Harris picks up first offer

Stillwell (Kan.) Blue Valley offensive lineman AJ Harris wasn't on too many radars before he turned in one of the top performances at the Rivals Camp Series presented by Under-Armour stop in St. Louis. There, the 297-pound junior to be tossed around some solid 2014 and 2015 FBS prospects and found himself on the list of top performers.

His name gained buzz from there. And now, three months later, the underclassman has his first scholarship offer. Harris must have repeated his St. Louis performance at Kansas State's camp on Saturday afternoon because the Wildcat staff liked what they saw. Things were made official in a hurry.

"They couldn't offer me while I was on campus so I had to call Coach (Del Miller) after I left and he offered me on the phone," Harris said. "It kind of took me surprise a bit, but they were kind of hinting at it all day. It was just kind of a relief to get the first offer."

The day was chaotic. Harris' thoughts on K-State aren't fully formed. His recruitment is in its infancy and he plans to find out more about the program. That said, he has some initial feelings.

"I mean, I like the idea of playing for Coach (Bill) Snyder," Harris said. "He's a legend. Of course you want to play for him. That's definitely something that makes me like K-State."

The race to land Harris won't be lonely for long. K-State will eventually have some competition. Commitments from players of Harris' caliber don't often come uncontested. Wide-ranging interest is already rolling in, and the offers probably aren't far behind.

There's plenty more in store for Harris, whose face is a new one on the national recruiting scene. Even Harris, himself, gets the feeling that a storm is brewing.

"Arkansas is recruiting me," Harris said. "USC is sending me a lot of stuff. Notre Dame came by my school a while ago. Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma … I've already been to Arkansas and they have been really sending me a lot stuff since that visit."

A 2015 prospect that hasn't played a down of junior football, Harris doesn't intend to rush a decision. Offer No. 1 was just the start of his recruitment, which he doesn't plan to end until this time next year.

"I'm definitely going to wait," Harris said. "I definitely want it to be after my junior season or going into my senior year before I make my decision."