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Take Two: What's ahead for 4-star Donell Harris after reclassification?

Donnell Harris
Donnell Harris (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

Take Two returns with a daily offering tackling an issue in the college football landscape. Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney lays out the situation and then receives takes from Rivals.com national recruiting director Mike Farrell and an expert from the Rivals.com network of team sites or a regional analyst.

MORE: Breaking down the ACC in 2020 | SEC

THE STORYLINE

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Donell Harris has thrown everyone for a loop the last few weeks.

He has reclassified from the 2021 to the 2020 class. He decommitted from Miami and has a new top five that does not even include the Hurricanes. And Harris said in the last few days that he plans to transfer to Miami Gulliver Prep for this upcoming year.

Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, LSU and Texas A&M is the new top five for Harris, who raised even more questions after the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge presented by adidas because of his size at 6-foot-6 and only 205 pounds.

With the move to the 2020 class, programs could be rearranging priorities to stay seriously involved in Harris’ recruitment but those coaching staffs also have to figure out which position he’s going to play in the coming years because he’s so lean that playing outside linebacker instead of defensive end could be where he fits best.

What does the future hold for Harris?

FIRST TAKE: Jake Reuse, UGASports.com

“With Harris, the question becomes who’s going to take him because physically he would have fit better in the 2021 class. Being a 2020 guy now, that changes things a lot for him. With Georgia for example, they’re pretty loaded at that spot, so he’s a guy they can spend the spot on if it was a ‘best available’ situation, but unless they have a need, I don’t see them moving on Harris. That’s probably the case for a lot of the teams in the race for him.

“You have to figure out how big of a priority is outside linebacker and then how big of a priority is it to take a guy who has great upside but who requires development and would need a year, maybe two, in the system. I think he’s ultimately an outside linebacker and he reminds me a little bit of Adam Anderson. He’s super quick and he’s a guy who has the same traits that his first step is super fast and he can get off the line really quickly and that’s enough to beat offensive tackles, but will that end up being his spot ultimately? I think so. I don’t think he can put on the weight to play defensive end at the next level.”

TAKE TWO: Mike Farrell, Rivals.com

“He’s a hybrid, like a Lorenzo Carter-type, but thinner at the same stage and not as strong. My guess is still if he wants to go to Alabama or Georgia, he’s going to end up there, they’ll find room for him, but he’s definitely not ready for 2020. He doesn’t stack up well with the defensive ends and linebackers in that class. He should redshirt. That won’t affect his ranking, but I don’t think he’s going to be a five-star.”

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