2021 LSU Recruit BJ Harris Ideally Wants to Hold Off on Commitment, Realizes That May Not Be an Option
BJ Harris is in a similar boat to most recruits in the 2021 cycle. Not only has the extended dead period, which is now in effect through July, canceled all recruiting visits, but for a select few prospects like Harris, it's kept them from visiting any of the remaining schools he's considering.
Nebraska, Missouri and LSU are just a few of the schools that have made offers and Harris is thinking about attending. Harris said that outside research has become a big part of making his decision as he hasn't been able to physically visit any of the three schools.
During his junior year at McCallie School, Harris was focusing on getting good grades that he could put on his transcripts and just didn’t have the time to visit schools. He had planned to start the visiting process just as the coronavirus outbreak hit in March.
"I'm essentially having to base my thoughts on a school based off virtual stuff which is something nobody wants to do," Harris said.
Harris also brought up the point that a number of prospects in the 2021 class are committing without visiting campus and that it's making it tougher on prospects like him, who'd ideally like to wait and see what these campuses are like.
There may come a time where Harris has to commit without paying either LSU, Missouri or Nebraska a visit but doesn't think it's reached that point yet. Harris planned to commit during his senior season anyway so time isn't of the essence but he admitted that with all of these early commits, it just really depends on how the recruitment process continues to play out.
"It might have to come down to that but maybe this stuff calms down sooner or later so I'll be able to visit these schools but I just don't know how all of this is going to play out," Harris said. "I've been dying to visit these colleges because I don't want to pick a school that I haven't been because that decision is the biggest in somebody's life and I don't want to make the wrong one.
"With all of these guys committing without visiting, spots are getting filled and spots on the roster are gone so it's been a rush but not a rush at the same time."
With that being said, LSU did send him a video to watch that takes him through the ins and outs of campus life. Harris talks mainly with running backs coach Kevin Faulk and said the day to day conversations have been smooth and that's it's been great getting to know Faulk and the LSU staff a little bit.
"We talk often, we talk about our day and how I'm getting my workouts in and really just how the times are changing," Harris said. "He tells me about the run game and how things are changing over there. I think he likes that I'm not big but I'm not small either. I can move within the holes and I have the footwork to get to the holes and hit them hard."
Harris considers himself more of a balanced back and while he doesn't have blazing speed, his shiftiness is what he thinks Faulk and the LSU staff like most about his game.
The Chattanooga, Tennessee native said he was able to watch the LSU offense a lot last year and that he and Faulk actually had conversations about how diverse they were in the running game with Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
"They had the best quarterback, the best running game and the best o-line in the country, so they basically talked about they could get pretty much anything they wanted on offense at any time," Harris said.
In the meantime, Harris has been lifting weights and running hills with a friend five days a week with the hopes that an improved physique will help him become a more dominant player as a senior.
"I think these schools like my vision and I understand the fact that you can be fast and strong but once you get into DI college football, you have to have the vision to hit the right gaps and then showcase those physical talents," Harris said. "I feel like I can continue to work on my speed and my agility as well. I have loose hips so I can move but you can always get better so that's what I'm always striving for."
Playing at a Power Five college has always been the dream for Harris and while he can see that future in the distance, there's still plenty he wants to figure out before making a decision.
"Nobody in my family has gone Power Five and I look at it as I have a great opportunity in front of me so I think I need to take advantage of what I have," Harris said.
