Harris now a leader for Hogs
On an awful defense, one still can play awfully well.
At Arkansas, De’Jon “Scoota” Harris has proven it two years running for former coach Bret Bielema’s Razorbacks.
Harris played every game in 2016 behind linebackers Brooks Ellis, Dre Greenlaw and Dwayne Eugene for the defensively challenged 7-6 Hogs, making 37 tackles, two behind the line and forcing a fumble against Alabama. He compiled a then career-high 10 tackles against Mississippi State late in the season.
Ellis is headed into his second NFL season, Greenlaw is the team’s current inside linebacker and Eugene concluded his Arkansas career in 2017. Harris was a special teams stalwart in 2016 with 11 tackles on special teams.
Southeastern Conference coaches recognized Harris with his selection to the All-SEC Freshman Team.
Harris (6-0, 239), of Harvey, La., excelled in 2017 despite the Razorbacks’ even more porous defense during a 4-8 season. He started ever game at middle linebacker and compiled a team-leading 115 tackles to be recognized by The Associated Press and Phil Steele’s magazine as third-team All-SEC.
With many preseason award watch lists still to come, Harris already adorns the watch list for the Bednarik Award to be presented in December to the nation’s outstanding defensive player.
New Arkansas defensive coordinator John Chavis was well aware of the inside linebacking prowess of Harris and Greenlaw. Chavis is a longtime defensive coordinator in the SEC starting at Tennessee from 1995-2008, LSU from 2009-2014 and Texas A&M from 2015-17.
Chavis became personally acquainted with their attitude after a March 10 spring scrimmage and acknowledged they were even better than he initially believed from watching film of them in the 4-3 scheme coordinated by Robb Smith in 2016 and Paul Rhoads’ 3-4 scheme in 2017. Chavis employs the 4-3 as his base defense.
“No. 1, they are good players,” Chavis said. “I knew that before we ever went on the field with them. I think they were really well coached last year. They know how to play football.
“Now, they’ve got to really convert to a little different style of play, but they’ve been well coached, and they are good football players, and I like them as young men. They are fun to be around and fun to coach and eager to learn, and they want to get better. They’re not satisfied with coming in here and saying, ‘You guys are good players.’ They want to get better, and that’s what you’ve got to do.”
In his post-spring summation, Chavis said a lot in a little about Harris.
“Scoota Harris has played a lot of football,” Chavis said. “He’s good enough to win anywhere in the SEC.”
New Arkansas head coach Chad Morris comes from the offensive side of the ball as the former offensive coordinator at Tulsa and Clemson before becoming head coach at SMU for the past three seasons. That just makes him all the more appreciative of Greenlaw and Harris on defense.
“I think we’re very sound at linebacker,” Morris said after a March 28 scrimmage. “Dre Greenlaw and Scoota, those two guys right there definitely set the edge.”
During Arkansas’ session this week at the SEC’s football media days in Atlanta, Morris was asked specifically to discuss Harris and his response to trying to pick up the pieces from last year’s 4-8 record.
“Very outgoing, very much outspoken and is not acceptable with what happened last year,” Morris said. “A very accountable young man that takes on a lot of responsibility and is not going to be satisfied with being aver--
age nor is he going to allow people around him to be average.”
A boss’ attitude while wearing a blue collar apparently befits Harris in Morris’ view.
“He’s a football player,” Morris said. “That’s what he is. Just a really good football player. We talk all the time about just building your own house, just staying focused and working every day to be the best you can be to get to where you want to go. He does that, and he models that. I’m excited about watching that young man compete and set the standard for Razorback football.”