Dre’Mail Hardin:  I actually committed to Alabama in 11^th grade.  Then I got injured after my senior season.  There was also a coaching change.  They took the scholarship away because they didn’t think that I would be able to play football again.   
 

Alex Khvatov:  What made you choose Mississippi State?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  I got injured and I also didn’t think that I was going to play football again.  I lost so much weight.  I went to Alabama A&M.  I was there for two semesters.  I didn’t play football for them.  I just went there to attend school.  Then I gained my weight back.  I went home and I heard that Coach Croom wanted to talk to me.  I got in contact with him.  He told me that I would be able to walk-on and work for the scholarship.
 

Alex Khvatov:  Tell me more about your injury and what kind of an effect has it had on the rest of your life?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  I got shot after my senior season.  It was actually an altercation between our two family members, and I got in the middle of it.  I was trying to break it up.  I got shot in the abdomen.  I lost 53 pounds.  First thing that I learned is that I had a very good girlfriend.  My head did get down.  I was in a hospital for three months.  She stuck with me.  I am engaged to her now.  She is pregnant, and we are expecting a baby girl in November.  After this incident it just made me realize that I can get through anything.  I can climb the highest mountain. 
 

Alex Khvatov:  Tell me about your overall experience of playing in the SEC Conference? 

Dre’Mail Hardin:  Well, it was great while I was there.  I got redshirted my first year.  Then I started in the spring game during the second year.  There are great athletes, and the speed is more up tempo at D-I.  But there isn’t that much difference when you compare the talent level between D-I and D-IAA.  It is just football.  It all depends who you are playing.  We play some very good teams here at Stillman.    
 

Alex Khvatov:  Why did you decide to leave Mississippi State?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  They only wanted to give me a partial scholarship.  There was no full scholarship.  I felt like if I worked hard, I would get it.  In the end, I still didn’t get the scholarship.  I talked to Coach Croom, and I decided that it was best for me to go. 
 

Alex Khvatov:  How did you end up at Stillman College?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  It was definitely all about their head coach.  He actually coached me in eight grade.  He was always my coach.  I looked up to him.  He was a father figure to me.  He visited me at the hospital when I had that injury.  He checked up on me when I was at Mississippi State.  He became a head coach at Stillman.  I decided that I was going to play for him.  It wasn’t that hard turning down other schools.  So I came to Stillman. 
 

Alex Khvatov:  Tell me about Stillman College and what has your experience been like there? 

Dre’Mail Hardin:  My experience has been great.  I know that our seasons haven’t always turned out the way that I wanted.  But the football program has only been around from 1999.  It’s huge academically.  It is a very prestigious college in academics.  I also like the fact that this school is from my hometown.  I like being back in Tuscaloosa. 
 

Alex Khvatov:  What has this season been like for you and the team? 

Dre’Mail Hardin:  It’s been tough.  Nobody wishes that type of season on anyone.  It hasn’t been the best schedule for us, but we continue to fight.  Tuskegee and Jackson State are tough teams to beat.  We lost to Kentucky State last week in the closing minutes by a touchdown.  After watching tape, I think that we can turn the season around.  We are very young and our heads are down, but it is the seniors’ job to pick it up.  We are pretty confident this week and ready to play.  
 

Alex Khvatov:  What are your strengths on the football field?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  I definitely have the neck for the football.  I am very aggressive.  I attack the football.  I would like to think of myself as a hitter.
 

Alex Khvatov:  What areas of your game do you need to improve upon during your senior season?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  I think one area that I need to improve in is being too overly aggressive.  When I come down in the box, I might be too overaggressive. 
 

Alex Khvatov:  What is the most memorable moment of your football career up to this point?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  Definitely in high school, I remember when we beat County high school.  We beat them 17-0.  They were No.4 in the state and seventh in the nation at that time.  I also remember when I intercepted a pass and took it 102 yards against Miles College for a touchdown.  I also had two picks against Langston University at the Dome and I returned a FG block 100 yards for two points.   
 

Alex Khvatov:  What is your favorite NFL team?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  The Oakland Raiders.  My dad was a huge fan of theirs and he instilled it in me.  I love their players.  I love their franchise. 
 

Alex Khvatov:  What do you think of the whole situation that the franchise is in right now?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  I definitely think that Al Davis has to give it up.  He is controlling too much.  He has the last word on everything.  He is hurting the team.
 

Alex Khvatov:  Who is your favorite player?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  My favorite player was Jerry Rice.  Later on it became Sean Taylor.  Now it is Brian Dawkins.  But Sean Taylor is my all-time favorite player.  He was aggressive.  He would get out there and hit hard.  He was a great cover guy.  He was great at all aspects of the game.  I love that about him.  He was a sure tackler, he had great ball skills and he took perfect angles.
 

Alex Khvatov:  Who is the toughest player that you have faced during your career?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  La’Ron McClain.  When he was in high school, he averaged like 150 yards a game.  It was tough to bring him down.  They put him at fullback in Alabama.  He was not a running FB.  He was involved mostly in the passing game and in the blocking.  He is with the Ravens now.
 

Alex Khvatov:  Which underclassman on your team should we keep an eye on in the future?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  Quinn Porter.  He is a running back who should definitely see time at receiver.  He is talented.  He is athletic, has quick feet.  He is a scat back who is faster than lightning.  He is a junior right now. 
 

Alex Khvatov:  What is the most important quality that a safety should possess?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  A safety has to have a knack for the ball.  As long as he is coming down hill and he is around the ball.  He needs to get over the top when the ball is in the air and be around the ball.
 

Alex Khvatov:  What do you enjoy most about playing football?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  I am free.  I am doing what I love to do.  I love to compete.  I love to line up and beat someone at something.  I am very competitive.  I love just being able to do something that I love.  I have the talent.  It is one thing in life that I really have the passion for.
 

Alex Khvatov:  Has the NFL always been in the back of your mind?  

Dre’Mail Hardin:  Since three years old, it has been a goal of mine.  After everything that has happened in my life, I am going to get it. 
 

Alex Khvatov:  How important is education to you and what do you plan to do after football?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  Education is the main point.  Football is not going to last for long.  Education is an important aspect of my life.  When doctors told me that I wasn’t going to play, my main focus shifted towards education.  I want to own my own recreation center, my own day care center and a barber shop after football or even while I am playing football.
 

Alex Khvatov:  What is the one thing in your daily life that you can’t live without?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  I have to say video games.  I like to play X-Box 360.  I play mostly sports games like NBA 2K and Madden.
 

Alex Khvatov:  What is the most unique thing about you?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  I think my will to never quit.  After going through a lot of things, I am not going to quit.  It was my goal to play college football and it is my goal to play in the NFL one day.  It is my dream.  It is also my dream to own a recreation center.  I have the determination to never quit. 
 

Alex Khvatov:  If you could go back in time, who is the one person that you would like to have dinner with and why?

Dre’Mail Hardin:  It would probably be Doctor Martin Luther King.  He was one of the smartest people in the world.  Yeah, it would be him. 
 

Alex Khvatov:  What are your hobbies? 

Dre’Mail Hardin:  Video games.  I like to play sports.  I like to play basketball and tennis.  I bowl a lot.  I am in the bowling alley three or four times a week.  I like to play cards.  Poker is number one in my book.  I play poker three times a week.  
 

Alex Khvatov:  Finish the sentence, Dre’Mail Hardin….

Dre’Mail Hardin:  I am a very determined athlete.  I am a great person who loves life.  I strive to be the best.  I will continue to do things in the right way.  I will never quit.  I am very competitive.