Gulliver Prep’s Donell Harris, despite late UF push, holds firm to Texas A&M commitment
Miami Gulliver Prep’s Donell Harris had a decision to make. Stay committed to the Texas A&M Aggies or flip to the Florida Gators.
He had a little fun announcing his future in his high school gym on Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period.
Harris, the No. 54 player in this year’s recruiting cycle according to the 247Sports composite ranking, unzipped a black jacket to reveal a Gators sweatshirt, generating some oohs and aahs from the crowd of friends, family and teammates in the bleachers.
But just seconds later, the sweatshirt came off.
His final outfit: A light gray Texas A&M polo and a maroon hat.
Harris, who finished his prep football career as South Florida’s top defensive line prospect for the 2020 recruiting class, is heading to College Station.
“Right now, a lot of stress is relieved,” Harris said after signing his national letter of intent. “I’m not stressing anymore about making this decision. I feel like coach Jimbo [Fisher] and [defensive line] coach [Terry] Price are going to put me in the right position to succeed and get me to that promised land that I want to get to.”
Harris committed to the Aggies on Nov. 11, about five months after he backed off his oral pledge to the hometown Miami Hurricanes.
He chose to keep this commitment to Texas A&M despite a hot — albeit late — pursuit from the Florida Gators, who gave him an offer on Nov. 9. Harris visited Gainesville twice in the past month, including an official visit on Dec. 6.
“UF was real close,” Harris said, “but I felt like they started recruiting me too late in the process. I felt real comfortable with the Aggies.”
Harris checks in as the No. 10 prospect in Florida and second among Miami-Dade seniors behind Belen Jesuit running back Don Chaney, who on Wednesday signed with the Hurricanes.
His dominance was on full display this season. The 6-4, 220-pound defensive end led Gulliver Prep’s pass rush all season, finishing with 60 tackles, 24 tackles for loss and 19 sacks in 11 games. He played a pivotal role on a Raiders defense that allowed an average of just 10.1 points and produced two shutouts during a perfect regular season before losing 34-31 to eventual Class 4A state champion Booker T. Washington in the regional semifinals.
“He was impactful in that locker room from the first day,” Gulliver Prep coach Earl Sims said. “He wasn’t a guy that shied away from the work that we demanded. He stepped up to the plate. ... He’s got a dominance about him that I’m going to be excited to see at the next level.”
Before this season, Harris was a two-year starter at Booker T Washington High. He had 21 sacks and 73 tackles as a junior.
Harris was one of five to sign national letters of intent at Gulliver Prep on Wednesday. The others: running back Anton Hall (Navy), receiver Amin Hassan (Navy), safety Eddie Jackson (Northern Illinois) and tight end Diego LaMonica (Vanderbilt).
This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 4:40 PM.
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