ADDISON, Ill. -- West Union (Iowa) North Fayette defensive tackle Juan Harris played mostly along the offensive line as a freshman and missed most of his sophomore year as a result of moving to West Union, but that hasn’t stopped eight schools from offering the 6’4, 400-pounder.
Iowa, Michigan standing out for 2017 4-star DT Juan Harris
Finding a defensive line coach capable of putting players into the NFL is a focus for the big defensive tackle.
SB Nation Recruiting caught up with Harris at the Nike Opening Regional Chicago to discuss his recruitment, which does not currently feature any leaders for Harris at this point.
“It’s too early in the process,” he said. “I still have two years left of high school.”
Harris said that he felt like he was rushing things early in his recruitment, which led to his two commitments and subsequent decommitments from Iowa between December and the middle of March. However, he’s still considering the Hawkeyes and committed to the in-state school because the coaching staff believed in him early in the process.
“I took a visit and really loved it at the school,” Harris said. “I really connected with the coaching staff.”
Other than Iowa, the only other offer standing out to the consensus four-star prospect is Michigan because he enjoyed visiting with the coaching staff and picked up an offer on his visit to Ann Arbor. He’s also interested in Louisville.
The biggest key to his recruitment? He’s looking for a defensive line coach that can help him reach the NFL by helping him improve his talents and grow as a young man.
Oklahoma and Alabama are two schools he’s taken notice of in that regard in addition to Michigan. He plans on camping in Tuscaloosa this summer and hopes to pick up an offer based on his performance at that camp. Since Harris has extremely limited sophomore film, the Crimson Tide want to see him in person first.
LSU is a school that could be close to offering, according to Harris. He keeps in regular contact with the staff there and plans on visiting Baton Rouge after his stop in Tuscaloosa for the Crimson Tide summer camp.
Other than finding a defensive line coach who can maximize his talent, Harris wants to play for a coaching staff that treats its players well.
