There are few defenders that have been more productive over the last three seasons than linebacker Brogan Hardy Brogan Hardy 6'2" | 225 lbs | LB Piedmont | 2024 State OK from Piedmont. Hardy is another signee headed to Edmond at UCO. Hardy has been a tackling machine over the last several seasons and he’s also been a standout on the wrestling mat. Needless to say, when Hardy gets his hands on you, you’re going to end up going down. Hardy absolutely looks the part physically and as he continues to improve other elements of his game, he’s going to be a productive linebacker in college. No reason to think that will change at the next level.

While the headline in Piedmont’s 52-26 victory over Noble was the offense totaling 500 yards on the ground, the Piedmont defense also was stout from start to finish. And there is no doubt that senior linebacker Brogan Hardy Brogan Hardy 6'2" | 225 lbs | LB Piedmont | 2024 State OK is one of the leaders of this defense. Hardy was a very experienced player coming into this senior season and has kicked off his senior year with a stout performance last week. He finished the game with 18 tackles and a tackle for a loss. Of his 18 tackles, 10 of those were solo tackles as Hardy continues to be a tackling machine week in and week out. Hardy was a Preseason All State 1st Team selection at linebacker this year and was one of the state’s leaders in tackles a season ago. Hardy is going to be critical this week to slowing down El Reno’s rushing attack.

The first of two Piedmont players that earned All State honors from last season was 2024 Brogan Hardy Brogan Hardy 6'2" | 225 lbs | LB Piedmont | 2024 State OK for his impact at the linebacker position. Hardy was one of the top linebackers in the state last season and he eclipsed the 200 tackle mark for the season. Anytime you’re talking about a player that has that kind of production, it’s hard to talk about many other linebackers being ahead of Hardy in terms of the state’s 2024 class. The Piedmont standout linebacker has been starting for the Wildcats since he was a freshman. He brings so much experience and talent to the table that we think that this Piedmont defense could certainly be an improved unit this season. With a tackling machine like Hardy manning things in the middle of this Wildcat defensive unit, we expect good things for them this season.

Piedmont linebacker Brogan Hardy Brogan Hardy 6'2" | 225 lbs | LB Piedmont | 2024 State OK is the first of several linebackers that are among the state’s absolute best in racking up tackles. Hardy finished his junior season with well over 200 tackles and he has to be one of the top returning tacklers in the state, regardless of class coming into this season. Hardy would earn All State honors because of his ability to track down ball carriers. Hardy is a hard-hitting linebacker where all of the production definitely translates on film. He is all over the field and when we look at this linebacker class as a whole, Hardy is one of the more underrated prospects in the class. Hardy is outstanding and it doesn’t make much sense on why he isn’t getting more attention for colleges at the next level. The Piedmont standout should take his game to another level this fall and it’s going to be interesting to see how much production he ends up having this fall.

Each week when I throw on the film, I always end up having one player stand out the most and it ends up being my favorite film breakdown of the week. This week, Piedmont 2024 linebacker Brogan Hardy Brogan Hardy 6'2" | 225 lbs | LB Piedmont | 2024 State OK took that crown when we put on his film and it backed up everything we already knew about him. Hardy was one of the state’s leading tacklers last season and earned All State honors at the linebacker position because of it. The first thing that stands out when you watch Hardy, besides the constant production, is his size. He certainly looks the part at 6’2 and 225 pounds and is an absolute menace at the middle linebacker position. He’s a tackling machine and the production is at an insane rate that not many other prospects can match. Not only does Hardy rack up the tackles from his linebacker position, Piedmont’s opponents have to remember their run ins with Hardy because he is an absolute brick house when he runs into you. He’s one of the harder hitters in the state’s 2024 class. And it was very fun to see Hardy get hung up on a block because when the ball carrier gets close, he sheds the blocker like a rag doll and makes the play. Watching the film and looking for something to improve on, one thing that we could see is Hardy improving his overall speed and quickness. But there isn’t much there to critique.

Anytime we do a ranking update, there are immediate regrets with players that we missed on. Piedmont linebacker Brogan Hardy Brogan Hardy 6'2" | 225 lbs | LB Piedmont | 2024 State OK should have been in the last update in October and that was a miss. And when it comes to stats across the state, it’s hard to accurately pinpoint who leads the state in a category. Not all teams put their stats in and on the same system like a MaxPreps. But we imagine that Hardy’s 230 tackles in 2022 is among the best in Oklahoma. Hardy was an absolute lock every single week to rack up the tackles. Hardy is not only on this list but debuting at a high spot because of his combination of production and passing the eye test. Hardy is well over 6-foot and is also a pretty good wrestler. He checks all the boxes to be an outstanding linebacker at the next level and we’re looking forward to seeing more of Hardy and what he does for an encore in 2023.