Arkansas lands Alabama DB Mike Harris after official visit
Arkansas added a 14th commit to #diamondgangxx on Saturday afternoon as Alabama defensive back Mike Harris called the Hogs before leaving his official visit on the Hill.
Harris, a standout for defending state champion Central High School, picked up his offer from the Razorbacks in February and all it took was 48 hours in Fayetteville with his former Phenix City-Central teammate A'Montae Spivey to sell him on the program.
Harris's relationship with Razorback running back Spivey played a huge role in winning him over. Spivey hosted Harris on his official visit this weekend and the defensive back got to watch his "brother" take his first hand-offs as a Hog in their loss to Mississippi State.
"He’s saying it’s a great place to be at and a safe place," Harris said. "It’s more of a place that you are more likely to succeed because you don’t have any outside trouble around.
"It feels like home and I can be with my brother, someone I’m comfortable being around. Coach (Mark) Smith and Coach (Ron) Cooper are some great coaches. I love them, I got a chance to talk to them and sit down with them and learn more about them.”
Harris cut a top seven out of his 17 Division-I offers in July that consisted of Alabama, LSU, UCF, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Arkansas. He said at the top with Arkansas were Alabama and LSU.
The Alabama native is listed as a safety by Rivals but the Arkansas coaches envision the 6-foot, 175-pound defensive back to fit at corner on the Hill.
"The coaches love my speed and physicality," Harris said. “My heart is bigger than my size. Most people have size but most people don’t have the heart to come down and just hit someone. Every time I see someone with different jersey, it’s just fun for me to hit somebody.”
Arkansas's state of the art athletic facilities were also a big highlight and selling point for Harris.
The Razorbacks don't dip into Alabama for commits often, the defensive back is the only commit in the 2020 class from the state of Alabama so far. The Hogs have only had one signee from Alabama in each class from 2017-2019: Daulton Hyatt, Myles Mason and Spivey.
He joins five other defensive commits: teammates DE Tyrece Edwards and LB Drew Francis and in-state commits DE/OLB Catrell Wallace, DE Blayne Toll and DE/OLB Jashaud Stewart.
Harris's commitment adds 75 points to Arkansas's team recruiting score, moving them from 57th to 51st in the nation, keeping the class at 13th in the SEC ahead of only Vanderbilt.
