Meet The Newest Ute: Coveted Offensive Tackle Alex Harrison Jr Commits to Utah
It’s winter in beautiful Utah. Things are slowing down as the holidays ramp up. The icy Utah roads that Alex is driving back on from his family’s Thanksgiving celebration in Southern Utah demand patience. If he rushes, mistakes can be made.
Mid-December CFB commits have a front-row seat to the chaotic coaching carousel currently unfolding. Rushing into a commitment to a program with a staff “on the fringe” can end up leaving recruits high and dry. While all the dust may not be settled yet, Alex has seen enough to make a decision.
The 6’5 320 pound Utah native has been touted by many as one of the most college-ready OL prospects in Utah. This (coming as a surprise to few) former hooper, turned tackle combines athleticism and power to put together some ridiculous single-game performances; I’m talking Denny’s all-you-can-eat ‘cakes with a stick of butter and a bottle Aunt Jemima.
“I really love offensive tackle, I’ve played it for a long time so I know it well”, says Alex, “but I like the idea of playing guard, where I can pull and do that type of stuff too”. Alex looks as natural in the open field as he does in the trenches, with exceptional change of direction whenever he gets past the down linemen to the second level. It's clear why coach Utah offensive line/assistant head coach Jim Harding wanted him so badly.
“They liked my feet, they liked how I finish, all while I was playing 130 snaps a game.” It’s not too often you come across a 300-pounder that starts both sides. Alex continues, “The little breaks I would get would be punt, punt return, and kickoff. As much as I loved interceptions, having to turn right around and line up the very next play without a swig of water… you gotta just play through it”.
Alex intends on competing for a starting position, if not, some rotational burn in his first year at Utah.
And he may do just that. He’s got basketball feet, and some fantastic hands to go along with them. His hand placement on drive and down blocks is textbook, despite him usually being out-leveraged by his opponent. But, when you’re 6’5 in high school, the chances you get to line up against other giants come few and far between. This is not to say Alex can’t bend or sink in his hips, because he can. 30 seconds into his highlight tape, he shows us. Leverage, with inside hand placement and fast feet translate to success in the trenches. Alex has all those tools in bounty.
“I wanted to go to a place where I can get a degree that’s going to help me succeed if I don’t make it to the league or I can’t rely on football.” - Alex
Alex has his sights set on the league, and his commitment to Utah is a vote of confidence in coach Jim Harding to correct bad habits and create good ones. Alex shows a sizeable first step on reach blocks, but has a tendency to false step, or misstep base blocks. This is common amongst younger offensive linemen, where the first step-advantage is more obvious on reach blocks than on base blocks.
All in all, Alex’s efforts to lean down will be necessary to counter the speed rushers of college football. Physical ability shouldn’t be an issue for him, and considering he was in the gym at the time of our interview, I don’t see dedication or effort being an issue either.