South Jersey high school football recruit profile: Bordentown senior Myles Hansford
Each week, the South Jersey Gridiron Gang will introduce high school football fans to a local senior that has been overlooked during the recruiting process.
This week on The Underrecruited: Bordentown’s Myles Hansford.
Myles Hansford
High school: Bordentown
Age: 17
Position: QB/FS
Height: 6-1
Weight: 180 pounds
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Résumé: Four-year starter for the Scotties earned West Jersey Football League Freedom Division First Team honors as a returner as a sophomore and as a defensive back last season. In 2022, he had 29 receptions for 393 yards, 6 carries for 109 yards and 6 total touchdowns, and made 51 tackles and 4 interceptions. He shifted to quarterback this year on offense and is 28-of-54 passing for 596 yards, 6 TDs and 3 picks, and has run 27 times for 121 yards and 4 scores. Defensively, he has 33 tackles and 5 interceptions. For his career, he’s made 132 stops, 7 forced fumbles, 3 recoveries, 21 pass breakups and 14 picks.
Grade-point average: 3.7
40-yard dash: 4.60 seconds
Bench press: 245 pounds
Squat: 360 pounds
Dead lift: 405 pounds
Current offers: St. Anselm.
Watch the film: Nov. 10, 2022 vs. New Egypt; Sept. 8, 2023 vs. Maple Shade; Sept. 15, 2023 vs. Pemberton
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2022 evaluation: “I think every game he was involved in you knew he was there,” head coach Skip Edwards said.
“I definitely took a step up from my sophomore year,” Hansford added. “I had to realize even though I wasn’t a senior, I had to step up and be a leader on both sides of the ball. At safety, you’re really the quarterback of the defense, so I had to step up there. Defensive coordinator definitely expected me to play that position. My junior year really separated me from a regular high school football player.”
Why did Hansford want to move to quarterback? “I definitely feel like I can lead the team more as a quarterback. I can definitely make more plays. At receiver, last year I was getting the ball thrown to me a little bit, but at quarterback I touch the ball every single play. If there’s a bad snap I can pick it up, I can run, there’s so many things I can do from the quarterback position.”
How does Edwards feel Hansford has done at the position? “I just think no matter where he steps on the field he’ll be a playmaker for us. He’s been a quarterback this year and I think he’s excelled.”
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What did Hansford want to improve on for his senior season? “I needed to get more interceptions, be a ball hawk. I needed the quarterback on the other team to worry about me. They needed to know where No. 1 is. We have weapons on the defense, I just needed them to know I was in the secondary lurking. I really had to step up as a safety because I knew I could do it as a quarterback.”
How does Edwards feel Hansford has looked in 2023? “He’s more mature in the field. He’s always been a quiet young man, but he’s more mature in the field this year where he’s directing things and making plays for us. Against Pemberton, they were on a drive, I think it was 13-7, they were on a drive, Myles picked the ball off at the 20-yard line and returned it to the house for a touchdown. That was the deciding factor in the game. That turned everything around.”
What’s does Edwards think is different about Hansford this fall? “The 20 pounds he put on. That’s easy. He’s grown too. He’s 6-1 right now. … He’s like a man out there.”
What does Hansford feel is different? “My confidence. I was 20 pounds lighter last year. I definitely put on some size, so I feel more confident on the field, making tackles, running the ball stronger. I was a skinny, skinny kid my whole life. I put on more size, so I’m definitely more confident. I feel I can compete with anybody out there who’s against me.”
How did Hansford put on more weight? “I got to the gym every morning at 5 a.m. I knew I needed to step up. A big part of football is weight lifting and strength, so I just was going to the gym every morning before school. I do my homework, go to bed early and do it again the next day.”
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How has playing three sports (football, basketball, track) affected Hansford? “Staying in condition. Basketball conditioning is different than football conditioning, so I was definitely in shape all year round. Track, I was getting faster every single day because in practice we do acceleration, so I was getting faster every single day.”
“He was running the (100), the (200) and the (400),” Edwards added. “The (200) is an all-out sprint and the (400) is an all-out sprint. You have to have a good physical makeup to run the 400.”
What have college coaches told Edwards about Hansford? “They like him on Hudl, they like how he closes on tackles, he’s physical, he’s a ball hawk when he plays defense. Not too many coaches have seen him play offense yet. He’s putting that tape together now.”
What have college coaches told Hansford? “They definitely like my wingspan (6-7), the way I can close on the ball. The thing with the camps, they have their set list already before they start the camp. They have their set list, who they want to recruit. They’re already eyeballing the guys, so if I’m not one of those people they want to see, I would definitely be on their radar after, and they’d talk to me after. They would say they like what they see, like the heart. I’m always stealing reps in 1-on-1’s. I would always hop on, always be the next man up.”
What have college coaches told Hansford he needs to improve? “My speed. They definitely need to see my speed get up.”
What position does Edwards think Hansford should play in college? “Receiver or free safety. He’s got that ability. He’s got that knowledge. He’s just a very intelligent kid on that field. He knows when to make plays, when to step up, when to read and when to react.”
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What position does Hansford think he should play in college? “I see my future as an all-around guy. I can see myself playing both sides of the ball, like the Colorado guy, Travis Hunter. I definitely look up to him. Deion Sanders. I can see myself playing both sides of the ball. I’m ready for it. I’m definitely conditioned for it. On the next level, I want to make a difference on the team right away.”
What does Edwards feel Hansford’s strengths are? “On the field, it’s his athletic ability and knowledge of the game. He knows the game, understands the game. I’m sure he and his dad have done a lot of talking back and forth, and that’s where he’s getting some of his knowledge from. And being coachable out here. Kids today don’t know how to take like when a coach is raising a voice a little bit. They think it’s a demeaning type of thing. That’s never been his problem. He’s been (criticized) just like everybody else.”
What does Hansford feel his strengths are? “I’d say adapting to the situation I’m put in. I’m definitely very coachable. My dad (Mandrele) coached me since I was 5 years old, playing Pop Warner football. The coach telling me what to do, I would adjust in one or two practices.”
How has being a son of a coach impacted Hansford? “We would always watch film. He’s always telling me about how to read the defenses, how to read the offenses, so really having a dad as a coach, you’re always being coached up, always being lectured. It’s a great thing. It’s a gift and a curse, but it’s more beneficial than less.”
What type of leader is Hansford? “He’s a leader by example,” Edwards said. “He’ll go to the kids on the side and say something to them, but he’s not a ra-ra-type guy. He’s a very serious young man and he’s made my job a lot easier. I love working with kids like Myles.”
What would Edwards tell college coaches about Hansford? “Student, family, athletic ability.”
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What would Hansford tell coaches about why they should recruit him? “Definitely my will to win. I always want to win. I’m so competitive, super competitive. … I would say I’m humble, and really just my will to win. I really want to make everybody else on the field better and I think that’s a big, big part of being an athlete. You have to make everybody else around you better and you have to be a leader on the field, and I’d say I’m a good leader too.”
What are Hansford’s hopes for the rest of the season? “I really want to make the playoffs. This is my last high school season, just making the playoffs with my guys, I’ve been playing with these guys since I was 6 years old, that’s my hope.”
Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports coverage for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Recruit breakdown: Closer look at Bordentown athlete Myles Hansford
