Jacory Harris, three- year starting quarterback for the University of Miami, is participating in the Astroturf Bowl game in pursuit of an NFL career. Unlike many of the other NFL prospects, being a professional football player was not a desire Harris had always yearned for. However, a traumatic event during his teenage years inspired the quarterback to seriously pursue and excel in football.
“[My drive and inspiration is the loss] of my best friend when I was in the 10th grade. Before that, my focus really wasn’t on football. That incident made me focus on what was important in my life. And I chose football to be important, and I am glad that I did,” said Harris.
Following the loss of his friend, Harris became the starting quarterback for Miami Northwestern High School, broke the Florida state record for passing touchdowns, lead his team to a victory in the National High School Football Championship, and was named Florida’s Mr. Football. Harris’ success did not stop there; the during his collegiate career, the 6’4” Florida native produced over 8,000 passing yards, 70 touchdowns, and the invitation to play in the inaugural NFLPA Astroturf Bowl in Los Angeles, California!
“I felt honored. Being that this is the 1st annual Astroturf Bowl, I felt like I was going to be apart of something great. And that was the reason why I chose this bowl game –because I wanted to start a tradition and help build something that [provides] a positive outlook on athletes,” Harris replies, in reference to his reaction towards being invited to the bowl game.
According to Harris, being invited to the Astroturf Bowl isn’t something that should be taken lightly; he views this as a prime opportunity to take advantage of all of the resources provided:
“I expect to gain knowledge — You can never know too much. We are here with great coaches like Darnell Dinkins and Isaac Bruce and it gives us a wonderful opportunity to grow as young men, and just to further our abilities to make it to the NFL,” he says.
Harris, who will play in Saturday’s bowl game as the American Team quarterback, says that the week- long program, put together by the NFLPA, has already taught him a lot about life as an NFL’er.
“The process of becoming an NFL player [is definitely a learning experience]! Right now there’s no school, its just meetings and football 24/7. But it’s a great transition, I’m happy that I have the opportunity to do this. The Coaches and [Players Association] have given me a wonderful opportunity out here,” says Harris.
Although the Astroturf Bowl is one of the many processes he will go through before crossing the threshold into the realm of professional football, Jacory Harris has faith that he has the potential to be an exceptional NFL athlete:
“I’m not [an] arrogant guy, but what I can bring to an NFL team is great leadership qualities. I can always make sure that the team is going to be confident in me. My approach on football is like none other; [I] spend a numerous amount of time working on [my skills] and trying to get better. I am a hard worker. If any NFL team is willing to sign me, I’ll be okay.”
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