Harvard Picks Up a Commitment From All-State Ohio Running Back

New Albany (OH) running back Jett Jerwers announced his commitment to Harvard on Friday afternoon, choosing the Crimson over some bigger FBS offers he had received.

“As I got deeper into the recruiting process, I really started to focus on the Ivy League. It’s Division I football, and every single school is like top-15 for academics in the nation. I had offers from bigger conference schools, but none could match the academics of the Ivy. I chose Harvard primarily because of my relationships with the coaches. They seemed to care the most, and I also really like Cambridge and Boston,” Jerwers said.

Receiving Offer From Harvard

The recruiting process went extremely well for the 6-foot, 200-pound Jerwers, as he has offers from Power Four schools from the SEC and ACC. In addition to Harvard, he also had offers from Kentucky, Miami (OH), Louisville, Toledo, Eastern Michigan, Pennsylvania, Yale, Kent State, Syracuse, Temple, Akron, Columbia, Dartmouth, UConn, Lehigh, Cornell, Navy, Army, Lafayette, and Brown.

“The recruiting process was fun and extremely busy the past couple of years. My first offer was in the fall of my sophomore season, and I’ve had 21 DI offers since. It’s been such a blessing, and I have learned so much about a lot of great programs and coaches along the way.”

He received his offer from the Crimson last June 29, after he attended a summer camp. Afterward, he met with head coach Andrew Aurich, running backs coach Kevin Falaki, and offensive coordinator Mickey Fein.

“After a camp last summer, I was asked to meet with Coach Aurich, Coach Falaki, and Coach Fein. They were all patient, and each took time to talk to me, which I would say was 90 min in total. I could tell they took time to watch my film because they knew about my game, which was important to me. After that, I was offered.”

COMMITTED @HarvardFootball #GoCrimson @Coach_Aurich @CoachFalaki @Coach_Joel_Lamb @CoachJimJackson @MicFein @Cinjun_Erskine @Coach_Johnson76 @Ryan_Kalukin @skwilliamsjr @Coach_Fraz @katelynnepatton @ScottLarkee @coach_craw @Coach_Amakihe @CoachMBuchanan @CoachBenEntner… pic.twitter.com/UcYTdoHHzt
— Jett Jerwers 2027 (@jettjerwers) April 3, 2026

Relationship With Harvard's Coaching Staff

One of the reasons he committed to Harvard was because of the relationship he has developed with the staff.

“Of all my offers, I’ve had my best overall staff relationship with Harvard, especially Coaches Aurich and Falaki, who would always check with me regarding my SAT prep, track meets, and grades. Coach Falaki was the first coach to come to my home, and his effort was especially important to my family and me. He spent two hours at our house and got to spend time with my whole family.

"Coach Fein, Coach Jackson (Offensive line coach Jim Jackson), Coach Lamb (Director of Recruiting Strategy Joel Lamb), and Coach Erskine (Tight ends coach Cinjun Erskine) would all contact me periodically,” Jerwers said.

Recent Visit To Harvard

He has yet to take his official visit, but has been on campus a few times, so he is familiar with the Crimson. He was actually there this week since he was on spring break.

“My official visit won’t be until the weekend of June 30. But I have visited Harvard more than any other school. This past week was my fourth visit since my June camp. I went to the Brown game last fall, a junior day in January, and this past week, while on spring break," Jerwers said.

"We got into town on Tuesday, so we walked around Cambridge. One of my brothers and three of my sisters play lacrosse, so we checked out the lacrosse fields," Jerwers continued.

"After I committed, Coach Falaki showed my brother and me the dorms, and we walked around Cambridge. All of the coaches made me feel really welcomed, and the main highlight was my meeting with Coach Aurich when I committed.”

Thank you @CoachFalaki @HarvardFootball for coming over and hanging out with me and my family@Coach_Aurich @CoachJimJackson @Cinjun_Erskine @Coach_Joel_Lamb @MicFein @Ryan_Kalukin @johnperry04 pic.twitter.com/GKrVBlpGzj
— Jett Jerwers 2027 (@jettjerwers) January 17, 2026

Recapping His Junior Season

Jerwers had a stellar 2025 season at New Albany. He finished with 189 carries for 1,503 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Eagles.

“Individually, I had a really good season. God kept me healthy, and I had 1500+ yards rushing and averaged 8.0 yards per carry. I was voted all-state, all-district, and all-conference. Team-wise, we did not perform as well as we wanted. We finished 4-6, but we did play one of the hardest schedules in the state. We’re a Division II school, but eight of our ten games were against larger Division I schools. And nine of these schools made the playoffs.”

With his commitment, he can now focus on his offseason workouts and preparing for the 2026 season.

“The offseason is going great. Indoor track is over, and I’m now starting outdoor track. I am just going to keep working on my speed as a running back. I am also happy that my SAT prep is done.”

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