2022 RB Recaps Florida Gators Offer, Has Ties to Greg Knox

He hails from the midwest, playing high school ball at Lutheran High School of St. Charles County (St. Peters, MO.), but 2022 running back Arlen Harris Jr. has multiple ties to the University of Florida.

So, when he received an offer on Tuesday evening from the Gators, he felt like everything had gone full circle.

Crazy how things come full circle. Blessed to receive a scholarship offer from @GatorsFB after connecting with @CoachGregKnox Thank you @CoachDanMullen @coachdt48 @KeiwanRatliff #GoGators #GatorStandard #Gatormade 🐊 @lhscougarfb @trainrunit #LLJ6 pic.twitter.com/mMrJsq8ohi
— Arlen Harris Jr. (@arlenharrisjr33) May 6, 2020

Harris, a rising junior, previously visited UF a couple of times as a child. A family friend was set to visit Florida as a recruit, and the Harris family tagged along. After that friend ended up at Florida State, Harris made his way down for a game but made another stop at UF beforehand.

"We were pretty young, so we were down there and a couple schools, but we definitely wanted to go down there and see Florida.," Harris told AllGators in an interview on Wednesday. "So you can just see, at a young age we were already down there and knew about Florida."

Harris, the son of former NFL running back Arlen Harris Sr., also boasts another connection to the school, and it's one that could benefit him greatly as his recruitment is beginning to take off. That connection ties to Florida's running backs coach and special teams coordinator, Greg Knox.

Knox is the coach that sent the 5-11, 189 lb. running back his Florida offer, marking the fifth SEC offer that Harris has received. Offers have begun to pile up, following Harris' productive sophomore season in which he rushed for 1763 yards and 32 touchdowns across only 168 carries.

"My dad and coach Knox actually go way back, so he recently just got his number and contact information," said Harris. "And they were talking for a day and my dad sent him some film, and he wanted to see what I look like and stuff. Last night he told my dad that he wanted to Facetime, and then that's when the news came out."

Knox spent the Facetime call with Harris discussing his game, and of course, providing Harris with an offer. The Gators are intrigued by Harris' vision and moves to make defenders miss, noting that he is capable of making moves without losing speed.

Harris looks to continue growing as a complete back, perfecting his yards after contact, blocking, and pass-catching, in order to be as versatile as he can be. Harris stated that that's something that Knox covets.

"I remember, even me and coach were talking about that, he likes a versatile back and that's what I'm all about," said Harris. "You know, I'm not a one-trick pony. I can go out for routes, I try to polish that. I try to be a complete back, that includes blocking, catching the ball, good vision, being physical, just stuff like that."

Harris believes that he is the type of back that Knox and head coach Dan Mullen are looking for, given his versatility. Schools looking for a balanced running back are the ones that appeal to Harris in his recruitment, much in thanks to the guidance that his father has given him while he's developed at the position growing up.

His father played college ball at the University of Virginia and Hofstra before going undrafted, yet he carved out a six-year NFL career before being forced to retire due to a career-ending knee injury. Now, Harris Sr. owns Run It Performance, a training program for developing young running backs.

In which, Harris Jr. attributes plenty of his development at his young age to his father.

"He taught me everything I know," Harris said of his father. "From a young age, he's taught me not just to be a good back, but he's taught me to be a great one, and he's built me to be an NFL back. He's taught me about all the stuff like yards after contact, all that type of stuff that he implements in me. I feel like that's what kind of separates me."

🤐 #L33gacy https://t.co/9lkvVDeA69 pic.twitter.com/hPKckaJWTy
— Arlen Harris Sr. (@ArlenHarrisSr) May 6, 2020

Given his ties, Harris is high on Florida and is excited to see where things go beyond his offer. When the recruiting world opens back up following the coronavirus pandemic, UF is "at the top" of Harris' list of schools to visit. He's already been to most of the other schools he's wanted to see, but Harris would like to make a stop at Kansas State. He is also high on Iowa, Notre Dame, Kentucky, and Nebraska.

As things stand, Harris doesn't have much of a recruiting timeline established in regards to a top school list or when he'd like to commit. Though, that's a conversation that he and his father have been having recently and he is thinking about taking the next step in his recruitment soon.

Florida will certainly be in that picture, given his recollection of the school as a kid. Now, Harris is looking forward to experiencing it as a UF recruit.

"I've always liked the Gators. I feel like they just bring a different type of energy," Harris said. "When I went there, just going to the Swamp and the Dome, it was just something else. It was just a different feeling."

Add us as a preferred source on Google