Kirby Smart discusses whether Mecole Hardman will start out on offense or defense

Mecole Hardman is electric with the football in his hands.

His athleticism certainly could be used at receiver and on special teams. On Twitter, he recently volunteered his services in the receiving game not too long after five-star wideout Demetris Robertson announced his decision to play college football at California instead of Georgia.

But Hardman knows his long-term future is at cornerback, and head coach Kirby Smart knows it too.

So while there may be an opening Hardman could fill on offense, Smart said Hardman’s going to arrive to Georgia and begin practicing with the defensive backs.

"Everybody wants him to start out on offense," Smart told an alumni gathering at the Columbus UGA Day. "We have to stop people from scoring points in order to win. I don’t know if you saw the spring game, but we’re in need of some defensive players. That’s important, too. Where I come from, you have to play defense first. We want him to do that and train there."

Georgia returns starting defensive backs Malkom Parrish, Aaron Davis, Quincy Mauger and Dominick Sanders, to go with 2015 contributors Rico McGraw and Juwuan Briscoe. Therefore, the Bulldogs would seemingly be in good shape in the back end.

But since taking the head coaching job, Smart has stated his desire to improve Georgia’s secondary play, focusing on the fact that the 156.5 passing yards-per-game average had a lot to do with last season’s scheme protecting the unit. Georgia also played games against Louisiana-Monroe, Florida, Auburn, Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech, which all either struggled to throw the ball or simply chose not to.

If Hardman, a five-star athlete out of Elbert County, arrives to campus and shows he can create explosive plays on offense, he’ll certainly get a good look and an opportunity to showcase his talents there.

To start, however, Hardman will begin his Georgia career defending passes instead of catching them.

"Mecole has a lot to learn," Smart said. "It’s a big-boy league when he gets out there. He’s got to add some bulk. He’s got to add some weight. But I do love his competitive nature. He’s a great competitor."

This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 12:40 PM with the headline "Kirby Smart discusses whether Mecole Hardman will start out on offense or defense."