West Valley RB Reggie Harris To Face Unknown At Southwestern

2019 West Valley (Wash.) running back Reggie Harris announced his commitment to continue his football career at Southwestern College this past Monday.

Harris believed it was a golden opportunity that he simply couldn’t pass up.  

The two time First Team All League back wasn’t seeing too much luck on the recruiting front following his senior season.

“I was talking with teams, but no one was offering,” Harris said. “To be honest, I was worried I wasn’t going to get a chance to play college football.”

That’s when his long time friend, Dalton Thomas (Wenatchee cornerback), sent his film to the coaching staff at southwestern college.

The Southern California JuCo program loved what they saw on film, and proceeded to reach out to Harris with an offer.

It’s not often a college football recruit will announce his commitment before even visiting the school.

Given how late it was in the off-season however, Harris had to jump on the opportunity to join the Jaguar’s 2019 recruiting class. He does plan on making an official visit in early April during spring break.

Because of the highly desirable location of Southwestern College (it’s located 10 miles from San Diego), it’s a hotbed for football talent all over North America.

Currently their roster features prospects from 16 different states and two countries. Including Florida, Arizona, Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina, Missouri, Hawaii, Maryland, Texas, Alaska, West Virginia, Nevada, New Jersey, Utah, Washington, Mexico City, and of course California.

With ten running backs on the current roster, Harris knows that All League awards don’t carry much weight in the ultra-competitive JuCo environment.

“I’m ready to compete with all the guys,” Harris said. “I've only got two years to work with, so I’m going to try and get a starting role.”

During his final two years of high school football, Harris turned into a production machine.

His junior year he helped lead West Valley to the state playoffs with 761 yards and 7 touchdowns on the ground. As a senior he finished second in the Big Nine in total yards with 1,765 yards.

While he’ll never be the biggest back on any team he’s at (5-foot-9 175 pounds), Harris more than makes up for that with his quick cuts and track speed.

“I didn’t play basketball this year, so that gave me the chance to get in the weight room and put some good size on,” Harris said.

Combine those lifting efforts with his perennial quality times in track, and Harris is putting together a good off-season.

The ultimate goal is to one day play at a four year university. He’s in good hands for that at Southwestern, as they have a 95% success rate on getting guys to the next level.

One thing that Harris is looking forward to at his new school is the California lifestyle. It certainly is a contrasting environment compared to his hometown of Yakima.

He’s stated in the past his desire to play college football in a warm weather climate, whether it’d be Arizona, Texas, or California.

“I’m ready to see what’s out there for me outside of Washington,” Harris said. “I’m excited to compete and then see what happens next.”

It’s very likely that should he transfer after two years at Southwestern, it won't be to a college program based in Washington (Washington schools aren’t known for their JuCo transfers).

The comfort level Harris has on trying new things will bode well for him as he embarks on this journey.

As long as he keeps up his dedication, opportunity should be plentiful for Harris at the next level.