Harris looking for great family atmosphere

By: LARRY VAUGHT



He’s yet to have a chance to speak to recently hired University of Kentucky offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, but Madison Southern running back Damien Harris says that has not had an impact on the way he feels about UK.

Harris, the nation’s top-ranked running back in the 2015 recruiting class, will make his college choice Jan. 9. His top three schools are Alabama, Ohio State and Kentucky.

He said Sunday that “I don’t know much about” Dawson, the offensive coordinator at West Virginia who was named UK’s new coordinator last week.

“I haven’t gotten to talk to him yet,” said Harris.

Instead, he stays in contact with UK head coach Mark Stoops and running backs coach Chad Scott, the two coaches who have spent the most time recruiting him.

“Not talking to the coordinator does not make a huge deal with my decision,” Harris said. “I don’t know if he will be in contact with me or when.”

He will be. Count on that because Harris is a priority recruit much like quarterback Drew Barker and defensive lineman Matt Elam were last year for Stoops. Barker chose UK over South Carolina and redshirted this season. Elam picked UK over Alabama and played this season.

Harris said Elam and Barker are two players he has a “good relationship” with at UK.

“I did not get a chance to play against them in high school, but I am good with them,” Harris said. “They have told me the good and bad (about Kentucky).”

While he knows other current players and others who have committed to UK, Elam and Barker are his go-to guys for recruiting information that only a player can provide. And he obviously trusts what they are telling him.

“They can answer questions that I would not ask coach Stoops,” Harris said. “They have definitely helped me because you have to remember that coaches are going to tell you what you want to hear. I don’t blame them for that, either. But you can hear first-hand from players what is going on and that can help you decipher things.”

He again cited the improvement he saw at UK this year despite the six-game losing ski to end the season. He said while some might question if UK made progress with its 5-7 finish, he had no doubt UK’s program made progress.

“You can’t always determine progress based on losses,” Harris said. “Some programs are in different spots. But Kentucky definitely made progress. Alabama and Ohio State are accustomed to winning. Kentucky is in more of a rebuilding phase and it’s more about short-term goals. To me, they showed a lot of improvement. They ran the ball a lot, which I liked. To me, they are definitely headed in the right direction.”

He says between now and Jan. 9 he is looking for a “feeling” that will tell him where he should go to school.

“I want a great family atmosphere, not necessarily a great winning tradition,” Harris said. “I want to play with great players, somebody that can help me and somebody that I can help. I want to be on a team that plays together and wants to win, not just a team that gets by. I just want a great family feel at a school where everybody is pulling together for a common goal.”