North Shore's Harris talks visits, injury, Chick-Fil-A, trash talking
The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder was the Defensive MVP for District 21-6A as a corner? That never happens. It's usually at DE or LB or safety, but a corner?
Harris is a freaky athlete. Yes, he had an ACL injury during the State Semis against eventual Class 6A champ Westlake, but even his rehab is super-natural.
He will take official visits to LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, and Alabama in June. He's all business, but you have to be at North Shore.
I caught up with the National Recruit to see what makes this guy tick.
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VYPE: What do you do outside of football?
HARRIS: "I enjoy kickin' it with my friends and family. Hanging out by the pool, watching sports, and just chilling really. I enjoy fashion, music, hooping, go-karting, paint-balling, anything that brings out my competitive nature.
"People don't know that I like to binge-watch shows and eat Chick-Fil-A almost every day, NO CAP! Outside of football, I love basketball."
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VYPE: What are you doing this summer? Camps? Combines?
HARRIS: "I will be visiting my 'Top Four'. I recently had ACL surgery after the season so I will also be working on rehabbing and fully regaining my strength, flexibility, and agility. I'm definitely training to get ready for next season and college too. I'll be graduating in December and obtaining my driver's license this summer."
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VYPE: What do you need to work on this summer?
HARRIS: "Getting my weight up, continuing to perfect my craft, studying for my ACT's, and just training to reach my full potential."
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VYPE: Most memorable moment so far at North Shore?
HARRIS: "Wow, so many to choose from but winning the state title has got to be one of the most memorable moments. Not many people have had a chance to win or even compete for a state title, so I'm truly blessed."
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VYPE: You dropped your Final Four. What is it about those schools?
HARRIS: "I have been blessed to have been recruited by most of the top programs in the nation but I chose A&M, UT, Alabama, and LSU because they are all-around great schools. It's not just in football but academics and school spirit as well."
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VYPE: What college teams or pro players did you grow up watching? Any role models, and who do you try to model your game around the most?
HARRIS: "I watch and study tons of athletes but LeBron James and Kobe Bryant stick out most. Both are the true definition of leaders on and off the court. Their work ethic and will to win are unmatched. They've never been afraid to face adversity, take risks, and never listened to outside opinions.
"I try to take a little something from all the players I watch but Jalen Ramsey and Deion Sanders are definitely the most influential on my game. From the swag, the confidence, physicality, to the amount of respect they demand from opponents. It just makes for a great recipe for what you want in a lockdown corner! Not to mention the trash talk! I want the receiver I'm guarding to know from the moment he walks on the field that 'it's gonna be a long night'."
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VYPE: What's it like being part of such a historic program and playing a major part in it?
HARRIS: Honestly, I couldn't have chosen a better program. We've dominated the last few seasons and I'm just blessed and grateful to have been a part of it. I'm thankful for the coaches who've helped me along the way and my teammates as well. I could not have imagined being anywhere else.
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VYPE: Finally... What would your freshman self, tell your senior self?
HARRIS: "Your biggest competition and critic is going to be yourself."
RECRUITING: Aggies winning H-Town recruiting battle in a landslide
Overall, Texas signed 13 of the Top 100 players from Texas, while Texas A&M brought in 14. Out of that number, only three - Derrick Harris Jr. (New Caney), Terrence Cooks (Shadow Creek) and Hayden Conner (Katy Taylor) - came from the Greater Houston area.
For the Aggies?
Jimbo Fisher and staff swooped into Houston and inked nine of the Top 100 players, with five of those being ranked in the Top 20 in Texas by 247 Sports.
"I believe that they are having so much success because players can go to Texas A&M, play in the SEC, stay in Texas and play in a system proven to have success in the NFL," Foster coach Shaun McDowell said. "And they just do a really great job of creating relationships and being visible with recruits."
Among the Top 20 players in Texas, the Aggies signed seven, which was the most by any single university. The next closest amount was four, which National Champion Alabama and perennial College Football Playoff selection Oklahoma tied for.
Texas only had one.
In that group of seven included No. 7 Tunmise Adeleye (frm. Tompkins), No. 8 LJ Johnson (Cy-Fair), No. 12 Bryce Foster (Katy Taylor), No. 15 Reuben Fatheree II (Foster) and No. 18 Shadrach Banks (North Shore).
"I think the proximity of A&M to Houston has always been an asset in their recruiting. In the eyes of some recruits, their move to the SEC separated them from the other Power 5 schools in Texas," North Shore coach Jon Kay said. "They have some coaches with strong ties in Houston. Coaches like Bradley Dale Peveto (who no longer works at A&M) and Darrell Dickey (dad and brother were both HC's in the Houston area) have always been mainstays in the Houston area.
"I think the success they had this year will only help the pipeline from Houston."'
247 Sports Recruiting Class Rankings (Class of 2021)
No. 7 - Texas A&M
No. 17 - Texas
No. 44 - Baylor
No. 53 - SMU
No. 61 - TCU
No. 64 - Texas Tech
No. 81 - Houston
Nol 93 - Rice
That is the other factor that is fueling this 12th Man surge - the Aggies went 9-1 overall this past season and finished on the verge of playing in the College Football Playoff in 2020. The Aggies' biggest win of the year came over then-No. 4 Florida (41-38) at home and their only loss came to eventual National Champion Alabama (52-24).
In the end, after an Orange Bowl victory over then-No. 13 North Carolina, Texas A&M finished No. 4 in the final poll and should be in the Top 5 in the country to start the 2021 season.
"I think they have done a great job of being aggressive in recruiting Houston players," Fort Bend Marshall coach James Marshall, whose former player Devon Achane was named the MVP of the Orange Bowl, said.
"The players see where that program is going and they want to be apart of it."
Overall, nine Houston area players did just that.
Along with those five previously mentioned, No. 60 Remington Strickland (Fort Bend Christian Academy), No. 63 Matthew Wykoff (Magnolia), No. 66 Albert Regis (La Porte) and No. 100 Fernando Garza (Katy) also signed with the Aggies.
"They are all over the place," Marshall said. "It's all about relationships with kids and high coaches and they are doing that very well."
The Class of 2021 has gone very well for the Aggies - being ranked No. 7 nationally (Texas coming in at No. 17) - and they have already started turning the page to 2022.
Texas A&M already has four hard commits - including Bridgeland quarterback and pitcher Conner Weigman - for the next class and take a wild guess where they are from.