Eilar Hardy already has an impressive list of scholarship offers and he’s hoping to add Ohio State to it soon.

The junior defensive back from Pickerington (Ohio) Central High School recently picked up an offer from Notre Dame, but he has no leader at this early stage.

“I’m keeping my options wide open,” Hardy said. “I’ve got a few offers but I don’t have a favorite or anything like that. I was offered by Notre Dame about two weeks ago and I also have offers from Maryland, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Colorado, Indiana and Minnesota.”

Hardy is 6-foot-1, 175 pounds and he says his fastest 40-yard dash time ever is 4.49 seconds.

Growing up in the shadow of Ohio State, the one offer he’s really been waiting for is from the Buckeyes. He hasn’t received it yet, but he’s confident everything will work out in the end.

“Ohio State is a great school and they will definitely be one of my favorites if they offer,” Hardy said. “I went to their junior day (on Jan. 16) and we went to the basketball game against Wisconsin and that was really cool. Living in Columbus my whole life, I’ve always rooted for them."

As a junior in 2009, Hardy had 75 tackles and three interceptions. He also had 230 rushing yards (10 yards per carry) and a total of five touchdowns.

Ohio State is recruiting him as a cornerback (as are a few other schools), but some schools are looking at him as a safety.

“It doesn’t matter to me where I play – I know I’ll be a corner or safety,” Hardy said.

Hardy’s contact person at OSU is cornerbacks coach Taver Johnson.

In terms of when he wants to make a commitment, Hardy is in no hurry.

“Like I said, Ohio State would definitely be one of my favorites if they offer,” he said. “But I’m going to keep my options open for a while and see what is best for me.”

So, does the young man think he will eventually get an offer from the Buckeyes?

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure I will,” he said. “I’m not sure how it’s going to go, but I hope they do. They haven’t told me a timetable or anything like that, so we’ll just have to see.”