Inside the mind of a 5 Star dad: How UM can win with Donell Harris

Miami Booker T. Washington DE Donell Harris Jr. made recruiting waves when he decommitted from the University of Miami June 13 while simultaneously reclassifying to the Class of 2020.

It’s expected Harris Jr. will be rated a 5-star … or at least a high 4-star … when he’s re-ranked in the current class.

Of course, this isn't a decision Harris Jr. is making on his own. Dad and other family members have their say ... and sway.

And CaneSport caught up with Donell Harris Sr. at the Rivals 5-Star Challenge in Atlanta for a long ... and wide-ranging exclusive interview.

The good news, from a Cane perspective? That the family is chock full of Miami fans and would love to see Donell play there. But there are warning signs that might not happen, and a ton more work for Manny Diaz & Co. to do if UM is going to win out and keep this top talent home.

Dad, in his own words?

“When we decommitted from the University of Miami it wasn’t per se a decommitment - `Hey, we’re not interested anymore’ - it wasn’t a situation like that," Harris Sr. said. "I wanted the kid to enjoy the process, take your visits, do your thing. Just enjoy the whole process.”

He adds that “UM is still our No. 1 choice. I’m a UM fan, my family, we’re all UM fans. We’re born and raised University of Miami fans. But we still want the kid to open up his recruitment, see what’s out there.”

With programs around the nation now hot on the trail of Harris Jr., dad says “There’s no favorites, no clear-cut No. 1 or anything like that. I mean, if it were up to me, you know how I feel. I’m a University of Miami fan - I’m from that old school era, would love to see that get back. But you want to make sure everyone is on the same page as far as the commitment to excellence. One bad apple, one person that’s not on board, that ship’s not going to run the way it’s supposed to run. ... For the most part we’re not leaning toward anyone. We have a few favorites as far as tops, but no one has a clear-cut edge.”

There are some programs in the forefront, though. Harris Sr. mentions Georgia, Clemson, LSU, Texas A&M and says “(Donell Jr.) likes the Gators.”

Dad adds that “Alabama is up there, Alabama is there. … He talks to Alabama more than I talk to Alabama, and you already know the buck is going to stop with me, you know? So if I’m not having any conversations I can’t take anybody serious.”

And, of course, dad says “Miami’s there.”

For the Canes to win out, it appears coaches will need to win the family over … and that began at Paradise Camp.

“I just recently met coach (Todd) Stroud for the first time,” Harris Sr. said. “And we briefly had a few words, a conversation. Him and I, Blake Baker, the DC - that was my first conversation with anyone down at UM. So I would have loved to and would like to interact more with the guys down at UM to know what they’re trying to do. Because I’m a UM guy, and when (Donell Jr.) calls me and tells me that X, Y and Z tried to reach him - (Demarcus) Van Dyke tried to reach him and so on and so forth - my response to him is `Son, I don’t know how serious they are, they haven’t contacted your parents yet.’

“That was my first conversation with those guys, anyone at the coaching staff, at Paradise Camp - that was the first time.”

An issue Miami must overcome? Harris Sr. points to UM not putting defensive linemen in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft in recent years compared to a Clemson and Alabama.

“The numbers don’t lie,” dad said. “We (Miami) are just not developing kids.”

Along those same lines Harris Sr. later says he’ll keep a close eye on how players progress this coming season.

“The verdict is still out,” Harris Sr. said. “I like the way the ship is sailing, now it’s about producing and showing the country and the world what The New Miami is all about.”

A message to fans stressed out about Harris’ decommitment and what might happen down the road: “Relax, let the kid enjoy the process and let things play out,” Harris Sr. said. “All the chips will fall where they need to be.”

The bottom line?

“Miami’s our team, man,” dad said. “Miami’s definitely our team. Not my team, our team. But it’s theirs to lose it. I don’t want him to sit there and say `Oh Miami, Miami, Miami’ and they don’t recruit him the way they’re supposed to. No, open it up and put pressure on everyone. So if you really want me, think I can help the system and school out, show me. It’s as simple as that.”

More tidbits from Donell Sr.:

* The reclassification news might have surprised some, but dad said that it was in the plans for a long time. He has friends who told him it's a common occurrence in the northeast - holding a recruit back gives an extra year to develop if needed and you can always re-classify when the time comes. Harris Jr. was held back a grade when he was younger to “make sure he was where we planned for him to be. The whole reclassification thing kind of worked out. I’ll do it with my younger son as well. … We didn’t reinvent the wheel, it’s been going on for a while. It’s just football.”

Harris Sr. said that Jr. will be a 2020 academic student when the next school year starts.

* Dad says he sees his role as “I’ll put the facts there for him” in recruiting. Donell Sr. says he won’t try and sway Jr. one way or the other beyond that, though.

“I just want to let the process play itself out and let the kid have fun,” Harris Sr. said. “That’s where we’re at with it.”

Sr. also says that he thinks Donell needs to bulk up and that “whatever school he signs with it’ll be their ppdiscretion whether he’s ready or not (to have an immediate role).”

* The plan for now is for Donell Jr. to enroll somewhere in Summer A next year, he won’t be able to graduate early. The plan is to wait until February to sign.

* Donell Sr. also brought up “the bag man,” saying "You don’t have to offer a kid two pennies if you’re winning. If you’re winning everyone wants to be part of something successful. There’s no way Miami is going to go 7-6 and get 5-star recruits. It’s not going to happen.”

* Donell Sr. pointed to Brian Burns’ success at FSU despite the Noles’ poor 2018 season, saying he sees Donell Jr. in a similar mold to Burns.

And dad also indicated for Miami to get “back,” the program can’t offer recruits that are not up to snuff.

“It is what it is when it comes to the University of Miami and what we need to do - we need to just win and recruit University of Miami kids,” Donell Sr. said. “Not everybody deserves a University of Miami scholarship. I’m just being straight up.”

Dad goes on to say “I won’t put too much pressure on Manny Diaz, it’s his first year, brand new system, the kids have to figure it out.”

But he also adds “We have to beat Florida State. You can’t go to Tallahassee and lose. If that happens all bets are off from a fan standpoint and every other standpoint. We’d probably lose every other recruit."

* Harris Sr. said when his son decommitted the backlash was a lot of “negative feedback” from Cane fans.

“It’s `Dad, do they really love me?’” Harris Sr. said. “The only thing I could say to him is `That’s life.'

“They’re still kids. He’s reading that. So the moment he read that guess what he did to make them mad? He put up the little Alabama emoji. He told me he was doing that to piss them off because they pissed him off.”

CANESPORT’S TAKE

Dad gave CaneSport some incredible insight into the thought process of a South Florida parent and candidly discussed some of the reasons why Miami has lost ground here. The good news is that there is time to rebuild that bridge and it began at Paradise Camp when the coaches began to establish a.relationship with Dad. It is always tough when a new staff takes over a program. But the road map here is laid out quite clearly. Win and recruit Harris hard and convince the family he can be well-developed as a Hurricane.