and new weight room. New offices. It’s a huge redesign. The plan is to have it constructed by the fall of 2023. Another coach told me it could be 2024. Listening to Dr. Williams and her dedication to football, you can see the focus they have on football and the program. I think it’s really important for the AD to be all in for football. Having a good football team is important for any school.”

Lunch, riding horses, and a photo shoot were part of Friday’s official visit events. What happened on Saturday?

“We ate a lot,” Hardy said with a laugh. “It’s hard not to gain a little weight on the trip. We ate very well. We played paint ball on Saturday with all the recruits. We went back to Coach Mendenhall’s house and had some free time to go in his pool and hang out in a relaxed setting.”

Throughout the weekend, Hardy spent time with fellow prospects as well as current players and coaches.

“Me and my player host spent about four hours together after dinner with other recruits and players,” Hardy said. “We were just talking. A couple of guys were talking about maybe committing. It was cool seeing the players’ sides and hanging out with them, getting a feel for school life. My host was Chayce Chalmers, who is another strong safety. I really enjoyed my time with him. We ate dinner together both nights. I was really impressed. His focus, even just listening, was impressive. It was nice hanging around other guys on the team too.”

Hardy also enjoyed his time with assistant coach Shane Hunter, who transitioned this offseason from coaching inside linebackers to coaching safeties.

“It was awesome to hang out with Coach Hunter,” Hardy said. “He’s a very relatable coach who is fun to hang out with. We broke down film of past safeties’ film, like Juan Thornhill and Joey Blount, so I would get a better feel for what is expected of them.”