Jaydan Hardy Spring Media Day
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00:00 >> How's the adjustment period been?
00:03 >> Great, just getting here to OU and just being able to get here with the guys,
00:07 just starting to grind through the winter workouts and
00:09 just being able to get adjusted to college, it's been good.
00:12 >> Going back just to the recruitment process, what were your first impressions,
00:16 those first relationships that you were kind of building, stuff like that?
00:20 >> Just going back to the first relationship I feel like I ever got through
00:23 college football was Coach Goliath and just seeing him every day.
00:26 And just being able to him keep me motivated,
00:28 staying in touch with me and just making sure my head's focused.
00:31 It's just good to have one of those guys, you can always have in your corner.
00:35 And Coach Hall becoming a mentor to me now, just learning the game from him and
00:39 just being able to understand it from his eyes and
00:41 just see the game from him, it's just great.
00:44 >> What's the dynamic like with those two?
00:45 Cuz it seems like Coach Vallei feels like human Red Bull and
00:49 then Coach Hall a little bit more chill.
00:51 How's the yin and the yang of working with both those guys,
00:54 or getting to know both those guys?
00:55 >> In my opinion, I think it's the other way around.
00:56 >> Yeah?
00:57 >> Yeah, Coach Hall is really chill.
00:59 As long as you're handling business, yeah.
01:01 He's always on top of our school and football.
01:04 But you're handling business, he's chill.
01:06 >> Yeah, before you got here, your support group during the recruitment process,
01:11 as far as trying to sift through what you valued, stuff like that.
01:14 And how's that been as you've made the move and it got locked in and
01:17 all that stuff?
01:18 >> Can you say the first part?
01:18 >> Like the support group, during the recruitment of what you were looking for,
01:21 what you valued.
01:22 And then as you finally moved, has that changed?
01:24 Or went on team, stuff like that?
01:26 >> Yeah, the support group around here, like Coach Venerables always say,
01:29 it takes a village to, you know what I'm saying, really raise a child that's real.
01:32 Like here, just being able to understand all the stuff and
01:35 all the guys in place to help you succeed.
01:38 And just keeping you on the right path, it's amazing.
01:41 >> Well, what's your, I know you just wanna come in and compete every day.
01:44 But as spring practice gets going,
01:46 mentally two or three of the things that you wanna really accomplish across those
01:49 first about 15 practices?
01:51 >> Yeah, just showing the coaches and the team that I'm a guy that's gonna have
01:56 a lot of effort on the field and just knowing his job and
01:58 just communicating with everybody.
02:00 Those are my three big things, just let those be known.
02:03 And South Florida's a great team player to have on your team.
02:07 >> Playing safety here is always such a cerebral position.
02:10 You got some great guys that you can learn from the things.
02:13 But what you know so far in this defense, what do you think?
02:17 >> I love it, just the complexity and the adjustments that they put on to the safeties
02:23 and allow them to take control of this defense and just be out there and play free.
02:27 Just be the player that they say they recruited.
02:30 I love that, hearing that from my coach.
02:33 >> Such a key position too in the defense.
02:36 I'm sure you're kind of finding that out, right?
02:39 >> Yes, sir, that's a big part of the defense.
02:41 Through all of our packages, it's normally safeties being either added onto the field.
02:45 And every single package to put more speed and
02:48 more guys that are fast and know the defense onto the field.
02:51 >> What's this excite you that they play a lot of players?
02:54 They played a lot of guys at this position last year.
02:57 So if you can make a mark, you'll get on the field.
03:00 >> Yes, sir, that's the plan for this spring.
03:01 To show that I have the knowledge and IQ to be able to understand the defense and
03:06 be out there to play at a high speed, just so I can be ready for the fall.
03:09 >> Why Oklahoma?
03:10 Why did you choose?
03:10 >> Definitely just the culture.
03:15 You can see that when you're just talking to the players, the brotherhood that's here.
03:18 And just the coaches and how they talk about the place.
03:21 It's just it's all around great place to the community and
03:24 all just I love the environment of Oklahoma.
03:27 >> Thanks, man.
03:29 >> When you look through, so I'm not just playing a bunch of safeties, but
03:32 like special teams opportunities there.
03:35 Is there a spot of corporate role here just get on the field and
03:38 figure everything else out, that kind of element of things?
03:40 >> Yeah, just being able to understand everything first.
03:44 That's why I have all those big brother mentors in my position group,
03:48 just being able to mentor me through the process to get me ready for that.
03:52 >> Who have kind of been those guys that have been the most helpful?
03:54 >> Definitely Billy, RJ and Payton.
03:57 Just being those guys you can lean on, they've been in the defense already.
04:00 And just them telling me just their stories of how stuff has happened to them,
04:05 watching film with them and just re-explaining stuff like that.
04:08 Just to help me see different perspectives and
04:10 help me understand something more thoroughly.
04:13 >> Now that Pat's out of Kamani, well, what's been the hardest part just so far?
04:17 >> Definitely fourth quarter, Matt drills and stuff, it's on good team.
04:21 >> How many days did it take you to go to Coach Schmidt that everyone talks about?
04:27 It's for real, that kind of thing.
04:29 >> Yeah, it's surreal first day, just seeing him in front of your eyes and
04:34 just how fast everything moves for real.
04:36 Just how being snapped in, locked in, just being able to, you know what I'm saying?
04:40 Quick, everything's on the go, it feels like on the fly.
04:42 So it was a quick adjustment to Coach Schmidt.
04:45 >> For just a bigger perspective, how you settled into Norman,
04:49 being able to just kind of figure the flow of life of handling classes,
04:53 workouts, life off, all that stuff.
04:56 >> Yeah, that was a big thing too about here, just how small the campus is.
04:59 And like I said, the community, it's just a well-rounded community where
05:04 everything's close and close to be able to get to.
05:07 It's not too far from my house, two hours and 30.
05:10 So it's all around us, like I said, even at Norman,
05:13 just getting settled in is such a small place.
05:15 You know everywhere by after like two months and
05:18 just it's just a nice little environment I love.
05:20 >> How important was that to be so close to being able to, you're on your own, but
05:25 you're not like thousands and thousands of miles away, something as insane like that?
05:30 >> Right, yeah, that's big, just being able to go see my family on the weekend that
05:34 I might have downtime, it's big of them coming to see me.
05:37 It's always been big.
05:39 My dad has been a big part of my football journey and
05:41 just ever since I can remember he's on the sidelines, coaching,
05:45 in the stands, watching us, supporting me.
05:48 So it's just a big thing to be able to know that he'll be at all the home games and
05:52 any away games that he's able to make, so it's just that's big for me.
05:56 >> Well, what's it been like for him being like, okay, take the full step back.
06:01 You're in some different hands, that kind of thing.
06:03 >> Yeah, it's big for him, my mom, it was mainly harder on my mom.
06:09 But I've been through it before when I went to IMG, so
06:12 they understand even though I was younger, at a younger age.
06:15 So it was just a bigger step and this time was for
06:18 real, is there's no coming back or anything like that.
06:22 So it was just, I feel like he trusted the guys that he was passing me off to.
06:30 And just like I said, he trusted them at the end of the day,
06:32 he just trusted the guys and I do too.
06:34 So it wasn't that hard for him.