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Jimbo Fisher's coaching staff has truly taken Texas A&M's recruiting national. On Monday, they swooped into Miami to pick up one of the nation's top defensive players in the 2020 class.
Gulliver Prep defensive end Donell Harris kept A&M's pipeline to Florida open when he committed to the Aggies Nov. 11. Harris, who was once committed to the hometown Miami Hurricanes, picked the Aggies over LSU and Florida.
Harris is one of the nation's top 50 players in the nation for the 2020 class and the No. 4 weakside defensive end in the country for 2020, but he's also the youngest.. Harris was supposed to be a member of the 2021 recruiting class, but re-classified over the summer. He almost immediately de-committed from Miami and began to focus on SEC programs, with the Aggies jumping out in front quickly. Florida and, later, LSU began to apply pressure to that lead, but a visit with his parents to College Station for the UTSA game appears to have been enough to push the Aggies across the finish line.
The commitment of Harris gives the Aggies 19 total commits and the nation's number five recruiting class in the Rivals.com rankings as they push for a finish among the nation's elite. He also adds to a very potent class of defensive linemen hailing from across the nation. The Aggies anticipate adding DE Braedon Mowry of Katy and DT Josh Ellison of College Station at the midterm, but their other commits are from a good deal farther away. DE Fadil Diggs and DT Isaiah Raikes hail from New Jersey, while DT Dallas Walker hails from Smyrna, Tenn.
Having Harris committed is a big step for the Aggies, but they will have to work to keep him. LSU is currently full, but could still make a run at him. Florida does have room and is intent on recruiting him through the early signing period in December.
Analysis of A&M's newest commit
Harris is really only a junior and has plenty of room to grow, but he's been blessed with ha ton of physical gifts. He's tall, quick and much stronger than you'd expect. He's far more developed as a pass rusher than most high schoolers.
When I look at Harris, I don't see many comparisons in terms of his game. Instead, I'm thinking of Arden Key and K'Lavon Chaisson at LSU. They have similar frames and the same well-developed ability to get to the passer.
Harris has pretty good speed, but his initial burst is truly special. He has that proverbial quick twitch that allows him to get the advantage on opposing offensive linemen, whether he's going around them on the edge or coming right at them. Keep in mind that he's a year younger than most players in the 2020 class and has more developing to do. I mention that because his strength already stands out. When you see a teenager who's long and slender, most of the time you have to project how strong and coordinated they'll become because they're still growing into their bodies. Not so with Harris; he's already strong enough to push around offensive linemen who have 30 to 50 pounds on him, and he's only going to get stronger. They physical element of his game is truly impressive.
So are his secondary moves. Most high school sophomores or juniors are content to run around or through opponents, but Harris has more his game than that. There aren't many sophomores I can recall who can set up an offensive tackle with an outside move, then spin back inside and leave him in the dust. Harris can, and that is one of the things that makes him special. He's instinctively doing things college players frequently still have to learn.
A&M's pass rush has been disappointing this season, but adding the likes of Harris and Diggs will help fix that situation. Both could be standup pass rushers next year and provide an element of pressure they haven't had this year. Once Harris bulks up a bit, watch out. The bookend combination of him and DeMarvin Leal could be a lot of fun for A&M fans in the future.