Friday, October 19, 2007
Cornerback is the loneliest position on the football field. On any given play, one must strike a delicate balance: Stay alert to stop the run while respecting the opponent’s ability to throw the deep ball. One misstep or mental mistake can turn a modest six yard gain into a 60-yard touchdown pass.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Needless to say, throwing a true freshman into the fire as the starting cornerback could be a dangerous proposition. But so far this season, Kansas coach Mark Mangino hasn’t been burned by his decision to start freshman cornerback Chris Harris.
“He’s just done a phenomenal job,” Mangino said. “To come in here and essentially win the corner position. The way he did it — he showed a lot of enthusiasm, courage and football aptitude for a freshman — he has been a solid player for us.”
Freshman fill-ins
This marks the third-straight season Kansas has called on a freshman to fill one of the cornerback spots. Last year, Blake Bueltel left the program early in the season, leaving Anthony Webb to fend for himself as the starter. Despite arriving at Kansas as a highly touted recruit, Webb was overmatched and undersized. His inexperience, coupled with injuries to other defensive backs, made for a porous pass defense — the worst in the nation. The year before that, a young cornerback named Aqib Talib stepped in opposite of Charles Gordon.
When projected starter Kendrick Harper injured his hand in August, creating an eerily similar situation to 2006, fans filled message boards with panic and media predicted the team’s demise. Throughout the preseason, Mangino and his staff looked for a replacement before naming Harris the starter about a week ahead of the team’s first game.
The Bixby, Okla., native has played more like a senior than a freshman, securing the job and making opponents pay for throwing away from the Jayhawks’ star cornerback, junior Talib. In his first six games manning the right side of the secondary, Harris has made 30 tackles — fourth on the team — and snared one interception. As impressive as his numbers have looked so far, the freshman is just starting to settle in.
footballBB
Freshman cornerback Chris Harris
Size: 6-foot, 180 pounds
Hometown: Bixby, Okla.
High School: Bixby HS
Key stats: 30 tackles, one interception, two passes broken up
“I’ve come a long way from the first game until the Baylor game,” Harris said. “Last game I felt like I was using my best technique since the get-go, so it finally came together and I’m feeling very comfortable right now.”
An unheralded recruit
Less than a year ago, Harris was not a surefire prospect to immediately contribute to a Division I program. Because of his small size — listed at 6-foot but self-admittedly 5-10 — some big-time programs such as Oklahoma and Oklahoma State shied away from recruiting Harris. Arkansas showed some interest, but it wasn’t until Kansas offered Harris a scholarship late last winter that second-tier schools such as Iowa State and Tulsa made pushes to sign him.
Harris decided Kansas was the right school for him after he spent his official visit shadowing sophomore free safety Darrell Stuckey. Meeting all of the players and spending time with Stuckey convinced Harris to become a Jayhawk, Harris said. Since sliding into his starting spot, Harris has not disappointed Stuckey.
“He’s a great kid who’s not scared at all or intimidated about his age or inexperience,” Stuckey said. “He knows that on the football field you’re just a player and that’s all that matters. There are no excuses on the field.”
Though not the most acclaimed prospect in the nation or even in his home state, Harris has become one of the best young players in the Big 12 conference and stood as an exception to the rule: a successful freshman cornerback. The coaches who chose to pass on the Jayhawks’ youngest star could soon regret their decision when they face Kansas.
“I’ve got something to prove,” Harris said. “I’ve got to prove myself every day like I’ve basically been proving myself my whole life. I had to prove myself to everybody here and I definitely want to prove myself to all those other people.”
— Edited by Ashlee Kieler
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Comments
Freshman cornerback dominant on field
But the real question is whether Kanasas, a week from this Saturday, can with stand Texas A&M's awesome (43rd ranked) total offense and "wrecked crew" (74th defense) lead by our brilliant (just ask him) Coach Dennis Franchione. Heck, he has improved our defense so much that the Aggies are 109th in defensive sacks and have never had a defensive player selected in the first round of the NFL draft since Coach Fran arrived! Further, we had NO PLAYERS DRAFTED this past year by the NFL ... AT ALL. Yep, playing the Aggies in Kyle Field would be an easy chance to look past them until the next game. Feel free to observe our misery at www.AggieCoach.com. Then, next week post your thoughts on our student paper at www.TheBatt.com.>-
- Posted by AggieCoach on October 19, 2007 at 2:41 p.m.
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Freshman cornerback dominant on field
Point taken, AggieCoach. However, Kyle Field is a tough, tough place to play. As someone going to the game, I'm not taking the home field advantage for granted in College Station.
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