Harris drawing interest from all over
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AJ Harris will visit Kansas State over the weekend, and the trip to Manhattan is starting to become routine. The 6-foot-3, four-star tackle has been on K-State's campus a number of times already, and has seen what he needs to see. The next visit will be his fourth, and he's got a handle on the situation at Snyder Family Stadium.
His level of familiarity is why his offseason will be focusoned other schools. Once Harris' junior year at Stilwell (Kan.) Blue Valley High is finished, he'll focus his efforts on getting to know the rest of his options.
"I've been up to K-State a lot, so the other places that have offered are going to be my priorities after the season," Harris said. "I'm going to focus more Missouri, Iowa State, Minnesota and Illinois.
A visit to Missouri has been set for Nov. 30, but Harris is yet to arrange dates to tour Illinois, Iowa State and Minnesota. Those details will be nailed down at the conclusion of his junior season. His most recent offers are from Big 10 programs, and while they probably won't be the last ones he receives, he plans to address them as if that's the case.
Harris will take things as they come, but he's not interested in letting the process wash over him completely. There's some aggression in his approach.
"I know a fair amount about Illinois and Minnesota, but not anything major," Harris said. "I like that Minnesota's coaching staff has been together for a long time. A lot of the core coaches have been together for, I think, a decade. That's something that drives me toward there. I definitely want to get to know the Illinois staff better. I know they are having a tough season, but I've heard the game day atmosphere is great, and I want to check it out."
It's near certainty that new offers will arrive in the midst of his investigation. When that happens, Harris will address the newcomers. At a time, he thought he had a read on the direction from which the next invitation would arrive. Not so much anymore.
"USC was talking to me a lot before the whole shindig happened there, so I don't know where that stands," Harris said. "It's hard for me to reply to Facebook messages during the playoffs, and the coaches are busy too."
A 297-pound junior, Harris already holds five scholarship offers and has not made any definitive plans for offseason camps or combines.
Rob Cassidy is a West Region football recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.
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