Daequan Hardy walked into the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room Nov. 5 and saw some familiar faces. At Penn State, he played with Joey Porter Jr. and Pat Freiermuth. This summer with the Buffalo Bills, one of his teammates was safety Daryl Porter Jr.
The person that Hardy had the longest history with, though, could be found in the head coach’s office.
A Penn Hills graduate, Hardy has known Mike Tomlin since the young defensive back was in the eighth grade, he said on the heels of being signed to the Steelers’ practice squad.
“I’m cool as (crap) with him,” Hardy said.
Hardy played on 7-on-7 teams with Tomlin’s sons. Now, Tomlin is his boss.
“It’s going to be a little weird, but I’m up for the challenge and happy to be here,” Hardy said.
The Steelers had an opening for a defensive back on the practice squad when they cut Beanie Bishop on Monday. They brought in Hardy for a workout Tuesday and signed him to fill the void, giving him Bishop’s locker and uniform number 31. At 5-foot-9, 178 pounds, Hardy has the frame of a slot cornerback, but he said he can play safety and outside corner if needed. He also has experience as a returner.
“This is a dream come true,” Hardy said. “I wanted to be here, and I’m just happy to finally be here.”
Hardy continues to live in Penn Hills in the offseason and described his family as “diehard” Steelers fans.
“They can’t wait to get my jersey,” he said.
As a senior at Penn Hills, Hardy was the TribLive High School Sports Network football player of the year. At Penn State, he played in 48 games over five seasons and returned two punts for touchdowns. He also had five interceptions among 25 pass breakups.
Hardy visited the Steelers ahead of the 2024 draft but was taken in the sixth round by Buffalo. He was cut in training camp and spent last season on the Bills’ practice squad. This year, he was cut again late in camp, signed back to the practice squad but cut again a few days later.
Hardy had a workout with the Miami Dolphins last month.
“I’ve got to get up to speed with the other guys,” Hardy said as he prepared for his first practice with the Steelers. “I’m looking forward to that.”
Burnett makes impact
Penn Hills graduate Donovan Burnett has found a way to contribute during his freshman season at VMI. Burnett has appeared in nine games for the Keydets this season and has recorded at least one tackle for loss in five of those games.
VMI has had a difficult start to the season, only winning one of its first eight games. Burnett had six tackles for loss and forced a fumble in VMI’s lone win, a 42-7 victory over Ferry on Sept. 6. During VMI’s most recent game against Citadel, Burnett recorded two tackles, with one coming in the backfield.
Burnett recorded his first collegiate sack against Bucknell.
Zemba lifts trophy
It was a difficult fall for Penn Hills athletics. None of the team sports teams qualified for the WPIAL playoffs.
But Scott Zemba, who serves as a Penn Hills High School guidance counselor, found coaching success at West Allegheny. Zemba guided the West Allegheny boys soccer team to its first WPIAL crown since 2013, knocking off Franklin Regional, 2-1, at Highmark Stadium.
West Allegheny, which was seeded eighth in Class 3A, had a wild run to the final. West Allegheny upset No. 1 Hampton and No. 5 Thomas Jefferson to reach the final.
West Allegheny also won its first-round PIAA playoff game, beating York Suburban to march onto the next round.
Duncan helps make history
Penn Hills graduate Lenny Duncan helped Penn State New Kensington’s soccer program make some history in one of its final seasons before the campus is set to close. The school, which is scheduled to close its doors after the spring 2027 semester, first fielded a soccer team in 2010.
Duncan had three shots for PSNK in the Penn State University Athletic Conference championship match with Penn State Scranton.
Armstrong graduate Tanner Stockdill scored the winning goal for PSNK in a 1-0 double overtime victory Nov. 5 in University Park. PSNK qualified for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Division II men’s soccer national championship, which will be held from Nov. 13-17 in Pittsburgh.
Dugger continues strong season
Jaden Dugger put together a strong performance during a recent win for Louisiana against South Alabama. Dugger finished with 11 tackles and intercepted a pass to help the Ragin’ Cajuns pick up a 31-22 victory.
Dugger has now finished with 10 or more tackles five times this season.
Strader back in lineup
Raion Strader has been working on adjusting to the SEC environment. The Penn Hills graduate returned to the lineup for Auburn against Kentucky. Strader recorded a pass breakup in the Tigers’ 10-3 loss.
Strader, who started his career at Miami (Ohio), transferred to Auburn before this season.
Joe Rutter contributed to this report.