Brendon Harris earning rave reviews at Vanderbilt
ATLANTA — Brendon Harris is off to a strong start at Vanderbilt.
The former Baylor School safety is doing well this summer, according to fifth-year Commodores football coach Derek Mason and senior safety LaDarius Wiley. So much, in fact, that the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder can expect to play sooner than later.
“He’s a baller, and I am so excited about this entire 2018 class and what it can be,” Mason said as the Southeastern Conference’s preseason media gathering came to a close. “This is the most talented freshman class that we’ve had. It bolsters depth. It bolsters competition. We have competition like we’ve never had before in my time here, and guys like Brendon are going to find themselves playing this year, and it’s not because our program is in a bad way. They’re good enough to play.
“I truly believe that Brendon is going to be impactful, and I’m looking forward to watching him play this year.”
Vanderbilt signed 22 players in its 2018 class, which was ranked 40th nationally and 12th in the SEC by 247Sports. com. Harris was among Vandy’s three four-star signees, joining inside linebacker Alston Orji of Rockwall, Texas, and receiver Camron Johnson of Brentwood Academy.
Harris earned all-state honors for the Red Raiders in both 2016 and 2017.
“Brendon has been doing an amazing job so far,” Wiley said. “I’ve sort of taken him under my wing and been his mentor, and he’s done a great job of coming up and asking me questions about the playbook. He has joined in with the older guys and blended in very well.
“The other freshmen have, too, but I would say Brendon is ahead of his time, and I am looking forward to playing with him.”
Wiley is familiar with defensive backs from Chattanooga, having played the past three seasons in Nashville with Tre Herndon. A former East Hamilton standout, Herndon quickly worked his way into playing time as a freshman in 2014 and this past May signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent.
Harris, according to Wiley, has the same attributes to play early as well.
“You’ve got to know the playbook, first and foremost, and then it’s about running to the ball and making plays and being assignment-sound,” Wiley said. “Our defense is really based off communication, so if you can’t communicate, you can’t play.”
Home sweet home
Auburn played its last two contests of the 2017 season in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium and will open its 2018 season in the same locale when the Tigers face Washington in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. Tigers coach Gus Malzahn said Atlanta is important to Auburn, and South Carolina coach Will Muschamp echoed that sentiment.
Muschamp’s Gamecocks are coming off a 9-4 season that culminated with a comeback victory over Michigan in the Outback Bowl.
“It’s great to be in Atlanta,” Muschamp said. “We have 24 players from the state of Georgia on our roster, and we have 16 from the Atlanta area. We made it a priority when we came to South Carolina to recruit the state of Georgia, and those guys are thriving at our place.”