re: Class of 2017 Recruiting MEGATHREAD: Say Your Goodbyes Edition

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A Relentless (and Quiet) Recruitment

Unlike the majority of his contemporaries on the recruiting trail, Harris resisted joining a Twitter fray that frequently attracts intense supporters and detractors for prized high school players. He briefly developed an anonymous account but decided to deactivate it.

Harris changed his cellphone number this fall. Though he says the timing was coincidental, only a select few coaching staffs received updated contact information, and they understood to keep their distance and, as Harris put it, "give me my space."

His reserve opened the door for abundant speculation, ranging from in-state interest at USC and Cal to a possible monumental eleventh-hour flip for Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.

Throughout his stay in San Antonio for the All-American Bowl, Harris was at the heart of varied reports that kept college football fans buzzing. Days shy of early enrollment, he was set to board a plane headed to Alabama, Michigan or back home to the Bay Area, depending on which outlet you read.

His continued reluctance to publicly provide a concrete plan—even his mom, Tianna Hicks, told Bleacher Report's Damon Sayles that she didn't know where he was headed for early enrollment after San Antonio—led others to fill the void on a storyline that nearly overshadowed his game preparation.

Richards cited a night in San Antonio when Harris preferred to eat upstairs in his hotel room rather than attend a group dinner. When reporters realized he wasn't in line for food, it produced even more intrigue.

"That's probably the biggest thing Najee learned that week," he said. "When you try not to create a media stir, it can create even more of a media stir."

Harris eventually landed in Alabama less than 24 hours after the All-American Bowl, a development that Crimson Tide faithful celebrated and Wolverines followers lamented.

His arrival punctuated a 21-month commitment, which began in part because he hoped to avoid the late drama—which happened anyway.

Last month Harris was in Bleacher Report's New York office with four other All-American Player of the Year finalists, one of whom was uncommitted and juggling five finalists.

"Is his phone busy?" Harris asked. "I've already got enough stress. I'm glad I announced early."

Prior to that April 2015 pledge, his offer sheet had included Tennessee, Michigan, USC and several other schools. Cal kicked off the recruitment in earnest by offering a scholarship before Harris' sophomore season.

Members of Antioch's coaching staff who used to expect maybe five college recruiters throughout the spring evaluation period quickly grew accustomed to welcoming that total in one day. Harris took it all in stride.

"I'd bring Najee over to meet the junior college coaches who were in town to see other guys, and he would treat them like Nick Saban because he respects what they do," Corral said.

With his recruitment now in the rearview mirror, Harris has finally reached a fresh, long-awaited chapter.

Never About Najee

Harris' assessment of his heavily monitored high school career always ends with a topic that doesn't showcase him. He's far more comfortable discussing teammates, family and Antioch.

"I really don't pay attention [to rankings and media coverage]," Harris said. "So what I try to do is make it [reflect] on all of my teammates and people around me. I make all the attention I get go to the community."

More comfortable with weights in his hands than a microphone in his face, Harris helped forge a newfound sense of pride in a town not known for its football prowess.

"He would ask [head coach John Lucido] for keys to the stadium so he could go out and work, even when we were encouraging him to take a step back in physical training," Corral recalled. "Najee wasn't looking to change the culture. He wasn't a vocal guy. He led by example. When you drive by on a Saturday morning and see him working out alone on the field, it lights a fire under everyone."

Harris didn't intend to set the standard. It just naturally happened.

"I don't see myself as a captain," he said. "I see myself as a helper for younger players to mature. It was hard sometimes because we're all human. I'm a kid, too."

Harris may not see a team captain when he looks in the mirror, but his actions show that leadership traits are deeply embedded. Throughout his junior season, he refused to participate in postgame interviews unless Antioch's offensive linemen joined him.

As the spotlight expands at Alabama and possibly beyond, Harris hopes to shine it on others.

"I want to be viewed as a giver who cares about his community," Harris said.

This mindset is a remarkable turnaround from his early upbringing, which included stays in homeless shelters and hotels, according to Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle. Now graduated from high school a semester early and underway with a scholarship collegiate career, he sees a future filled with limitless opportunity.

"Football opens a lot of doors, so if people see me as a role model, and they see me do all this stuff, it could impact their life and help change it around," Harris said.

Selflessness can be rare among high-profile athletes. It resonates when you spend time with Harris.

"I showed Najee film of our last game and asked him for advice," fellow All-American running back Eno Benjamin, an Arizona State commit from Wylie, Texas, said. "What did he think about my jump-cut? What's something I could've done better? He's really humble, and I know he can be truthful."

Dudley asserts the young man who departed Antioch this winter has only strengthened the characteristics of that soft-spoken 6'1", 190-pound freshman who showed up in 2013.

"He was a lot skinnier back then, and his dreads were a little shorter," he said. "But he always had the ability to lift up others. In his mind, it's never about Najee."

The focus on Harris will only intensify. Despite the presence of Scarbrough, Damien Harris and a stockpile of other former top recruits, many expect him to shake up Alabama's depth chart before his first college game.

"Najee has the skills to truly be able to push and compete for that starting spot," Dudley said. "He's not going to be in a situation where he doesn't play a lot as a freshman. There's no way Najee would allow that to happen to himself. Physically and mentally, he's going to put himself in position to get on the field right away."

Harris knows nothing is promised, regardless of lofty recruiting rankings and wide-ranging high school accolades. A new path for the reluctant star starts on a campus that has served as college football's epicenter for the last decade.

"I know my abilities, and I've got to keep working, but if any college gave me a shot right away, I'm going to take advantage of that," he said. "You've just got to show them who you are. This recruiting stuff only shows so much because no matter what you do, it's high school."

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The old adage in sports, on all levels, still holds weight: Defense wins championships.

Every good football team must put points on the scoreboard, but an offense's job becomes that much easier with the help of a menacing defensive line, a talented group of linebackers and an athletic crew making up the secondary. These are the players who may not get the ink that quarterbacks, running backs or wide receivers get, but they are equally effective on the field—if not more.

And as national signing day approaches, colleges are excited about beefing up their respective recruiting classes with some of the nation's best defenders of the 2017 class.

Yesterday, we dropped our list of the Top 25 Offensive Players. Today, we look at the Top 25 Defensive Players.

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