Mecole Hardman is not hesitant to admit that early in the 2017 season he was having a tough time at his new wide receiver position. Hardman, who was recruited as a defensive back, flipped to offense after last year’s spring practice but had definite growing pains at his new position. In fact, Coach Smart felt the need to express his confidence in Mecole during the tough times last fall:

“He knows he’s got to catch the ball. We’re going to continue to throw it to him. We’re not going to not throw it to him. I think Mecole’s a work in progress. He’s getting better each week.”

“Nobody said it was going to be easy. It’s not natural for a guy that didn’t play receiver his whole life to go play receiver. I know some of you guys in this room compare it to Terry Godwin. That’s not true. Terry Godwin played receiver. I recruited him. Mecole did not. It makes it very different for him.”

As Hardman said, he broke out during the Missouri game and went on to establish himself as a legitimate threat for the offense:

Here is the latest interview: