It seems so long ago, but there was a point in time where Alabama fans thought the program would lose Najee Harris to Michigan in the 2017 recruiting cycle. A native of Antioch, Calif., Harris was “Mr. Football” for the state, a five-star recruit and the No. 1 player in the class.
With four major conferences fighting for his services, the battle came down to the Crimson Tide and the Wolverines.
Alabama ultimately won and throughout his tenure, Harris has become successful under Nick Saban.
After being a strong contributor as a freshman and sophomore, he exploded this year for his first career 1,000-yard rushing campaign.
The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder collected 1,088 yards with 11 touchdowns on 185 carries. Harris averaged 5.9 yards per carry and 90.7 yards per game.
He recorded five 100-yard performances – including four versus Southeastern Conference opponents.
His output of 146 rushing yards against LSU and Auburn set both a season-high and a career-high. In both matchups, Harris was an animal on the field.
RELATED: Alabama believes Josh Jobe, Chris Allen are ready to emerge versus Michigan
Neither defense could stop him and he put the Tide in the best spot to win.
Along with his blend of speed and power, Harris added versatility to his game as a receiver. Of his 27 receptions, seven have resulted in scores.
His work in space has been exceptional, seeing how he is able to hurdle defenders and use his stiff arm – if needed. Harris possesses a gear in open space and when he has the ball, excitement shows on the faces of college football fans.
Others may take Alabama lightly for its two-loss season, but not Don Brown.
As a defensive coordinator for 25 years, Brown is very familiar with Harris. He has spent the last four seasons with the Wolverines (2016-present) and was one of the main coaches recruiting Harris at the time. In speaking with reporters on Sunday, Brown said he is amazed at Harris’ development.
“In meeting him when he was a senior in high school, to see his development physically… he has certainly taken his physicality to a different level,” Brown said of Harris.
When it comes to Harris’ exploits as a back, his ability to hit holes well and change direction stand out to Brown.
“He’s the best jump-cut guy I have seen,” Brown said of Harris.
“The thing that I am most impressed with is his ability to change directions and jump-cut. He can start out in the strong-side A gap and end up in the back-side B gap or vice versa. He is a guy that we are going to have to tackle. You are not going to be able to one-arm him down. It is not one of those type of guys. He is a throwback because of his size and strength.”
Whether he chooses to declare for the NFL Draft or not isn’t important right now.
Harris wants to help the Tide finish out the year strong and it will begin with him putting together an excellent showing against Michigan.
*Get the BEST Alabama football insider information, message board access, and recruiting coverage today! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our subscriber only content!*
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
