Miami leading rusher Cam’Ron Harris opts to return to UM in 2021 instead of NFL draft
University of Miami junior leading rusher Cam’Ron Harris has reaffirmed his devotion to the Hurricanes and announced Friday on Twitter that he will return for next season rather than enter the NFL Draft.
Harris, who started and ended the season strong for the Hurricanes but struggled on and off in between, posted on social media in late October that he was “disrespected” after subpar performance against Clemson, Pittsburgh and Virginia. But he will be back for at least one more year after the NCAA granted every player an extra year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Harris would still have remaining eligibility after next season.
“To my brothers out there I motivate this is a message you should all grasp,’’ Harris posted as part of a longer statement. “God gives you the tools to take you part of the way and I will never stop emphasizing how important it is go put in the blood, sweat and tears to get you the rest of the way.
“I have so many teammates, coaches and family that also helped me along the way. You know who you are and I humbly thank you. I’ve always dreamed of playing on Sundays like they say but work still needs to be done and I want to finish getting my degree which is why I’m announcing I will be returning to the University of Miami for my senior year and continuing to fight with my soldiers to bring the U back! One last ride bad boys for life!”
Carol City star
The former consensus four-star prospect was rated the nation’s seventh-best running back out of Miami Carol City High and became Miami’s featured tailback this season after DeeJay Dallas was drafted in the fourth round by the Seattle Seahawks. Harris has run for 643 yards and a team-leading 10 touchdowns on 126 carries in 11 games this season, averaging 5.1 yards a carry.
He began the season with two strong games against UAB and Louisville, running for 134 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries against Alabama Birmingham and another 134 yards and a touchdown on nine carries at Louisville.
After rushing for 43 yards and two touchdowns against Florida State, Harris gained a combined 35 yards on 28 carries, with no touchdowns (and one 35-yard touchdown catch against Pittsburgh) in a loss at then-No. 1 Clemson and wins against Pittsburgh and Virginia.
Freshmen Donald Chaney Jr. and Jaylon Knighton also were rotated in the running game on a regular basis, clearly demonstrating that coaches intend to use them frequently. And Thad Franklin, a consensus four-star prospect out of Hollywood Chaminade-Madonna, signed with the Canes on December 16.
Miami offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said after Harris posted his tweet in frustration, which the tailback deleted soon afterward, that he and running backs coach Eric Hickson spoke with Harris about the situation.
“It was a tweet,’’ Lashlee said. “Kids tweet a lot of things these days. That’s kind of how kids vent, right? I’m not totally sure what Cam really meant, other than he’s frustrated. The last couple weeks maybe haven’t gone as well as he had hoped, but he’s a passionate kid.’’
Harris had a strong game Dec. 5 at Duke (15 carries for 96 yards and two touchdowns), but managed only 24 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in UM’s 62-26 loss in the last regular-season game against North Carolina.
Strong bowl game
He ended the season well by rushing for 52 yards and a touchdown on six carries (8.7 yards a carry) against Oklahoma State in the Cheez-It Bowl, adding two catches for 38 yards.
Here’s what he tweeted after the bowl: “We Fought Hard As a Team I love My Guys! We don’t point fingers at one another, We Win Together and We Lose Together. Blessed To Be A Part of this program.’’
Lashlee replied, “Proud of you.’’
This story was originally published January 1, 2021 at 6:08 PM.
