Senior defensive lineman on Auburn's 2025 roster.
6′3″ · 317 lb · Chattanooga, TN
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
How he plays
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move.
Forced fumbles: 47th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
sacks · 2025
2 TFL · 11 tackles
Best game: 1 TFL, 2 tackles, at Vanderbilt
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive lineman on Auburn's 2025 roster.
Jay Hardy
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move. Jay Hardy has played for two head coaches across four seasons and two programs. 2023 brought the first one: All-Conference USA. The receipt on tape: 3 tackles against Texas A&M, Week 5, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
He arrived as a blue-chip recruit and played like one.
Career arc
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE USA · 2ND TEAM
All-Conference USA 2nd team (2023)
Coaching lineage · 2022–2025
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Cadillac Williams → Hugh Freeze. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (6th percentile).
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 6 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road3g | 2.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-72g | 2.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+4g | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Alex Golesh
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 13 · 2025
W 62–17
vs Mercer
1 REC
Dominant 45-point win at home against Mercer.
With D. Knight — 239 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 99.8 · 162 rush yds (9 car) · 4 TD · M. Simmons — 5 rec · 149 yds · 1 TD
Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 6 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 38-24@ Baylor | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 10-16@ Texas A&M | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Wk 10 | L 3-10vs Kentucky | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 38-45@ Vanderbilt | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 62-17vs Mercer | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Wk 14 | L 20-27vs Alabama | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 11 | 6 | 2.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
Play style
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Auburn
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Auburn
Returning around him
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Auburn · Last season: 5-7 (AP #22) · Talent rank #18 · 2026 recruiting class #31
Player DNA
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Bryson Eason’s 2025 season.
Matches Bryson on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Kristian Williams's senior season at Missouri (2023).
Matches Kristian on
Player DNA