Film Analysis: Marcus Harris Fits The Winning Mold
Mater Dei High School wide receiver Marcus Harris stopped by Knoxville, Tennessee, for the first time this weekend. The California native isn't opposed to going far from home, so if the Vols can get their foot into the door, the path is there for Tennessee to make a strong impression. He got to spend valuable time with the coaching staff this weekend and also spent time with Brentwood Academy quarterback George MacIntyre, a premium target for Tennessee.
Harris is the No. 86 prospect in the 2025 class, according to 247Sports' Composite Rankings. He totaled 43 catches for 644 yards and six touchdowns during his junior season against some of the top competition on the high school football circuit. There's a lot to like about his game - most wideouts at this age win with physicality and athleticism. While that's great, the margins also tighten the further you progress.
This isn't that type of evaluation. Harris is a technician, someone who has clearly been honing their craft and working on the intricacies of the position. Tennessee needs guys who can come in and give them reliable separation on passing downs - Harris looks like he could become that at the college level.
Nuanced Route-Runner
Harris has a lot of purposeful wins on tape. He works throughout his route to change the looks for defensive backs. Harris wins in windows - he finds the corner's blindspots, the areas they can't see. He quickly attacks the other side when they have to adjust and shift their leverage. He's also attentive about using his lower-body movement to keep corners guessing; when you gear up to explode but suddenly change direction, the corners play behind.
Elite Speed
If you can't win with athleticism and size, you've got to have elite speed to play in Tennessee's offensive system. Harris has it - he can outmatch the raw speed of an entire secondary. Mater Dei had several designs in their playbook where Harris ran tight drag routes to the line of scrimmage to catch the ball in the open field and turn up. He created a lot of first downs by outrunning three defenders to the sideline.
Contact Balance
He still measures in at 5-11 and 180 pounds - Harris certainly isn't averse to contact in the open field. He uses contact to propel him forward, as he knows winning a tackle battle with other defenders jumping in would be an uphill battle. Harris has strong balance that allows him to recover off initial impact, and if defender's aren't sure-handed in their tackling, then he's bound to get loose and create extra yardage after the catch.
2025 4-star WR Marcus Harris during an unofficial visit to Tennessee. (Photo courtesy of Marcus Harris)
Tennessee's 2025 Recruiting Class
- Justin Baker, RB
- Jack VonDorselaer, TE
- Shamar Arnoux, CB
- Dylan Lewis, CB
- Tyler Redmond, CB
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