Columbus native Fred Hardgrove had a remarkable breakout season in 2017, switching from an offensive athlete to the defensive side of the ball and playing safety for the first time in his life.

The Walnut Ridge graduate hit the ground running and never stopped, ultimately finishing as the Ohio Athletic Conference leader in both tackles (99) and interceptions (7), the latter good enough to rank top-10 nationally. He was voted as the Lee Tressel Award winner, presented annually to the OAC's most outstanding defensive back.

Hardgrove began racking up the awards shortly after the season, earning first team all-region honors before being voted second team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and the Associated Press. The honors highlighted the top-50 players across the country.

Hardgrove also received honorable mention All-American from D3football.com, making him the first Cardinal in over 15 years to warrant the status by three different media outlets. He became the 11th defensive player in program history, and fifth defensive back, to notch the national honor.

A natural athlete, the 6-0, 186-pound dynamo had a season-high 16 tackles twice, coming in wins over Muskingum and Capital, and was named OAC Defensive Player of the Week on both occasions. His performance against the rival Crusaders stood above the rest as he picked off two passes in the red zone, the second occurring in the final minutes to help solidify a 49-42 victory. That effort placed him on the D3football.com National Team of the Week.