Tag: Drake Harris

Drake Harris, Ex-Wolverine . . . again

Drake Harris

Redshirt junior wide receiver Drake Harris is transferring for his fifth year of football. It was reported earlier in the year that Harris left the football program and was going to join the basketball team, but then Tarik Black got hurt and Harris never made any appearances with the basketball program.

He ended up returning to the football team and played in four games, making 1 catch for 10 yards against Ohio State. In total, he made 9 receptions for 60 yards in four seasons in Ann Arbor. He was hampered early in his career (and toward the tail end of his high school career) by hamstring issues, though that problem seems to have cleared up in the past two years.

Harris was a 4-star, the #7 wide receiver, and #68 overall in the class of 2014, according to the 247 Composite. In that respect, he’s one of the more disappointing recruits Michigan has landed in recent years. For the #68 player to only make 9 catches over a full career – and to be passed by numerous lower-rated players – that’s quite a letdown. Particularly this season when Michigan was low on experienced receivers, Harris had a prime opportunity to play but got stuck behind Black, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Kekoa Crawford, and others.

This hurts Michigan very little for 2018 and opens up a scholarship for another player. Harris has struggled to get on the field in the past, and there’s no reason to think he would become an important cog next season.

2017 Season Countdown: #49 Drake Harris

Drake Harris (image via MLive)

Name: Drake Harris
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 188 lbs.
High school: Grand Rapids (MI) Christian
Position: Cornerback
Class: Redshirt junior
Jersey number: #14
Last year: I ranked Harris #42 and said he would be a backup wide receiver with 9 catches for 90 yards and 1 TD. He had 2 catches for 11 yards.
TTB Rating: 93

There was a lot of hype for Harris in the 2015-2016 off-season. A long, tall, speedy wide receiver who used to be an elite basketball recruit? It was about time that he hit his stride. But instead of capitalizing on all those skills when he finally seemed to be healthy, he made 2 receptions for 11 yards. Meanwhile, the two wideouts ahead of him got drafted to the NFL, and the guys expected to replace them are . . . not Drake Harris.

No, Drake Harris won’t replace Jehu Chesson and Amara Darboh, because Harris is now a cornerback. He and Jim Harbaugh decided to make the position switch this summer after spring practice had concluded. One reason is that cornerback needs depth and competition, and another reason is likely that Harris just wasn’t getting it done at receiver. On 8 career catches, Harris has a paltry 6.2 yards per reception. Of course, he has never played defense before, so that could be an adventure itself.

Michigan’s staff has had success with tall corners and position-switchers in the past (Jeremy Clark from S to CB, Richard Sherman from WR to CB), but Harris’s injury history and the suddenness of this switch seems not to bode very well for this fall. I do think he could make some contributions simply because of his size, and this is a year where Michigan might need to throw a bunch of corners out there and give them all a chance to move to the front of the pack. The Wolverines lost their top three corners from last season; Harris, David Long, and Lavert Hill have all had injury issues; and the door to a starting job seems to be wide open. I don’t think Harris will start, but anything could happen with this group.

Prediction: Backup cornerback

Position Switch: Drake Harris to cornerback

Drake Harris (image via Rivals)

Redshirt junior Drake Harris announced on Twitter that he’s moving from wide receiver to cornerback. Harris, who’s listed at 6’4″ and 188 lbs., caught 2 passes for 11 yards in 2016 and 6 passes for 39 yards in 2015.

Excited to start my next journey on the defensive side of the ball! Wide receiver ➡️ Cornerback ?

— Drake Harris (@drakeharris14) May 15, 2017

Harris was a highly touted recruit in the 2014 class, but he lost his senior high school season and his true freshman season to repeated hamstring injuries. Hamstring and other issues have continued to hamper him over the past couple years, and he missed the majority of this past spring due to injury. Fair or not, I can’t help wondering if the fact that he’s still 188 lbs. at 6’4″ contributes to his problems.

Anyway, despite being a front-runner at one point for playing time at receiver in 2017, that spot seems to be in good shape with the incoming freshmen. Tarik Black and Donovan Peoples-Jones both seem capable of playing immediately, and Michigan returns Maurice Ways, Jr., Eddie McDoom, Kekoa Crawford, and more. Harris had some deep speed, but he couldn’t work out chemistry with his quarterbacks – perhaps because of missing so much time – and 8 catches for 50 yards over two years isn’t very promising.

On the defensive side of things, cornerback is a concern coming out of the spring. Presumed starters Lavert Hill, a sophomore, and David Long, a redshirt freshman, don’t seem like sure things for this fall, and redshirt sophomore Keith Washington might have pushed ahead of one or both after the spring. Freshman Ambry Thomas enrolled early but looks very skinny, and freshman Benjamin St-Juste looks promising but isn’t ready to start yet. Competition might not be the answer, but it won’t hurt.

Meanwhile, Michigan sent three cornerbacks to the NFL in the past few weeks, including draftees Jourdan Lewis and Jeremy Clark, as well as free agent signee Channing Stribling. Clark was listed at 6’4″ while he was at Michigan, though he checked in at 6’3″ at the NFL Combine. Jim Harbaugh also helped get 6’3″ Richard Sherman to the NFL by making him a cornerback at Stanford.

This helps Michigan get longer at corner, provides competition at a position of need, and doesn’t seem to have much of a negative impact on the wide receiver group. Michigan fans have grown accustomed to not counting on Harris to produce much at receiver, so things will remain status quo on that front. If a need does arise on offense, Harris could presumably make another switch to fortify the receiver spot. And if he can’t contribute on defense, either, he may be exploring graduate transfer options in 2018.

Orange Bowl Preview: Michigan Receivers vs. Florida State Secondary

Tarvarus McFadden (image via Warchant)

MICHIGAN

Starters: Fifth year senior Amara Darboh (52 catches, 826 yards, 7 TDs) has been more productive this year than any Michigan receiver since Jeremy Gallon in 2013. Darboh has had some key drops, but that’s because he’s the go-to guy for quarterback Wilton Speight and gets the ball thrown to him in crunch time. Otherwise, he has made some highlight-reel catches and turned in some big plays this year. Michigan likes to use him as both a possession guy and a downfield threat, although he’s not a huge weapon in the deep passing game. Classmate Jehu Chesson (31 catches, 469 yards, 2 TDs) has seen his production fall off dramatically from the second half of the 2015 season, and he just doesn’t look like the same player after a knee injury against Florida in last year’s bowl game. Senior tight end Jake Butt (43 catches, 518 yards, 4 TDs) stands 6’6″, 250 lbs. and won the Mackey Award for the country’s best tight end. He’s not a great blocker, but he’s a very good route runner with sure hands.

Key backups: Michigan will be without the legally challenged Grant Perry (13 catches, 183 yards, 1 TD) due to legal troubles, and he’s the only other wideout who has been regularly targeted this season. The next most productive guy is 6’0″, 180 lb. freshman Eddie McDoom (5 catches, 59 yards; 15 carries, 154 yards), a speedster who has clearly made more of a mark on end arounds and reverses than in the passing game. Fellow freshman Kekoa Crawford (4 catches, 47 yards, 1 TD) and redshirt sophomore Drake Harris (2 catches, 11 yards) may also see some additional time. The backup tight ends haven’t factored into the passing game much: five tight ends have caught either 1 or 2 passes. We should see a lot of 6’6″, 276 lb. redshirt freshman Tyrone Wheatley, Jr. and 6’3″, 287 lb. freshman Devin Asiasi in mostly blocking roles.

Hit the jump for the rundown of Florida State’s defensive backfield.

read more

Michigan vs. Maryland Awards

Tyree Kinnel

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Grant Perry. Perry is Michigan’s fourth-leading receiver by yards, though he has just 6 receptions on the year. However, he has been a reliable target at slot receiver for both Jake Rudock and Wilton Speight over the past year and a half, and he’s a decent blocker. Unfortunately, he found himself in some trouble over the bye week a few weeks ago, and he appears to be working himself out of the doghouse. Michigan didn’t need him on Saturday, but it would be nice to have all options available down the stretch.

Hit the jump for more on Saturday’s win over Maryland.

read more