Juan Harris
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There's got to be more to it than that. I've seen people say that he has no role models and has had a rough life. All that is coming from he can't make a decision and is related to Tommy Harris?
Lack of information leads people creating news without facts
There's got to be more to it than that. I've seen people say that he has no role models and has had a rough life. All that is coming from he can't make a decision and is related to Tommy Harris?
Well I think he moved here to live with his dad and he passed. I've read that he has basically been told to decide where he wants to go on his own. Now, that may be better than some figure medaling in a kids future but there doesn't seem to be much for direction given to a kid that seems to have had an unstable last few years. It just seems like a lot for a 17 year old to handle by himself and i just don't think it means he has these deep seeded character issues that are being applied to him. I think it's a bit unfair. He lied about the Tommy Harris thing and that's the concern, I guess.
I think he's a kid that this staff (really most staffs, for that matter) would be really good for and I think that once he gets to a school, there won't be an issue. He seems like a really well spoken kid that goes between knowing what he wants and not knowing what he wants. I would go about this by saying that if he commits, we would like him to cut off communication with all others. If he doesn't do that, we won't consider him a commit until paperwork is signed. I think that's reasonable in his situation. The kid is a real talent and probably a DL talent we haven't seen here since maybe David Irving from an impact standpoint on the dline. Hell, he may be even better at this point. He's very large but I don't necessarily think he has to lose a bunch of weight to be effective. Sure, you would probably like to rearrange some of his composition but it's not like he was recruited heavily when he was 310, got lazy and put on a bunch of weight that slowed him down. He's still incredibly athletic and a guy that size with strength and even a little agility is a nightmare. He would allow you to do a lot of different things with him because he will almost always demand two OL. We haven't had that since Rubin.
We know he moved to a small town in northern Iowa from somewhere out of state earlier in his high school career. Then he moves to Wisconsin for his Sr. Year of high school.
I think that led some to believe he's moving around due to some kind of family situation, but I have no idea.
Edit: Tre beat me to it.
Thanks for all the info. That's an incredibly sad situation. I too don't see that meaning he'll have any kind of character issues. Actually his inability to make a choice is 100% understandable. I'm really rooting for him now.
I'm not 100 percent sure what was tweeted and who tweeted but I think there was some back and forth between Harris and some UI commits after Harris decommited the 2nd time
Here's a bit of info on Harris from an older article.
“I am not someone that has been fortunate enough to do some of the things that other guys have been able to do like going to visit other schools,” Harris said. “I grew up struggling all my life. I grew up sleeping on floors. I started my freshman year at Notre Dame College Prep (in Niles, Illinois). I stayed with my grandmother then and I had to sleep on the floor. It was tough so I ended up moving to Wisconsin the second semester of my freshman year and I stayed with my mother for a little bit but it was just a crowded living situation. We were okay financially but there were eight of us living in a two-bedroom apartment so it was pretty crowded. Around this time my father was getting out of prison and he got his own house and he got a room for me so I moved in with him (in Iowa). When I got there I had to sit out my sophomore year because of eligibility rules, and then things got tougher and tougher because my father was making decisions that he shouldn’t have been making. Things really got tough towards the end of my sophomore year so I was going to move back with my mother but if I did that I was going to be ineligible so ended up staying with my head coach my junior year. Things were going good with my coach but I just felt I needed to be with my mother, especially after I lost my father. He was shot in Chicago this past November and with me losing my father I thought it was best if I moved back in with my mother. So I ended up going back to Janesville, Wisconsin to be with my mom, and now she is doing better financially and we are going to move into a bigger house.
My freshman and sophomore year I struggled with my grades and that is why a lot of schools did not offer me,” he said. “But right now my grades are up as I have a 2.9 core GPA and a 3.2 cumulative GPA and I scored a 19 on the ACT so I am better now academically. I have also improved my conditioning. I dropped a bunch of weight. I was up to around 420 and now I’m down to 365 so I was able to show a lot of discipline and character.”
“I am not someone that has been fortunate enough to do some of the things that other guys have been able to do like going to visit other schools,” Harris said. “I grew up struggling all my life. I grew up sleeping on floors. I started my freshman year at Notre Dame College Prep (in Niles, Illinois). I stayed with my grandmother then and I had to sleep on the floor. It was tough so I ended up moving to Wisconsin the second semester of my freshman year and I stayed with my mother for a little bit but it was just a crowded living situation. We were okay financially but there were eight of us living in a two-bedroom apartment so it was pretty crowded. Around this time my father was getting out of prison and he got his own house and he got a room for me so I moved in with him (in Iowa). When I got there I had to sit out my sophomore year because of eligibility rules, and then things got tougher and tougher because my father was making decisions that he shouldn’t have been making. Things really got tough towards the end of my sophomore year so I was going to move back with my mother but if I did that I was going to be ineligible so ended up staying with my head coach my junior year. Things were going good with my coach but I just felt I needed to be with my mother, especially after I lost my father. He was shot in Chicago this past November and with me losing my father I thought it was best if I moved back in with my mother. So I ended up going back to Janesville, Wisconsin to be with my mom, and now she is doing better financially and we are going to move into a bigger house.
My freshman and sophomore year I struggled with my grades and that is why a lot of schools did not offer me,” he said. “But right now my grades are up as I have a 2.9 core GPA and a 3.2 cumulative GPA and I scored a 19 on the ACT so I am better now academically. I have also improved my conditioning. I dropped a bunch of weight. I was up to around 420 and now I’m down to 365 so I was able to show a lot of discipline and character.”
Do you have a link for that? I'm just curious what the context was of why he was saying all of that. Staying put certainly isn't anything normal for that poor kid so it's no wonder he's had trouble finding a school.
Wow. Situations like his are why you always need to consider what someone is going through or has been through.
Did any Iowa fans tweet physical threats at him when he decommitted like they have other decommits?
He sounds like a kid without a role model and no one to help him make good decisions. That said, he appears to be very well spoken, which certainly leads me to believe that he's an intelligent kid. It's hard to not pull for him after reading this. I'm sure Campbell and crew can provide the leadership he wants/needs.
Interesting how many on these boards ripped this kid when he was an Iowa commit off and on again, but now that he's showing some interest in ISU, all of the sudden we do our homework, find out his situation, and now feel sorry for him and think he would be a great fit here under CMC.
Can we all just admit that these are all just kids trying to make tough decisions on what school is best for their particular situation, and that whatever school they decide on does not change what kind of person they are. Us fans just love to rip these kids for choosing Iowa over ISU, or Iowa fans ripping kids for choosing ISU over Iowa, etc, etc, etc, and NONE of us really actually know any of these kids and what they are like as people.
Yes, there are great kids that commit to play football at Iowa. That is just a simple fact. Committing to Iowa is not a reason by itself to rip on a kid. We all need to grow up as far as that is concerned and act like adults.
Can we all just admit that these are all just kids trying to make tough decisions on what school is best for their particular situation, and that whatever school they decide on does not change what kind of person they are. Us fans just love to rip these kids for choosing Iowa over ISU, or Iowa fans ripping kids for choosing ISU over Iowa, etc, etc, etc, and NONE of us really actually know any of these kids and what they are like as people.
Yes, there are great kids that commit to play football at Iowa. That is just a simple fact. Committing to Iowa is not a reason by itself to rip on a kid. We all need to grow up as far as that is concerned and act like adults.
I didn't re-read the whole thread, but randomly went through five different pages. Where were people ripping him? Yeah it happened a few times, mostly because of the Tommie Harris fiasco, but there were overwhelmingly more people wishing him well and hoping he found a place that gave him good support. That and Twins and Gonzo arguing back and forth about Iowa's S&C program.
I don't know Matt Campbell. Based on everything we know, he is a good and honest man, and he has a staff that shares these traits.
The only thing this kid has done is decommit a lot. He's not criminal in any way. I think a staff, and an environment like the one in Ames could be great for him, and he could be great for us.
I can't see any rational argument why we wouldn't recruit the kid. Win win for everybody. We've had plenty of decommits so far this year, we need to take chances on people. He could be a decommit. He could also be the next Royce White.
The only thing this kid has done is decommit a lot. He's not criminal in any way. I think a staff, and an environment like the one in Ames could be great for him, and he could be great for us.
I can't see any rational argument why we wouldn't recruit the kid. Win win for everybody. We've had plenty of decommits so far this year, we need to take chances on people. He could be a decommit. He could also be the next Royce White.
Hope we get him. Football can be more than football when helping a kid like this if he has some talent.
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