During the 1996-1997 season, free safety Mike Harris won a National Championship playing free safety for the Florida Gators. Starting in 2013, his son Marcell Harris hopes to reach the Promised Land too.
The hard-hitting 4-star safety from Dr. Phillips (Orlando, FL) High School is expected to play a major role in the Gators secondary over the next three to five years.
Harris is ranked as one of the top-10 safeties in the class of 2013 nationally and comes in with tremendous expectations. Gator fans expect to see a dynamic duo with fellow 2013 safety commit Keanu Neal.
Although Harris is coming off of microscopic MCL surgery, he is expected to come in ready to play in June.
What makes Harris special? What can he improve on? Let’s see what the tape says.
At 6-foot-1, 215-pounds Harris, obviously, has great size. Harris, who will likely play strong safety, is teetering on the line of growing into a linebacker but at the size he is now, he brings in a great frame that will need minimal transition into college football. Most safeties need time to add weight and muscle after high school; Harris is a rare exception and shouldn’t need to change his body too much. With that size, Harris has shown he is exceptional in run-support and a big hitter. He could improve on his wrap-up tackling skills but his power hitting is the cream of the crop.
Furthermore, while Harris is a great run-stopper, he also displays good range and is pretty good in pass protection. He has deceptive speed, reacts quickly, and has good closing speed, especially in the final seven yards. Harris showed his ability to cover top wide receivers and tight ends at “The Opening” and “Gridiron Kings” events and seemed to be very fluid doing so. He will need to work on his initial reaction and play reading abilities but overall, Harris has good ball skills and strong enough coverage skills to be more than effective. Harris will need to improve on his angles at times but should improve with coaching quickly.
Harris has all the skills you look for in a strong safety, plus the added bonus of additional pass coverage abilities.
Harris chose the Gators over Texas, Oklahoma, Florida State, and a host of other schools.