For most edge rushers, the conversation starts and ends with sacks.
That's understandable. After all, they're the flashy statistic that everyone notices. They swing games, fire up crowds, and often determine whether a defender receives postseason accolades.
Langston Hardy already has those credentials after putting up 13 solo tackles for loss and pacing Wake Forest with seven sacks in 2025. But if you ask Hardy what the next step in his evolution looks like, he doesn't mention adding another move to his pass-rush arsenal or chasing double-digit sacks. Instead, he talks about connection.
"We always talk about how connection is our edge," Hardy said during ACC Kickoff . "Being able to be out there with those guys ... it just really allows us to have that better form of communication out there where I can look to my right and see Dallas [Afalava] or see Zach [Lohavichan] and be like, 'OK, we're going to run this stunt,' just by the way I look at him."
That chemistry could become one of Wake Forest's greatest strengths in 2026.
The Demon Deacons return nearly every key contributor from a defensive front that steadily improved throughout last season. Rather than spending the offseason learning how to play alongside one another, the unit has had the luxury of refining the small details that Hardy believes separate good defenses fromgreatones.
"I think really at the end of the bowl game we were kind of sitting in the locker room looking at each other and realized, like, how good of a group we're going to have coming back next year," Hardy said.
Nov 15, 2025; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons linebacker Langston Hardy (11) reacts after a play against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wake Forest Athletics via Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
For Hardy, this offseason has also been about personal growth in a different way.
A minor injury sidelined him throughout the spring, preventing him from taking reps at an important time on the calendar. Instead of viewing the setback as lost time, he embraced a different role.
"I was really able to sit back and see how these guys work and see what works best for them, how they like to be led, how they like to be coached," Hardy said.
That experience reinforced what he wants his role to be this fall.
"I really want to work on my leadership as a player," he said. "If we're all looking out for each other ... we're not trying to make plays only for ourselves, it opens up a lot more opportunities for each other to make plays."
That mentality is evident in how Hardy talks about football. He doesn't describe sacks as individual accomplishments. He describes them as products of trust. If he crashes inside and occupies two blockers so a teammate can make the tackle for loss, that's just as rewarding as making the play himself.
It's that type of selfless mindset that defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton's scheme demands and one that has helped transform Hardy into one of the ACC's premier edge defenders. Now, Wake Forest hopes it becomes the foundation of one of the conference's best defenses.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wake-forest as Why Langston Hardy Could Be the Heart of Wake Forest's Defense in 2026 .
