Unsung: Colleges missing East Forsyth's Harris

Coach Todd Willert of East Forsyth said he hears the same question after every football game.

"So, where's 71 going?" Willert said that opposing coaches ask about Jeff Harris, his 6-2½, 265-pound center.

"Every coach in our conference, the coach from Myers Park, all the coaches we play against, they all want to know where (Harris) is going. When I tell them he doesn't have an offer yet, they are amazed by it."

Harris, who moved from guard to center three weeks ago, has impressed Willert and opposing coaches with his strength, intelligence and quickness while playing in the relative shadow of David Collins, a 6-7, 295-pound Shrine Bowl selection who has committed to North Carolina.

"He is overlooked a lot," Willert said of Harris. "Colleges think they have picked up a Division I guy off our line, and we don't have any more to offer. Even David has told colleges how good Jeff is with his feet and things like that.

"In many aspects, (Harris) is the best we have. I would say that Jeff is as good as David Collins."

But he's not as tall as Collins, and Willert thinks that has been the sticking point with recruiters.

"A lot of colleges are scared," Willert said. "They want the prototypical 6-4 kid, but where he goes, they will have a great player one day."

Willert is more frustrated by the lack of offers than Harris. Harris said he has been recruited by Appalachian State, Elon, Furman and Wofford of the Southern Conference and by Division II teams Wingate and UNC Pembroke.

"The ones recruiting me don't offer until after the season is done, so I am hoping some good stuff will happen in the next month," Harris said. "I am not really worried about it. It's kind of a waiting game, and I have waited this long, so I figure waiting another month won't be that much worse. I can't force anyone to do anything."

If Harris feels slighted by the attention given Collins -- his close friend -- he isn't letting on.

"He has worked for everything he has, and he deserves it," Harris said. "I am not going to lie -- it helps that he's behemoth -- but he deserves it."

But Harris also has worked for whatever comes his way. He said he has lifted weights, in season and out, since he came to East Forsyth in 2005. The work paid off with some impressive maximum lifts -- 490 pounds in the squat, 350 in the bench press, 315 in the incline press and 330 in the power clean.

"That's what you have to do to be successful," Harris said. "I have set goals for myself, and I take pride in the fact that I am one of the bigger guys on the team. That will end after this year. When I go to college, it's back to the bottom again."

Harris and his teammates are on a roll not seen at East in years. The Eagles, 11-1, hammered Charlotte Myers Park 42-14 in the first round of the Class 4-AA playoffs as Harris and his linemates opened holes for 311 rushing yards. East will be at home Friday to meet Huntersville Hopewell (8-4) in the second round.

East fell a long way after winning the NCHSAA 4-A championship in 1992 but has climbed back, winning the Metro 4-A title this season for the first time since 1992. Although the Eagles had playoff appearances here and there, they haven't made any real inroads in 16 years.

"All year long no one has given us any respect," Harris said. "People think we are getting lucky or the teams we are beating are not very good. We haven't gotten lucky nine or 10 times though. If nobody likes us, we don't care. If you don't give us respect, we don't care. I think it does fuel us a little bit. Nobody gives us any respect."

If East wins Friday, its road to a state championship will toughen -- awaiting the East-Hopewell winner in the next round will be one of two storied programs, Richmond Senior or West Charlotte.

"The way I see it, we will stay alive as long as we want ourselves too," Harris said. "And the only way we get beat is to beat ourselves. When we do what we have to, I don't care if you are (Charlotte) Independence, we will play as long as we feel like playing."

And right now, the Eagles feel like playing.

■ Mason Linker can be reached at 727-7324 or at mlinker@wsjournal.com.