{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1987)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Montario Hardesty | image = Montario Hardesty.jpg | caption = Hardesty with the Cleveland Browns in 2011 | current_team = | number = 31, 20 | position = Running back | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1987|02|01}} | birth_place = New Bern, North Carolina, U.S. | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 0 | weight_lbs = 225 | high_school = New Bern | college = Tennessee (2005–2009) | draftyear = 2010 | draftround = 2 | draftpick = 59 | pastteams = * Cleveland Browns ({{NFL Year|2010}}–{{NFL Year|2013}}) | pastcoaching = * Norfolk State (2015–2016) <br>Special teams coordinator & running backs coach * Florida Atlantic (2017) <br>Assistant strength and conditioning coach * Tennessee (2018) <br>Quality control coach * Charlotte (2019–2020) <br>Wide receivers coach * South Carolina (2021–2023) <br>Running backs coach | status = | highlights = * Second-team All-SEC (2009) * 2009 Shrine Bowl Offensive MVP | statlabel1 = Rushing attempts | statvalue1 = 153 | statlabel2 = Rushing yards | statvalue2 = 537 | statlabel3 = Rushing touchdowns | statvalue3 = 1 | statlabel4 = Receptions | statvalue4 = 16 | statlabel5 = Receiving yards | statvalue5 = 138 | statlabel6 = Receiving touchdowns | statvalue6 = | pfr = H/HardMo00 }} '''Montario Hardesty''' (born February 1, 1987) is an American college football coach and former professional running back. Hardesty played college football at the University of Tennessee, where he amassed fewer than 400 yards in each of his first four seasons before breaking out with 1,345 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in 2009. In 2015, Hardesty became the running backs coach and special teams coordinator for Norfolk State University. He was the wide receivers coach for the Charlotte 49ers football program from 2019 to 2020, and the running backs coach at the University of South Carolina from 2021 to 2023.
==Early life== Hardesty played football at New Bern High School.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Honeycutt |first=Jordan |date=February 10, 2018 |title=Hardesty feels at home back at Tennessee |url=https://www.newbernsj.com/sports/hardesty-feels-at-home-back-at-tennessee/article_1e992e45-9e63-57ac-9ed3-45ba2560186e.html |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=New Bern Sun Journal |language=en}}</ref> As a senior in 2004, he rushed for 2,002 yards on 272 carries. He had 19 rushing touchdowns. He was considered a four-star recruit and ranked 100th on the Rivals.com's list of the top 100 players in the class of 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2005 Rivals100 Prospect Ranking |url=https://n.rivals.com/prospect_rankings/rivals100/2005?position=ALL%2520POSITIONS |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=Rivals.com}}</ref> He was recruited as an "athlete", with the potential to play both running back and safety. Hardesty was considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com. He chose to play for the University of Tennessee.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Montario Hardesty 2005 Athlete Tennessee |url=https://rivals.com/content/athletes/montario-hardesty-18348?view=pv |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=Rivals.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
==College career== Hardesty was a three-year letter winner at Tennessee. He amassed 2,391 rushing yards on 560 attempts, 405 receiving yards on 38 receptions, and 26 total touchdowns.<ref name="Montario Hardesty Player Profile">{{Cite web |title=Montario Hardesty College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/montario-hardesty-1.html |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}</ref>
Hardesty was granted a medical hardship for the 2005 season because of a knee injury he suffered against Ole Miss.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=John |date=August 9, 2017 |title=Montario Hardesty, former Vols running back, proves some four-stars shine late |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/sports/columnists/university-of-tennessee/john-adams/2017/08/09/montario-hardesty-former-tennessee-vols-running-back-proves-some-four-stars-shine-late/544640001/ |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=Knoxville News Sentinel |language=en-US}}</ref> He rushed 6 times for 18 yards before his injury.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Montario Hardesty 2005 Game Log |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/montario-hardesty-1/gamelog/2005 |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}</ref> In 2006, Hardesty started the season with a 43-yard touchdown run against the University of California.<ref>{{Cite web |title=California at Tennessee Box Score, September 2, 2006 |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/boxscores/2006-09-02-tennessee.html |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}</ref> His best game of the season was a 72-yard performance against the Air Force Academy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Air Force at Tennessee Box Score, September 9, 2006 |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/boxscores/2006-09-09-tennessee.html |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}</ref> He played in 13 games. He finished the season with 384 rushing yards and four touchdowns.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Montario Hardesty 2006 Game Log |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/montario-hardesty-1/gamelog/2006 |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}</ref>
Hardesty's 2007 season wasn't quite as good as his 2006 season. He had a touchdown in the opening game of the season against the University of California once again.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tennessee at California Box Score, September 1, 2007 |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/boxscores/2007-09-01-california.html |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}</ref> He finished the year with 373 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Montario Hardesty 2007 Game Log |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/montario-hardesty-1/gamelog/2007 |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}</ref> 2008 was the worst statistical season of Hardesty's career at Tennessee. He ran for 271 yards, finishing the season with 6 touchdowns. He passed the 1,000 career rushing yard mark against Vanderbilt University in the season's next-to-last game.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Montario Hardesty 2008 Game Log |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/montario-hardesty-1/gamelog/2008 |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}</ref>
In 2009, Hardesty was 20th in the NCAA's Division I-FBS division in rushing yards, with 1345 yards in 13 games.<ref name="2009 Rushing Yard Leaders">{{Cite web |title=FBS (Division I-A) Player Rushing Statistics – 2009 |url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/stats/player?season=2009&group=80 |access-date=November 9, 2010 |website=espn.com}}</ref> He started the season off with 160 rushing yards and 1 touchdown against Western Kentucky University.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Western Kentucky at Tennessee Box Score, September 5, 2009 |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/boxscores/2009-09-05-tennessee.html |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}</ref> He has passed the 100 rushing yard mark four more times in the 2009 season, against Ohio University, the University of South Carolina, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Kentucky. He was the Southeastern Conference's fourth leading rusher in the 2009 season with 1,345 yards.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Montario Hardesty 2009 Game Log |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/montario-hardesty-1/gamelog/2009 |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}</ref> Hardesty was first in the SEC in carries with 282.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2009 Southeastern Conference Leaders |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/conferences/sec/2009-leaders.html |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=Sports Reference |language=en}}</ref>
=== Statistics === {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Season ! colspan="5"| Rushing ! colspan="5"| Receiving |- ! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD |- ! 2005 | 6 || 18 || 3.0 || 11 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 |- ! 2006 | 107 || 384 || 3.6 || 43 || 4 || 6 || 54 || 9.0 || 23 || 0 |- ! 2007 | 89 || 373 || 4.2 || 26 || 3 || 3 || 25 || 8.3 || 21 || 0 |- ! 2008 | 76 || 271 || 3.6 || 27 || 6 || 4 || 24 || 6.0 || 12 || 0 |- ! 2009 | 282 || 1,345 || 4.8 || 43 || 13 || 25 || 302 || 12.1 || 47 || 1 |- ! [https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/montario-hardesty-1.html Career]!! 560 !! 2,391 !! 4.3 !! 43 !! 26 !! 38 !! 405 !! 10.7 !! 47 !! 1 |}
===Track and field=== Hardesty was also a standout athlete at New Bern High School. He was a state 100 meters finalist in 2003. He decided not to run track and field at the University of Tennessee. His personal bests are 10.36 seconds in the 100 meters and 21.65 seconds in the 200 meters.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}
;Personal bests {| class="wikitable" |- !Event !Time (seconds) !Venue !Date |- |100 meters |10.36 |Greensboro, North Carolina |July 26, 2004 |- |200 meters |21.65 |Greensboro, North Carolina |July 26, 2004 |}
==Professional career==
Hardesty was picked in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2010 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2010/draft.htm |access-date=May 13, 2023 |website=Pro Football Reference |language=en}}</ref>
{{nfl predraft | height ft = 6 | height in = 0 | weight = 225 | dash = 4.49 | ten split = | twenty split = | shuttle = 4.14 | cone drill = 6.87 | vertical = 41 | broad ft = 10 | broad in = 4 | bench = 21 | wonderlic = | arm span = 31 | hand span = {{frac|9|1|2}} | note = All values from NFL Combine<ref>{{Cite web |title=Montario Hardesty Draft and Combine Prospect Profile |url=https://www.nfl.com/prospects/montario-hardesty/32004841-5205-1743-aa77-09a0c8cc490c |access-date=2026-05-15 |website=NFL.com |language=en-US}}</ref> }}
Hardesty was expected to compete for the starting running back position for the Browns, but was limited in pre-season due to injury. On September 2, in his first pre-season game against the Chicago Bears, he suffered a torn left ACL, sidelining him for the entire 2010 season.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 3, 2010 |title=Torn ACL to shelve Browns RB Hardesty for '10 |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=5527761 |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=ESPN.com|agency=Associated Press |language=en}}</ref>
In the 2011 season, Hardesty played in ten games and finished with 88 carries for 266 rushing yards and 14 receptions for 122 yards.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Montario Hardesty 2011 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HardMo00/gamelog/2011/ |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=Pro Football Reference}}</ref> In the 2012 season, Hardesty had 65 carries for 271 yards and one touchdown. His one touchdown occurred in Week 6 against the Bengals.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Montario Hardesty 2012 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HardMo00/gamelog/2012/ |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=Pro Football Reference}}</ref>
On August 27, 2013, Hardesty was placed on injured reserve, effectively ending his 2013 NFL season.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alper |first=Josh |date=August 27, 2013 |title=Browns claim two off waivers, place Hardesty on injured reserve in a flurry of roster moves |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/browns-claim-two-off-waivers-place-hardesty-on-injured-reserve-in-a-flurry-of-roster-moves |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=NBC Sports |language=en-US}}</ref> He was released on September 30.<ref>{{Cite web |author-link=Associated Press |date=September 30, 2013 |title=Browns waive RB Montario Hardesty, former 2nd-round pick plagued by injuries as pro |url=https://www.foxnews.com/sports/browns-waive-rb-montario-hardesty-former-2nd-round-pick-plagued-by-injuries-as-pro/ |access-date=October 2, 2013 |publisher=Fox News Channel |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|2}}
==External links== {{footballstats|espn=13208}} * [https://utsports.com/sports/football/roster/montario-hardesty/1756 Tennessee Volunteers bio] * [https://nsuspartans.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/montario-hardesty/508 Norfolk State Spartans profile] * [https://charlotte49ers.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/montario-hardesty/797 Charlotte 49ers profile] * [https://gamecocksonline.com/sports/football/roster/coach/montario-hardesty/ South Carolina Gamecocks profile] *{{commons category-inline}}
{{Tennessee Volunteers football rushing leaders navbox}} {{Browns2010DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardesty, Montario}} Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:American football running backs Category:Cleveland Browns players Category:Players of American football from North Carolina Category:Sportspeople from New Bern, North Carolina Category:Tennessee Volunteers football players Category:Coaches of American football from North Carolina Category:Norfolk State Spartans football coaches Category:Florida Atlantic Owls football coaches Category:Tennessee Volunteers football coaches Category:Charlotte 49ers football coaches Category:South Carolina Gamecocks football coaches