The humble Harris
FT. WORTH, Texas – As he walked back to the end of the line during a quarterback drill at Saturday's NIKE Training Camp at Texas Christian University, the smile on the face of dual-threat star Sherrod Harris was hard to miss.
Considering his high school career thus far, he has plenty of reasons to smile. Sitting on a boat load of offers, tons of talent, and high expectations things are going well to say the least.
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However, if you ask Harris about his success, he'll tell you it's all about having fun at not only camp but in his everyday routine.
"I met a whole lot of quarterbacks out here today and it just shows how deep the state of Texas and Louisiana is this year with those guys," Harris said. "We were making fun of each other out there and laughing with each other.
"They found out real quick I wasn't going to let it be all serious."
Don't be fooled.
Harris may like to have fun while he's playing the game he loves, but he has worked hard both on the practice field and in the classroom to get in this position.
His 4.0 grade-point average and SAT score of 1,310 is the evidence and he says that it's the classroom which shapes his recruiting outlook.
"My academics are the strongest thing I've got going for me," Harris said. "So, you know I've got Stanford and Texas as the leaders because they give me that. I'm always open to new things. It's just important for me to get a great education along with football."
Calling himself "Mr. Joker" on Saturday describes his attitude. However, there was no joking going on when he showed up strong in passing drills and showed off his athletic ability and his solid arm.
His dropping ability and footwork was also something to be admired. Any stigma about Harris needing to focus on mechanical work apparently has his attention.
"I'm always working hard to get better," Harris said. "Every quarterback out here at the camp was working hard too so it may just be hard to distinguish between all of us."
Even though Harris has a 4.45 second 40-yard dash, a 520-pound squat max, and loads of athleticism you wouldn't know it by talking to him. Being humble about his abilities is what truly shines through.
"My football career has been hard because we haven't won as many games as we could have," he said. "I've got a lot of guys around me though that may not play football after this year, but they put me in a position to do well and have helped me so much.
"Then my family, who is my biggest inspiration, is what keeps me going and makes me who I am on and off the field."
With one season left in his high school career, there is only one thing on his mind.
"Win, win and win," he said. "That's our goal because I don't care what my stats are if we can put together the wins."
And he's going to reach that goal with a smilie on his face and a humble attitude that real winners have.