UCF National Signing Day Profile: LB Michael Harris
When looking at the growth of UCF Knights linebacker commitment Michael Harris from his sophomore season until present day, there is much to consider.
He is still progressing as a football player and his senior film provides glimpses of what he can one day become. The twin brother of Andrew Harris, another UCF commitment.
Playing against greater Orlando area prep talent for Altamonte Springs (Fla.) Lake Brantley, Harris is battle tested. That's a great start before diving into his film. Also, a couple of quesitons prior to dissecting his attributes.
Will he play in the box or on the edge? Perhaps both? Those answers may need more time before answering, but worthy of mention prior to him enrolling at UCF. Here are some thoughts about Michael’s senior film after doing a previous junior season film evaluation.
He’s fast. That’s the glaring point to take away for any UCF fan. Anyone that watches Harris zoom between two offensive linemen and make a tackle in the backfield can attest to this young man’s fast-twitch playing style.
Unlike many other speedy linebackers, however, Harris powers through runners. He places his shoulder pads in the middle of the offensive player’s chest and drives him into the ground. Regardless of where it’s at on the gridiron, Harris brings the boom.
Speed and hitting ability are partially why he’s able to play linebacker in today’s spread-happy football world. He possesses instincts as well.
Harris understands how to blitz. How and when to time up snap counts, then shooting through a gap before a lineman hits him, would be a specialty. He accomplishes this task to hit the quarterback or adjust to a running play. Harris is definitely instinctive. That's a big reason for the following award:
To that point, sometimes Harris cuts off runners on the edge before they can hit the corner. His speed helps to get there, but it’s the knowledge to know where to run that truly counts. As a final area to cover, passing defense needs to be a part of the conversation.
There is not much film of him playing pass defense. Harris does keep his eyes looking towards the quarterback when he’s in zone coverage, so that’s a good start. When he does make a decision in coverage, Harris makes it quickly. Again, he does not waste any time.
Need to see a lot more film of him in man coverage before going into more detail, however, so his complete passing defensive abilities are not yet known.
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More importantly, once arriving at UCF, Harris will gain far more knowledge about how to play pass defense. The college game is far more complex and needs quite a bit of specific footwork for a linebacker to do his job. That leads to the final point, which position(s) will this young man play?
Harris is improving. That’s evident after seeing him play the past couple of seasons and doing so again this fall. It’s just that Harris is just shy of 200 pounds and about 6-foot-1. When considering size, plus adding to the equation his style of play, Harris is still in line to play either one of weak side linebacker or the Knight position.
That’s going to work itself out once he gets to the UCF campus. At bare minimum, Harris should make an impact on special teams for the Knights next fall. His speed and athleticism are well suited for that area until he finds his niche at linebacker.
Overall, Harris is a player with much potential. Let’s see where he ends up in a year or two. Harris has a chance to be a really good college football player.
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