Damien Harris Rumors

[JPFisher]

Plenty of top folks and guys in the know are wary of Bama. Supposedly around Damien's school, the rumor is that Damien is ALL Bama.

I will never put stock into a bunch of kids, but you never know. We had some rumblings regarding Teague, Barker, Elam, Lyles, the Harrisons, Timmons, and Hatcher up until the last second and even some that were last second. I still like our chances.

 

[Kramer318]

Well you can't fault the kid if he goes to Bama... Much like a Bama basketball kid coming to UK... He'll be a stud wherever he goes. Wish he was a Cat tho.

 

[mrschwump]

Becomes worrisome when guys like Fisher and Franklin change their picks from UK to Bama.

 

[TNTUK]

7 crystal ball picks to Bama today...

 

[3632]

Originally posted by Kramer318:
Well you can't fault the kid if he goes to Bama... Much like a Bama basketball kid coming to UK... He'll be a stud wherever he goes. Wish he was a Cat tho.

The difference from basketball and football is they don't move on every year in football. And it isn't 2 guys deep at position. They have like 8 RB's 4/5* now that the guy that got kicked out of Georgia transferred there. Harris has the talent to play there but so do all of those other guys. How will they split up the 13 touches Kiffin gave the rb's against OSU?

 

[JPFisher]

I get what you're saying, but there's one big difference.

Being in the SEC in football, regardless of who you play for will get you TV exposure. Being in the SEC in basketball won't get you exposure unless you go to UK... Maybe Florida. Maybe.

UK offers an opportunity for Harris to show off his capabilities in a pass-first offense. Can he catch a pass? Block downfield? Blitz pickup? Find the corner? Bama runs it down the opponent's throat and to great effect. UK will ask of many different things of him which poses both advantages and disadvantages. Bama will ask of few different things which, likewise, poses both advantages and disadvantages.

 

[ManRoar]

I was afraid of this :-( I tried to prepare myself a long time ago that he would pick BAMA, so it won't sting as bad if he does...

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

I hope he signs with UK. But the truth is RB is probably UK's most talented position with or without Harris, Boom and the other backs aren't just going to hand him the number 1 spot. He will have a fight on his hands and thats a credit to UK's returning backs, not a slam at Harris. But as with any instate 5* its important to do all you can and push hard to keep him in state. That is the biggest reason he needs to choose UK, to show others that the state of Kentucky can produce elite talent and keep it home. But make no mistake, UK already has an elite back, if he were running behind a better OL he would have put up some big numbers last season.

 

[TNTUK]

They also have a 5star enrolling this week. Grayshirt type deal. 10 RBs on the roster...4 five-stars, and 6 four-stars, with 2 or 3 of those being a 6.0 4-star on Rivals.

 

[anon_7tbtqcx308nxh]

Originally posted by TNTUK:
7 crystal ball picks to Bama today...

Not saying it's not true, but I'd throw some cold water if that's the only source we have. My issues with this metric:

1) The Crystal Ball feature is overran by groupthink. People just throw in their votes when they see momentum, and the timelines typically suggest its based on the same news. It all builds on itself.

2) If it's that much of a sway (7 CB picks), I suspect the mainstream media will have their sources feeding them info, and we should know Harris' decision via the C-J or H-L tomorrow. How can seven recruiting site writers get this breaking news, but not newspaper writers who are incentivized to get any shred of info on Damien Harris?

 

[TNTUK]

Im not saying it means a thing. But Id certainly rather have 7 picks for UK today, than Bama.

Drew Franklin and Chris Fisher...two UK guys, switched from UK to Bama.

Again, may not mean much...but one thing about the CB is that it is pretty accurate in the couple days leading up to a decision.

 

[TT Cat]

Drew Franklin is very smart and has good sources. Hope he is wrong this time

 

[3632]

Originally posted by Grumpyolddawg:
I hope he signs with UK. But the truth is RB is probably UK's most talented position with or without Harris, Boom and the other backs aren't just going to hand him the number 1 spot. He will have a fight on his hands and thats a credit to UK's returning backs, not a slam at Harris. But as with any instate 5* its important to do all you can and push hard to keep him in state. That is the biggest reason he needs to choose UK, to show others that the state of Kentucky can produce elite talent and keep it home. But make no mistake, UK already has an elite back, if he were running behind a better OL he would have put up some big numbers last season.

While true that we have a stable of RB's, they are all of the smaller type scat guys and then you have Horton who is a "big" back. We don't have an rb with Harris' physical profile...size and speed for the size. So he would have his niche day 1 here for sure. The backs at bama have a much smaller range of differences and seem to blur together a bit. The nuances are more modest.

Honestly, I sense Saban is in some degree of conflict of how to proceed. He's telling Kiffin to turn up tempo but they recruit big lumbering Olineman that are used to overpowering and are big at other positions too...not that they don't have anybody with speed but they just aren't built for much but the stodgy kind of offense. Watching them do a 2 minute drill was painful they couldn't even get back to the line. The NFL is making a shift to different offenses where it's not the old line em up and let em run etc so I don't know if that's why he's trying to shift on that side (for recruiting and selling NFL) of the ball or what, but they aren't built for it from the way they recruit. Bama will be Bama, but I do wonder if their best days are behind them. They'll still win tons of games because they're built for the long haul brutality of the SEC, but they're going to be more susceptible to taking a few L's until they shift their formula a bit or figure out what they are going to do. None of their QB's have been serious league material and their RB's have been a mixed bag but produce in college because they have the hogs they do but it really hasn't been a predictor of development for them going to the league at those positions and they certainly don't seem to get much experiencing in multitasking at their positions because they don't have to. QB's don't' have to make quick decisions and RB's don't really have to branch out much like the pro game is requiring them to do now.

 

[TBCat]

Originally posted by TNTUK:
7 crystal ball picks to Bama today...

Never ever pay any attention to crystal ball picks. It's simply a voting contest for the uninformed.

 

[TNTUK]

TBCat: Lol. Chris Fisher and Drew Franklin are not uninformed. They may be wrong by swtching their pick to Bama from UK, but they aren't uninformed.

I look to trends with the Crystal Ball. I mean, UK still leads OSU and Bama in percentage of total picks. But Im more concerned with the way the wind is blowing....and right now there is a lot of wind blowing smoke toward Bama.

 

[UKvisitor]

Two old hairy (not crystal) balls say Harris will be a Wildcat next year.

Originally posted by TNTUK:
7 crystal ball picks to Bama today...

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

3632, I agree that Harris has better combination of size and speed than all your backs, except 1. I really like Boom Williams, I think he is one of the elite backs in the SEC. I am not a Rivals evaluator by any stretch, but if he were 6'1 instead of 5'8" or nine coming out, I think he could have been a 5* type. He has put on an amazing amount of muscle in the last 2 years, so I wouldn't describe him as a scat back type, he isn't little, he is just not very tall. Look at the thighs on him, they are huge. I think he is a faster version of that Robinson kid that played at MSST. When he committed to us as a soph, he didn't weigh 150#,

 

[CoachR35]

Originally posted by UKvisitor:
Two old hairy (not crystal) balls say Harris will be a Wildcat next year.

Originally posted by TNTUK:
7 crystal ball picks to Bama today...

I think you need to rub those balls again and take a closer look. Just kidding. I hope you old hairy balls are correct.

 

[*Bleedingblue*]

I agree grumpy about Boom. He is outstanding and would be even better behind a much improved OL. He is a good sized back too and looks like a ball of muscle, seems he has kept his speed as well while bulking up.

My only concern is his ability to stay healthy as he is returning and taking handoffs. He got dinged up a few times this year and it would paramount to have someone similar to him that is just as capable.
Their is a bit if a drop off talent wise on the team looking at Boom and then The rest of our backs.

 

[why_not_kentucky]

Also reported that stoops has made contact with a 2015 RB out of Florida.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

I have to agree with you on that returning deal. I know its best to get the ball in the hands of your best player, but there is just so much chance of injury there. In our opener I was holding my breath when Gurley was back deep for the kickoff. But all these backs were very likely the return guy on their HS team so they are use to doing it, and some like doing it, but still scarey for a fan.

 

[KumarCat]

Originally posted by why_not_kentucky:
Also reported that stoops has made contact with a 2015 RB out of Florida.

Where did you see that? That would be pretty telling.

 

[TNTUK]

^I believe Jeff Drummond wrote an article about that 2 days ago.

 

[Deeeefense]

If the player has not divulged his choice, how would these experts know? One thing I have learned about experts, is they will always give an opinion regardless if it's worth anything or not, three words you will never hear "I don't know".

 

[2bunnies]

What's that definition of 'assume'?

 

[How Blue Can You Get?]

Originally posted by TBCat:

Originally posted by TNTUK:
7 crystal ball picks to Bama today...

Never ever pay any attention to crystal ball picks. It's simply a voting contest for the uninformed.

uhh, Chris Fisher, and Drew Franklin are UK guys, and are not uninformed. If they changed their picks, it's bad news.

 

[bigbluedon]

And we are not getting Julius Randle either. I cannot believe we can't land any of these good guys..Remember how the fluff got so bad from two weeks before he committed,and everyone was convinced he was not coming to UK..

Lets all just wait and see.

 

[BigSexyCat]

The way I look at it, If Damien is as good as advertised he will be a 3 year and done player at UK. He may redshirt his freshman year but regardless of that he will be 3 and done. If he chooses Bama he could end up being a 5 year player due to more experienced and just as talented backs being in front of him. With those two extra years comes more opportunity for injury and two more years of NOT being in the league and earning a huge paycheck. Wish him well regardless of which team he chooses.

 

[KingOfBBN]

It's hard to compete with Alabama in recruiting. It's the same if someone tried to compete with Cal for a recruit. I'm sure Harris has been sold on Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson, and Eddie Lacy. *Sigh*

 

[anon_013cn8yrfncx2]

Yes but only Lacy has had any real impact with TR being somewhat of a bust.

 

[Desperado_1955]

IMHO his heart tells him he'd like to be a program changer at UK, but his head is telling him that Alabama is the place to go to get to the NFL. It's a huge decision for a kid.

 

[BengalWACO]

Damien BBN loves you! The running game just getting started with Boom and co. You can take it to next level!

 

[GridCats]

I sure would enjoy seeing him run in Blue, but be really hard not to "Roll with the Tide," Very hard decision for a kid to make. I wish him the best in what ever he chooses.

 

[C1180]

Originally posted by Desperado_1955:
IMHO his heart tells him he'd like to be a program changer at UK, but his head is telling him that Alabama is the place to go to get to the NFL. It's a huge decision for a kid.

I doubt that he will make his decision because of the NFL. The truth is NFL teams now look at Alabama backs as a product of a high talent and run orientated system after the way that Trent Richardson has went bust in the NFL and none of the Bama backs have been stars in the NFL. If I was a NFL scout I would be more impressed by a RB that could put up big numbers at a school like UK.

IMO basing his decision on getting to the NFL would be a mistake. Having a chance to win a NC would be a more viable reason to pick Bama. Negative would be that you will have to wait your turn and compete against a lot of other talented players to even get playing time to impress NFL scouts at Bama.

 

[richardabney]

Alright here is what I have gathered.
*Neither staff knows
*I talked to a source inside of Kentucky's athletic department who thinks he comes here but says it's close.
*Alabama seems confident
*I'm hearing a rumor that Damien has text Alabama commits and told him he is Bama bound. *This one take with a grain of salt*
If you asked me two weeks ago where I thought he was headed I would've said Kentucky without a hesitation, but Bama has came on very strong here recently and that is cause for concern. In the end I still pick Harris to UK, the biggest reason being his mother, she has a great relationship with the UK staff. I am putting my confidence at about 50% UK, 45% Bama, and 5% Ohio St. *I reserve the right to be 100% wrong.*
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[CATFANFOLIFE87]

24/7 is running with unsubstantiated rumors like TMZ or the National Enquiror don't give yourselves an ulcer over it. If you are really pointing to Drew Franklin to justify your position on anything but strippers or Fireball you need to reevaluate the situation big time

 

[Houstonwildcat]

2 Questions:

1. I remember reading KSR that when Saban had his in-home, Ms. Harris didn't like what she heard. What exactly was it that he said?

2. Does anyone know the name of the 2015 RB from FL?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ryan Lemonds Diary]

I have no idea where he will go and wish him luck with his decision. With that being said is there any possibility this is a smoke screen to make a more dramatic announcement. We have seen it with the Harrisons, Randle, Noel and I think even Elam that sometimes false information comes out a day or 2 before to create a buzz and make the announcement a bigger deal. I think I will fee more confident about him to Bama if KSR says they are not carrying the announcement live. If they don't I feel it's a pretty good indicator they have been told by Damien's folks that it is Bama.

 

[fballcats76]

Who could blame the kid. Who's put more first round backs in the NFL in the last 5 years? They are beat up and injured their whole NFL career.

 

[Brock28]

Drew Franklin has zero inside knowledge. When has he ever been right about anything? I put no stock in his prediction.