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Harding A Quick Study on ULM Defense

Harding A Quick Study on ULM Defense

Football Aug 28
By Paul Letlow, ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist
 
MONROE, La. – Coaches can teach for hours in the meeting rooms, but the message is lost if the lesson doesn't make it past the doors.

ULM linebackers coach Scott Stoker noticed something early on about Rashaad Harding, now a sophomore starter for the Warhawks. 

"He's pretty unique," Stoker said. "He's not a guy who has to take a lot of notes. What you tell him in the meeting, he can take that to the field. He gives himself a chance to play faster because he knows what's going on.

"He's a very intelligent football player. He's got what we call 'FBI.' Football intelligence. You can tell him something one time and those guys are rare. He's not a rep guy. He can take the meeting to the field."

Good thing Harding was a quick study last year as ULM tossed him into the deep end as a true freshman. By the end of the season, he was one of the few healthy options left in an injury-ravaged unit, but he held his own. 

In a sink or swim situation, Harding registered 29 tackles in nine games, including eight each against Auburn and Arkansas State. He credits the leadership of upperclassmen like David Griffith, Chase Day and Cortez Sisco for helping him survive and thrive.

"It was a great learning experience because I got to be around a couple of great guys," Harding said. "Learning from them, that will help me do well this year."

Since his instant introduction to college football, the former Carencro High School star has only boosted his stock inside the program. He's gone from being a promising prospect to a mainstay at middle linebacker expected to play a big part in the defense's improvement.  

"He gets us lined up, he doesn't make mistakes, he sets the front, sets the pressures," Stoker said. "Last year, he got thrown in and played 80-something snaps against Auburn. To be able to do that and on that kind of stage, he played well. The big thing with him is to keep him healthy. He's got to play 60 snaps a game for us every week."

Harding said he took his early experiences and used them as a foundation coming into his sophomore campaign. He's learned that there's no substitute for preparing himself both mentally and physically. 

"Now that I'm comfortable with the plays, I can make more plays," Harding said. "When you're not comfortable with the plays, it's harder. It makes you faster when you know where to go and you know what to do."

Harding is one of the names you hear regularly from ULM coaches when you ask them, 'Who's looking good out there?"

"Rashaad just keeps getting better," ULM defensive coordinator Mike Collins said. "He played really well as a true freshman last year, and this year, he just picked up right where he left off. He had a really good spring, and now in the fall, he's turned it up a notch."

At Carencro, Harding was a first-team All-District, All-Acadiana, All-State and All-Louisiana selection as a senior. He finished his prep career with 258 total tackles, 167 solos, 12.5 sacks, nine fumble recoveries and six forced fumbles. 

"He can run, he can hit," Stoker said, "and he likes to play."

Harding arrived at ULM as part of the game-changing Class of 2017 that was ranked No. 1 in the Sun Belt Conference. He was quick to buy into the reconstruction project underway under ULM head coach Matt Viator and his staff. 

"I really liked the coaching staff and my linebacker coach especially," Harding said. "Coach Stoker, I really liked the way he recruited me."

Harding admits that he misses the cuisine back home in South Louisiana but that hasn't kept him from growing into his position while living in Monroe. He played at 208 as a high school senior but has beefed up to a solid 225 since arriving in the summer of 2017. 

"He put it on pretty quick, but he carries it well," Stoker said. "As long as he carries it well and can run and cover everybody, I'm fine with it."

As ULM opens the season at home on Thursday night against Southeastern Louisiana, plenty of attention will be on the defense looking for signs of improvement. Asked if the Warhawk defenders are on the rise, Harding sounded just like the student of the game his coaches have grown to love.

"I see everybody trying to get in their playbook more and get in their film work more," Harding said. "That's going to make us way more comfortable. We're going to be better."


 
 
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