Sophomore offensive lineman Knijeah Harris enrolled at the University of Florida in 2023 and immediately found himself on the Gators’ two deep depth chart. When Micah Mazzccua was dealing with a shoulder injury in fall camp last year, Harris was taking first team reps as a true freshman.
The 6’3, 321-pound guard played in all 12 games including one start in 2023, logging 171 snaps and grading as Florida’s 3rd best offensive lineman amongst players with 150+ snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
“He was a mid-year (enrollee) and he just took advantage of the youth that we had on the O-line and was able to get reps with the 2s and then play some last year,” Head Coach Billy Napier said on the experience Harris gained last year. “So he knows what it’s like out there. He’s prepared for several games. He’s taken a ton of reps. Knijeah is very focused, very mature. It’s never too big for him. He’s an impressive young man. Comes from a great family. He’s one of the originals in that group that we signed that first year, and he’s done a good job.”
With a full year of experience under his belt, Harris is projected to start at left guard for the Gators and has a better understanding of the offense in year two.
“It was definitely a big jump for me, just being in the system and understanding the plays better,” Harris said. “I’m not having to really think about as much what to do but how to do it. It’s been a big jump for me in that regard.”
Early playing time for the Port St. Lucie, Florida native didn’t come as a surprise to anyone inside the building. Harris was a collegiate ready prospect coming out of high school, starting all four years at the varsity level including three years at IMG Academy, where he faced top end competition every week.
“I say he’s very instinctive. He just does things naturally. He’s very smart. He had a good fundamental base when he got here. I think he’s been coached in the past,” Napier said on Harris.
Offensive line coach Rob Sale has been on the record claiming that when Harris was a freshman, it felt like he had already been around the program three or four years. Football comes easy to Harris.
“I would just say growing up around the game, just from a young age, always loving football, always playing madden, always watching football,” Harris said on where his football maturity comes from. “Then as well I can contribute it to going to IMG, experience kind of college ball a little bit if you wanted to say that.”
Florida’s offensive line needs to perform better in both run block and pass protection if the Gators want to take a leap forward on offense this year. Harris tells us why the offensive line will be better in 2024.
“I think everything, the fundamentals, the togetherness, the discipline, it’s going to be a lot better,” Harris said. “All the work we’ve put in since the spring and all the way to now, the summer and everything. We’ve put a lot of time and effort to become a better group and get closer. I’m very excited.”