By the time Isaiah Hardge joins the Buffaloes in Boulder, there will be no shortage of familiar faces around him.
Hardge, the 10th and most recent Class of 2023 verbal commitment that CU has received, is currently gearing up for his senior season at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The 5-foot-11, 160-pound receiver caught 22 passes for 355 yards and six touchdowns last fall, helping the Raiders to their third consecutive Florida Class 7A state championship at the end of December.
With his commitment, Colorado has landed St. Thomas Aquinas prospects in three straight recruiting classes.
Defensive end Allan Baugh, a 2021 signee with the Buffs, was the first verbal commitment Karl Dorrell ever received upon taking over at Colorado, while last cycle, the Buffaloes got a commitment from 2022 Raiders tailback Anthony Hankerson.
Looking at CU's coaching staff, there are numerous St. Thomas Aquinas alums, with Director of Player Personnel Chandler Dorrell and recruiting assistant Emily Giusti both being former Raiders.
“Allan Baugh — we had a good relationship when he was down here, and with Anthony Hankerson," Hardge said. "I’ve got a great relationship with him, too. With (cornerbacks) coach Rod (Chance), since he’s from Florida and went to St. Thomas, that played a part in it, too.”
The No. 97 overall 2023 prospect in the state of Florida, Hardge attracted a long list of suitors, with Florida, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Penn State, Putt, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Yale prominent among his offer sheet.
Colorado's Phil McGeoghan offered him in January and from there, Hardge was able to get out to Boulder for an April unofficial visit.
Shortly thereafter, he decided on the Buffs.
“The reason I pulled the trigger on it is because me and coach Phil built a great relationship with each other, and with coach Karl (Dorrell)," Hardge said. "I felt the environment was right for me and I could fit easily in that system.”
In terms of wide receivers at the next level that Hardge tries to emulate, he listed Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills and Elijah Moore (another St. Thomas Aquinas alum) of the New York Jets.
When he gets to Colorado, Hardge will have the opportunity to play both outside and in the slot.
As he plans for an official visit at Colorado sometime this summer, Hardge is excited to eventually get to work under McGeoghan.
“I look forward to him being my position coach," Hardge said. "He’s told me a lot in watching my film and explaining how he’s going to use me in the system...They like my speed, my hands, how I can read the defense and slip between holes (as well as) be a vertical threat.”
