Former Record-Setting Hobbs QB Named UTEP starter

Scott Hood August 23, 2020 @ 10:29 PM

Former Hobbs and NMMI standout quarterback Gavin Hardison is finally getting the opportunity to fulfill his dreams of playing major college football. Sunday, just over a year after he first arrived on campus, Hardison was named UTEP’s starting QB for the Miners’ 2020 season opener on Sept. 5 against Stephen F. Austin at the Sun Bowl. The following week (Sept. 12), UTEP faces Texas in Austin, likely in front of a national TV audience on the Longhorn Network or another ESPN platform. Hardison enjoyed a stellar senior season at Hobbs in 2017, throwing for a state record 5,347 yards (per the NMAA website) and 59 touchdowns in leading the Eagles to a 9-3 record and a quarterfinal appearance in the Class 6A playoffs. Four times that season, Hardison threw for at least seven touchdowns in a single game. Twice he eclipsed the 600-yard passing mark in a single game, led by his 629-yard outing against Onate on Oct. 20, 2017. The top three New Mexico single game passing marks all belong to Hardison. He is the only quarterback in state history to throw for more than 570 yards in a game, and he did it three times. According to MaxPreps, Hardison finished second nationally in passing yardage in 2017, and was one of only three quarterbacks across the country to throw for more than 5,000 yards that season. He finished with 208 more passing yards than current Arizona State QB Jayden Daniels. Hardison currently ranks sixth on New Mexico’s all-time passing yardage list with 8,678 yards and 10<sup>th</sup> in career passing touchdowns with 93. Despite his lofty achievements on the football field, Hardison attracted little interest from major colleges on the recruiting trail. As a result, he enrolled at New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) in Roswell for the 2018-19 academic year. In his only season at NMMI, Hardison appeared in five games, throwing for 408 yards and four touchdowns, including a season high 187 yards mand two TD against Air Force Prep. Hardison signed with UTEP in the spring of 2019 and made his Miners debut against UAB later that season, throwing for 202 yards and one TD. He also saw action in the season finale against Rice. Because he played in four games or less, Hardison redshirted last season as allowed by NCAA rules. Hardison was competing with redshirt freshman T.J. Goodwin for the starting QB job until Sunday when UTEP head coach Dana Dimel announced Hardison as the starter. Hours later, Goodwin revealed on social media that he was opting out of the 2020 season, citing personal reasons and the COVID-19 pandemic. https://twitter.com/JUCOFFrenzy/status/1234951439664984064 https://twitter.com/AndyMorganTV/status/1297697136944062464