Jermarcus Hardrick

Jermarcus "Yoshi" Hardrick (born May 30, 1990) is an American professional football offensive lineman for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a Grey Cup champion as a member of the 107th Grey Cup champions and is a two-time West Division All-Star receiving the honour in 2017 and 2021. He played college football for the Fort Scott Greyhounds before joining the Nebraska Cornhuskers for two years to finish his college playing eligibility.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Hardrick was originally signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on May 7, 2012. He played in three preseason games, but was released with the final cuts on August 31, 2012.

BC Lions Hardrick signed a practice roster agreement with the BC Lions on July 15, 2014, and played in his first CFL game on July 19, 2014, against the Montreal Alouettes. The following week, he made his first career start on July 25, 2014, in a game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Tampa Bay Storm After being released, Hardrick returned to the AFL with the Tampa Bay Storm, joining them on June 5, 2015, but stayed with the team for only two games.

Saskatchewan Roughriders (first stint) Hardrick was released shortly after, but was signed to the team's practice roster on August 20, 2015.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers One day after his release from the Roughriders, Hardrick signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on February 17, 2016. For the 2016 season, he played and started in 16 regular season games as the Blue Bombers qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2011.

In 2017, Hardrick started all 18 regular season games at right tackle and was named a CFL West All-star. He signed a one-year contract extension at the end of the season on November 16, 2017. For the 2018 season, he missed three games due to injury, but started in the other 15 regular season games.

The 2019 Winnipeg Blue Bombers season saw Hardrick start at right tackle for all 18 regular season games as the team led the league in rushing yards. He also started in all three of the Blue Bombers' post-season games and he won his first Grey Cup championship in 107th Grey Cup victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

In the following off-season, Hardrick signed a one-year extension on December 14, 2019, to play with the team for the 2020 season. Hardrick again anchored the right side of the line as Winnipeg went on to led the CFL in wins during the regular season. They would defeat Saskatchewan in the semi-finals to go to a Grey Cup rematch with Hamilton. In the 2021 Grey Cup the Bombers trailed 22-10 but Hardrick helped build a clean pocket as the Bombers would come back to win 33-25 in overtime for their second Grey Cup championship in a row. For his great play throughout the season, Hardrick was named a CFL All-Star and CFL West All-Star for the first time in his career.

Hardrick then signed a one-year contract extension at $150,000 for the year to stay in Winnipeg for the 2022 CFL season.

Saskatchewan Roughriders (second stint) On February 5, 2024, during the CFL's Free Agency communication window, it was reported that once the free agent market officially opens on February 13, Hardrick would be signing a two-year contract with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. On February 13, the Roughriders confirmed that Hardrick had signed a two-year contract with the team.

Personal life Hardrick was born and grew up in the small town of Courtland, Mississippi, population 350. The town was very small and did not have a lot of opportunity for its residents, the town had no paved roads, aside from the highway, and most residents lived in trailers. His birth father went to prison when Hardrick was three, he had fathered 17 children in Courtland with different women, and was rarely seen in his life.