2  Justin Hardy
	Class: Junior Hometown: Vanceboro High School: West Craven Height / Weight: 6-0 / 186 Position: Inside Receiver Experience: 2L

Career Statistics

Rates as East Carolina's top "Y" (inside) receiver heading into sophomore season, perhaps setting the stage for a more pronounced conference, if not national, honors campaign in 2012 ... An electric multi-purpose receiver and potential return specialist who should provide the Pirates with a significant impact for the second-straight year ... Selected as a second-team preseason All-Conference USA performer by Phil Steele's College Football Preview Magazine and Athlon Sports Magazine ... Could also platoon at times with 6-foot-8 Justin Jones in different situational alignments, especially on third down or inside the redzone ... Recorded one reception for nine yards during first spring scrimmage March 31 before adding a pair of catches for 12 yards a week later in the second intra-squad contest ... Led all receivers during the Purple-Gold Game (April 14) with 48 yards on just two grabs ... Earned "iron" status in ECU's strength and conditioning program, turning in some of the team's top times in agility drill testing - 11.2/long shuttle and 6.88/three cone ... Also produced a jerk that generated a wattage of 1,086 ... Initially earned roster position as a walk-on prior to the start of fall camp in 2010 and rapid development almost prompted removal of redshirt during true rookie campaign.

2011 Game-by-Game Statistics
2011: A breakout performer during first season on the Pirates' active roster, earning Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors ... Also named to the Bleacher Report's Honorable Mention All-Freshman Team and Phil Steele Magazine's All-Freshman Second Team ... Selected as the program's offensive MVP by coaching staff during the squad's end-of-the-season awards banquet ... Experienced action in 10 games, making eight starts ... Did not play against Navy and Tulane due to a right knee injury suffered in practice ... Part of the initial offensive lineup against South Carolina, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Houston, Memphis, UTEP, UCF and Marshall ... Ended the campaign owning East Carolina freshman records with 64 receptions and 658 yards, surpassing Jason Nichols' 42 catches and 450 yards in 1994 ... 64 catches are the sixth most recorded in a season in program history ... Tied Larry Shannon (1994) for the Pirates' rookie mark with six touchdown grabs ... Finished the year ranked fourth in Conference USA in receptions per game (6.4) and eighth in receiving yards per game (65.8) ... Also stood 25th nationally in catches per contest and was one of just three freshmen to finish the campaign ranked in the top 75 ... ECU's top receiver in Conference USA games, making 40 grabs for 463 yards ... Finished second on the squad in non-league contests, hauling in 24 passes for 195 yards ... Trailed only kicker Michael Barbour in scoring during league tilts, totaling 30 points on an ECU-high five touchdowns ... Averaged a team second-best 11.6 yards per catch during C-USA action ... Ended the year ranked third on the squad with nine plays of 20 or more yards, including a team-best three touchdowns for 20 or more yards ... Paced the squad with nine receptions covering 20 or more yards ... Registered 33 catches during five games inside Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium and 20 during four road tilts ... For the season, led all receivers with 99 passes intended and was Dominique Davis' favorite target with 97 passes intended (19.6 percent of all Davis' throws) ... Paced the squad with 37 receiving first downs ... Did the most damage on second down, hauling in 27 passes for 16 first downs and four scores ... Targeted 10 times on second-and-short and second-and-middle distances and made all 10 receptions, gaining nine first downs ... On fourth down, caught all four passes intended, turning three receptions into first downs and the other into a touchdown ... Never reached 100 yards receiving in a game, but collected 90 or more three times, twice during the first three weeks of the season with 91 and 90-yard efforts against South Carolina and UAB, respectively ... During the season finale at Marshall, set career high with 92 yards receiving ... Made three receptions for 40 yards in the fourth quarter, including two grabs that netted 28 yards during the Pirates' 15-play, 82-yard touchdown march to tie the game with 14 second remaining ... Hauled in a seven-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter against UCF, giving him scores in four of last five games played ... Caught a team-leading seven balls for 64 yards, including a three-yard touchdown in the third quarter, versus Southern Miss ... Completed a 51-yard pass to Andrew Bodenheimer on a halfback pass in the first quarter at Memphis ... In the third frame versus the Tigers, caught third career touchdown pass on a personal-long 58-yard reception ... Made five receptions in both halves against North Carolina, but held a 43-30 edge in yards during the opening half ... Scored first career touchdown, and ECU's initial TD of the season, during the opening quarter versus South Carolina with a 25-yard grab ... Finished the first frame against the Gamecocks with three receptions for 46 yards and the score ... Caught a career-high 11 passes in debut against South Carolina.

2010: Served as a valuable member of the scout teams and redshirted during initial season ... Used as a scout quarterback on occasion to emulate scrambling, run-oriented or option-based signal callers.

High School: A two-year letterman and senior team captain for coach Kevin Yost at West Craven High School ... Compiled 2,500 passing yards and 35 touchdowns in 2009 to earn all-area, all-conference and offensive player-of-the-year honors ... Added 1,500 rushing yards and 10 scores for the Eagles ... Made 80 receptions for 1,001 yards and nine TDs during junior season ... Named to the all-area and all-conference squads in 2008 ... Picked two additional letters as a shooting and point guard on the basketball floor.

Personal: Full name is Justin Hardy ... Born December 18, 1991 at Washington, N.C. ... Son of Sam and Tara Hardy ... A sports studies major who earned inclusion on ECU's Honor Roll (3.0 grade point average or higher) for academic work during back-to-back semesters (spring and fall of 2011) ... Lists the Pirate fan base as the best thing about playing football at East Carolina ... Says Jerry Rice is his favorite all-time NFL player.