Harris will be back in spring
Quarterback has surgery on shoulder that ended his year
UTSA quarterback Frank Harris underwent surgery to repair his injured right shoulder, but is expected to return to action in time for spring practice, his father Daryl Harris said.
Daryl Harris declined to reveal any further details regarding the injury or the procedure, saying only that it was a minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery.
“He could’ve done rehab, but I think this was more of his decision,” Daryl Harris said.
UTSA coach Frank Wilson opted not to get into specifics after revealing Monday that the sophomore quarterback would miss the rest of the season because of the injury suffered Sept. 21 against North Texas.
A Clemens grad, Frank Harris started UTSA’s first four games — his first college action after missing the previous two seasons due to ACL tears. He completed 72.5 percent of his passes for 486 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 126 yards.
“He’s holding up well,” Daryl Harris said. “He was in shock, be
cause basically he knew he was going to probably have to go through the same thing again of not being able to play.”
Frank Harris posted about the injury to his nonthrowing shoulder on his Twitter account Monday.
“These past few years have been tough,” he wrote. “I don’t fully understand what the reasoning is but trying to figure out why only makes it more difficult. I wish I could be out there with my teammates. Love my team!!”
The quarterback first injured the shoulder during the second quarter of the team’s game against Army on Sept. 14, but he missed just two plays before returning to the field.
The following week against North Texas, the quarterback left the game after taking a hit on the second play from scrimmage and did not return. Wilson said the injury was “carryover” from the game against Army.
Daryl Harris said his son came away from the matchup with Army feeling sore, but with the idea that he was ready to play the rest
of the season.
“Any time a kid gets injured, you get concerned about it,” Daryl Harris said. “But he said he was good, so I have to trust his judgment.”
Asked Tuesday if he had any second thoughts about Frank Harris playing against North Texas given how quickly the injury was aggravated, Wilson chose to look ahead to this weekend’s matchup against Rice.
“I like where our team is right now,” Wilson said. “We'll continue to develop our team with the guys who are playing in this game.”
Frank Harris is still involved with the team and attends “every meeting,” Wilson said.
The sophomore roamed the Alamodome sideline in street clothes with a large brace on his right arm before Saturday’s game against UAB.
“He wishes he could be out there, but he loves his teammates,” Daryl Harris said. “That’s just the way he is. I’m sure he wishes he could be out there playing, but he realizes he can’t.”
Sophomore Lowell Narcisse has started the past two games at quarterback for UTSA. On the year, he’s thrown for 273 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions with a 42.1 percent completion rate. He
also has 349 yards and two scores on the ground.
Narcisse said he knows the feeling of sitting out for extended periods, missing parts of two high school seasons due to ACL tears before redshirting during his first year at LSU.
“I understand what it’s like to be in that position,” Narcisse said. “You feel like people forget about you. … They don’t feel the pain or the loneliness you feel two or three months down the line. I understand from that point of view. So I try to stay as positive as I can, stay in good spirits and encourage him throughout this whole process.”
Wilson said senior Cordale Grundy and redshirt freshman Jordan Weeks are competing for the backup job behind Narcisse.
“It really breaks our heart to see Frank not out there with us, but we have good guys behind him, and we know that everyone on the team will rally behind him and rally behind the other guys we have there,” safety SaVion Harris said. “Frank is a real hard worker, and he loves this game, so I know it’s hard on him.”