Redshirt report: Marcell Harris

Name: Marcell Harris

Height: 6-2

Weight: 215

Position: Safety

 

Why did he redshirt?

Harris had knee surgery before he got to Florida. He sustained the injury in high school and wanted to have the surgery done before he got to campus as he planned to enroll early.

Unfortunately, Harris wasn’t able to enroll early and the surgery didn’t fix his knee. His knee was tight and he didn’t have the same mobility or confidence in the knee that he did in high school.

Harris went under the knife again last year and should be ready to go for spring camp. He has a full year under his belt, should know the playbook and be acclimated to the speed of the game.

 

Depth at the Position?

Florida isn’t tremendously deep at safety and the transfer of veteran starter Cody Riggs doesn’t help.

Currently the Gators have Marcus Maye, Keanu Neal, Jabari Gorman and Harris as players who are currently listed as safeties. Some people think freshman Quincy Wilson or Nick Washington could be moved to safety (both are viable options) but currently there are only four options.

That kind of depth along with the massive lack of playing experience at the position leaves the door wide open for Harris to get on the field.

 

Player Evaluation

Harris is a huge safety who is probably a little heaver than his listed 215 pounds. His size has always caused speculation that he could eventually move to linebacker  but if Harris can come back from the surgeries and play fast and smooth like he did in high school there is no need for a position change.

He’s a safety that can fly around the field, is always around the ball and he can hit. He’s a bigger version of Major Wright and a player who can make an impact for the Gators when healthy.

 

2014 prognosis

Playing time is there for the taking. Harris appears to be back from his surgeries and that gives him an opportunity to take one of the two starting jobs at safety this spring.

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC

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