27d ago football Edit

Former UGA CB A.J. Harris discusses decision and transition to Penn State

Dylan Callaghan-Croley • Happy Valley Insider

Editor

"It was a no brainer," new Penn State cornerback A.J. Harris told the Penn State media on Tuesday after the Nittany Lions' latest practice.

"It was more so making the best decision for me to grow as a man and a football player," Harris also said about his decision. "I believe just off the track record at Penn State, it had much more to offer than just the football."

The former four-star prospect also said that having a cornerbacks coach like Terry Smith who has developed multiple cornerbacks into NFL draft picks was a big part of his decision to come to Penn State as well.

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Prior to transferring to Penn State, Harris was already familiar with the Nittany Lions. James Franklin and Terry Smith originally recruited Harris out of Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama as part of the 2023 recruiting cycle. Harris was ranked by Rivals as the No. 41 player in the country in the 2023 recruiting cycle as well as the No. 5 cornerback in the country. He ultimately would commit to Georgia and enroll in Athens before leaving the program after one season.

A little less than a month after entering the transfer portal on December 15, Harris committed to the Nittany Lions on January 11.

"It's bigger than football, you know they're going to develop me as a man and truly care for me as a person which was something that I definitely look for," Harris said about picking Penn State as a transfer. "The track record speaks for itself. They constantly put somebody in the league as long as you do the right thing up here and you listen to everybody around you."

Harris would later add that when he entered the transfer portal this past December, he knew that Penn State would be one of his top choices.

"Coach Terry is just such a good dude, he's genuine so when I did tell him that I wouldn't be coming to Penn State (as a high school recruit), he just wished me the best and you know with how football is now, he said I hope I get another chance," Harris said. "I knew once I went back in he would get his chance."

Harris transitioning well at Penn State

Now 12 practices into his Penn State career, Harris's transition to Penn State appears to be going well.

"Right now, I'm just practicing trying to get ready for those Saturdays," Harris said. "Everything is just little detailed and making sure that I'm as little detail as possible, in all my work, to make sure I'm ready for those Saturdays."

Harris is also enjoying his time with his new teammates especially at cornerback where in the cornerback room there's plenty of honesty and transparency.

'It's a real honest room," Harris said about the cornerbacks. "He (Terry Smith) has the saying 'check your feelings in at the door', so it's never anything personal. It's just the room being honest and showing transparency within the room so everybody understands this is how I feel about the room. We all have a good understanding and come to agreement on how we view the room"

The Alabama native has also been enjoying the competitive nature of the room.

"It's been amazing," he said. "Everybody constantly pushing each other to do extra work just making sure that we're ready for the Saturday. We understand that we're a question mark that people wonder how the young corners going to do on Saturdays. The only thing we're worried about is little details, don't feed into the outside talking, we just work."

Of course, there's also more than just football and that transition is going very well for Harris as well who credited his childhood for making that transition easier.

"I'd like to say it was a pretty smooth transition for me. My dad was military, 20 plus years, so I had Germany background. I've had some background moving around my whole life so that wasn't really hard to do."

"In the schooling, I feel like they do a good job of just making sure that you are where you need to be and just making sure that you do handle your business," he added.

Expected to play a notable role in Penn State's defense this role, Harris will have his first opportunity to show the Penn State media and fans on Saturday what he's all about on the field, an experience he's looking forward to.

"Just giving my all, just show y'all, I came here to definitely win and push those around me to get better," he said. "I'm here to play hard every Saturday every time I step on that Beaver Stadium."