Joe Hardison is a member of the Duke football team, and it's safe to say he's not your typical college athlete. In addition to his status on the football team, Joe is also an active member of the Duke men's lacrosse team, where he competes as a defensive midfielder with some of the best Division I athletes lacrosse had to offer. Even though his college experience isn't ordinary, Hardison was also a recruit at one point, so he has a ton of tips to offer those going through their own recruiting process. 

Football: What is the best advice that Coach Cutcliffe gave you or the team?

The Man's Rule: “Be where you're supposed to be, doing what you're supposed to be doing, as best as you can possibly do it.”

Lacrosse: What is the best advice that Coach Danowski gave you or the team?

Have confidence, come early to practice, and be good at the things you are already good at. Real winners are those who practice what they are bad at because they don't care about what other people say or think, as long as they are making themselves better. Have fun with everything–laugh at yourself when you mess up, laugh at others, enjoy doing what you do because one day you won't be able to do it anymore

Why Duke? What did they offer that no other DI college did?  

My whole family (on both sides) is from North/South Carolina and used to vacation there a lot so I was familiar with the area and the people. The obvious answer is a combination of excellent academics with excellent athletics, and I wanted to play with the best, even if that meant I wasn't good enough. 

Related: Rate your Coaches, Facilities, and Campus Visits

How did you juggle your recruiting process as a dual sport athlete? Did both coaches make it an easy process for you?

First was recruiting for football on a preferred walk-on spot (I was not on scholarship but had a spot on the team day 1). Originally, I did a bunch of recruiting events for lacrosse because I thought that was my path, and I had interest/offers from high Division I teams for lacrosse, but none of them met my expectations of what I wanted in a school/team. The Duke lacrosse coaches had heard of me throughout the process and contacted me asking if I was interested in doing both upon my arrival–I definitely was interested in doing both

For dual athletes what would you say to them as far as parents or coaches pushing the athlete into choosing one sport?

Most college coaches love dual sport athletes because (in a way) each sport is the same – athletic ability, strength, speed, agility, etc. At the collegiate level, both football coaches and lacrosse coaches loved that I did both because they knew that I'd be in shape and ready on Day 1 because I'd been playing the other sport all off-season.

What GPA/ACT/SAT should a potential recruit strive for if they want to play Duke sports? 

A high GPA for sure – around a 3.7 or better. One question I was asked a bunch of times by all the colleges that I visited/looked into was “Do you have any C's on your transcript?” SAT/ACT is not as important as long as you're within a certain range. My best SAT was a 1370/1600 (translated to like a 29/30 ACT)–not great, but not bad. 

What are some red flags that recruits should be looking for on official visits?

Pay close attention to the “vibes” of the team and how each member of the team interacts (on/off the field). You want it to be close and inclusive to the point that you are a family (no one left behind). In my opinion not every player is going to love and be best friends with every player, but everyone MUST have a mutual respect for each other–even if he is not “your boy.”

Also listen to the coaches and see if their expectations of you as a player at their college aligns with your expectations of what you want your college experience to be like. If you want to party a lot and go out every night, D1 probably isn't your place. With that said, I did not want the coaches to tell me you can never go out and never have a social life (which is why I loved Duke because they understand you are a college kid).

What are two questions that all recruits should be asking coaches before they commit?

Where do you see me (as a player) in this program?

What are the team goals?

Do high school lax or football players have to be in the top 3-5% in the country and a 3-year varsity starter in order to get recruited by Duke?

Absolutely not…actively reach out and stay committed and show you care. It's not always the best player who gets recruited

Does Duke take on walk-ons for football and lacrosse? If so, how would a high school athlete start that process?

Duke is constantly looking for dual sport athletes because that helps both sports. Reach out to your high school/club coach and devise a plan – he will know better at this whole process than you

Should recruits be mentally prepared to play different positions if a coach should need them too? This question is for both sports?

Absolutely – I started off in lacrosse as a defensive middie “trying out” for the team, but ended up being moved to Offensive middie and then back to defensive middie sophomore year

When recruits meet coaches, what should they be looking for in a coach? For a football coach and a lacrosse coach.

A genuinely good person first, good coach second. You want the coach who cares about his players as people. All sports, all coaches, doesn't matter–you want to know they have your back on and off the field.

What makes a great Duke lacrosse player?

Someone who genuinely ENJOYS the sport of lacrosse, who works on his craft diligently (almost to an annoying level), and makes sacrifices–sometimes that means not going out on the weekend or falling behind socially to make yourself a better player.

What makes a great Duke football player?

See above.

Related: Former Aurora University Football Coach Rick Ponx Offers Recruiting Advice

If Duke coaches are actively recruiting, how often should a recruit keep in touch with them, and what should they be updating them on? 

Read the situation and make the call when necessary. Coaches have a lot of recruits and their team to keep them very busy so it's easy to get overlooked. Don't think you are being annoying. I was always nervous to call or text these coaches because I was scared that they would be like “this kid won't stop I'm never taking him” but in reality that is not the case and you will ultimately end up being their guy.

If you could change one thing about your recruiting process, what would that be? 

Lose the stress and trust your ability. For a long time I had self doubt throughout the process, always questioning whether I was good enough to even play D3 since I wasn't getting the offers from anywhere that mattered

 Looking back, would you change anything about your freshman year and how you might have acted or played?

I don't think so.

What advice do you have for a high school athlete on how to get noticed by the Duke coaches? Any specific tournaments to attend or camps? For both sports.

In my opinion the best way to get things done is through your high school or club coaches. Have them talk to the Duke coaches and figure out what they think the most important camp, prospect day, tournament, etc. is for you to attend. If you're serious about wanting to go to a school, go to the events that matter (which can be found out through a close relationship between your high school coaches and the college coach, not the college coach and the general public)

What set you apart in high school and allowed you to compete as a D1 athlete?

Being involved in as much as I could in my school. College coaches are humans and will see you are a genuinely good person if you are never getting in trouble, have good grades and don't think you're “too big for your britches.” 

How important are recruiting videos?

It's one of the most important things in recruiting (in my opinion). Duke coaches will watch tons of tape on recruits to see if they are interested. You would be surprised at the amount of comments I've heard from our coaches on the music, grammar/spelling, and framing of your tape. Don't think it doesn't matter what music or what slides you want the public to see because it does.

Have a story idea or know an awesome athlete/coach we should interview? Email us at [email protected]

* Originally published on September 28, 2022, by Brandon Sires