Mecole Hardman Jr. rules out UGA and Tennessee for official visits, BUT …

Earlier this week, the 4-star athlete from Elbert County High School, said he will take an official to Michigan for the Ohio State game.

He doesn’t know where else he will officially visit yet, but he knows where he won’t be taking one.

“I’m not taking an official visit to Georgia or Tennessee,” Hardman told the AJC. “I’ve been to those schools plenty of times. Those are the two schools for sure that I know I will not take an official visit to. I probably won’t take one to Florida, either. I don’t know about Alabama — that one is still up in the air.”

UGA or Tennessee fans shouldn’t be too alarmed, as Hardman lists the two SEC schools as his co-leaders.

So which schools is Hardman considering taking an official visit to?

“Maybe Miami,” he said. “Michigan — I have already set that one. Oklahoma and Stanford possibly. Mainly schools that I can’t get to by driving in a car.”

The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder said he wants to take official visits to schools that are far away just to make sure he does his due diligence before committing to a school of his choice.

“I have interest in the schools that I may take an official visit to, but I just can’t get there all the time because they are far away,” he said. “You have to visit the school and your parents have to see the school. I can step on the campus of Stanford or Michigan and get that feeling that I want to be there and make the commitment on the spot.”

Hardman says he still plans on making a silent commitment and making it public on National Signing Day. He told the AJC that his silent commitment will remain a secret because if it leaks out, he will know that he can’t trust the coaching staff that he told.