North Carolina State University Athletics
Program Spotlight: Leroy Harris
10/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Raleigh, N.C. - Ask anybody about the Wolfpack’s win over Boston College and just about everybody will tell you it was one of the most exciting games in NC State history. Not only was it an important ACC win over a top-25 squad, but also the dramatic ending of the game will be talked about for years to come.
Down by five with less than a minute remaining, the Pack drove 72 yards in just three pass completions to notch the decisive score with just 8.5 seconds remaining.
Carter-Finley Stadium erupted on the Daniel Evans to John Dunlap 34-yard TD pass in the back corner of the endzone. Fans that left early rushed to get back into their seats. The Wolfpack players and coaches on the sidelines jumped up and down and many ran around looking to celebrate with somebody much in the same way Jim Valvano is remembered seconds after the Pack’s win in the 1983 national championship contest.
Then there were the 11 offensive players on the field. Sure, these players have practiced the two-minute drill numerous times in practice, but to get the opportunity to execute it during a game, one that was on national TV, against a top-25 foe, that was special.
“We are pretty comfortable going no huddle, so I really don’t think that last series was going too fast for anybody on offense,” said center Leroy Harris. “We practice and work hard on those final drives in practice a lot, so we already had a lot of experience going through that.
“I was pretty confident the whole time. We had seen those defenses before so it was just up to us to go out and execute. We completed one pass, then another, and our confidence just grew.”
Harris was the man who started each play. Breaking out of the huddle, calling the offensive line assignments seconds before he snapped the ball back to Evans. Then pass-protecting to make sure the redshirt sophomore, in his first career start no less, had enough time to connect on his three completions on that final drive.
“That was one of the most exciting endings I’ve ever been a part of,” said Harris. “The end of that game was the loudest I’ve ever heard our crowd. Being my senior year and playing at home made it that much better. It was a great feeling to be on that side of things and get a great win.
“It’s always good to beat a top-25 team, and to get that exciting win at home just made it even sweeter. Every ACC game is going to be a big one for us this season, so it’s always a good thing to get that first win in your first attempt.”
Not only was Harris crucial on that final drive, he has been one of the Pack’s top offensive linemen in each of his four seasons. He has started all 36 games he has played in thus far in his career, knocked out of the starting lineup only for the final four games of the 2004 season due to a shoulder injury.
While it’s easy to point out that Harris’ value to the squad is his strong, aggressive play, another aspect of his value is his versatility on the offensive line. While regarded as one of the nation’s top centers - he has been on the Rimington Award watch list for two straight years and he was a freshman All-America selection in 2003 - it has been Harris’s ability to move away from center and also play guard that has been most beneficial to the Pack.
“I think the fact that I can play different positions on the offensive line helps both me and the team out,” said Harris. “(Offensive line coach Pat) Meyer has a lot of faith in a lot of different guys to put us in different positions not only during practice, but actually changing during the game.
“Whenever injuries happen or guys just get tired during a game, it benefits us that we have various guys that can move around on the offensive line. All of us guys playing different positions can make up some depth issues that we have sometimes.”
After going through most of the preseason as one of the starting guards, Harris has played each game this season at center due to injuries to other players. But now as players are coming back and getting healthy, the Wolfpack coaches have the option of playing Harris at center while also getting him snaps at guard and utilizing his ability as one of the top pulling offensive linemen in the conference.
“Right now I think I’d rather keep lining up at center because I’ve been playing it for four weeks now,” said Harris. “But before that I was playing guard throughout most of the fall camp, so I really am comfortable at both positions. We got some guys back from injuries now, so hopefully I’m going to be able to start playing both spots in games. We are rotating a lot in practice right now, and that helps me get comfortable at both spots.”
While the job of an offensive lineman is to run block and protect the quarterback when he drops back to throw, both the center and the guard positions are a bit different.
“The center position has a lot of responsibilities because you have to communicate with the whole line and recognize the defenses by calling out assignments,” said Harris. “That is stuff I had to study on tape in the offseason, and every coach I’ve worked with here has done a good job in preparing me.
“At guard I think it is a lot more fun, because you can just go out there, run around, and hit some people. You just have to play smart at guard and know where the center and the tackle are next to you and work with them. Technique is really important there, just knowing when you have help and when you’re blocking on your own.”
Harris not only thinks that playing both positions helps the Wolfpack this season, but also believes it will help him down the road when he tries to secure a job in the NFL.
“Hopefully scouts will see me at either position, and that might give me a better chance at making a team by showing teams I can work at both positions,” said Harris. “I’m really glad I’m getting practice snaps at both positions now, because I think that can only help me down the road showing NFL teams how versatile I can be.”
While Harris already holds a degree in sports management with a minor in business, it’s clear that he would like to pursue a job as a professional football player.
“I hopefully will get invited to play in the Senior Bowl, and that really starts the whole process of working towards the draft,” he said.
The one hard part of trying to make it as a professional player for Harris will be leaving the Raleigh area. Harris was a star two-way player at local Southeast Raleigh High School, and made the decision to come down the road to NC State.
“I got offers from everywhere in North Carolina, but I decided to come here because the coaches and players were just the perfect fit,” said Harris. “There is a real family atmosphere at NC State, plus the fact I’ve lived only five minutes away really might have been a key factor.”
One of the best parts about playing for the Wolfpack is the fact Harris gets to play in front of his family. Harris and his wife, Christina, had their first son last October, and the support of both families in the Raleigh area has been a key part of Harris’ success on the field. Coming to games regularly are Harris’ parents, his wife and her parents, and even sometimes his son.
“He likes to cheer when everybody else does, and he is so close to the field, I know he knows what is going on,” said Harris. “The cheering though wears him out sometimes, but he always has a good time at games.
“After games I really look forward to just seeing my family. We take tons of pictures after these games, and that is something we really enjoy.”
It’s very easy right now for Harris and his wife to dial the phone and get any number of relatives to come over and babysit for an evening. But come spring, Harris’ ability to play at the next level might factor into a change of scenery for his wife and son.
“It could be a little hard down the road if I catch on with an NFL team and have to move away from Raleigh because most of my family is here,” said Harris. “It will be easier knowing that I’ll have my wife and son, but just moving away might be a hard step. It makes it feel better knowing that they will be with me wherever I go. Everybody I know is pretty much around me now, and that is a big reason why I came to NC State.”
Right now Harris and his Wolfpack teammates are just thinking about the next task at hand, a Thursday night home contest against nationally ranked Florida State. NC State is one of the only ACC schools to enjoy success against the Seminoles recently, as the Pack under Chuck Amato is 3-3 against FSU over the last six outings.
“I think the Boston College game was a great lead-in to the Florida State game,” said Harris. “For the second straight home game we have a top-25 team coming in, and it’s not hard for players to get up for a school like Florida State. I expect a loud, raucous crowd especially since it is on national TV being on Thursday night. I know that stadium will be packed, and have tons of energy.
“I always get chills running out of that tunnel. The fans’ excitement makes me want to play every game at home having that type of support. The crowd is one of those things that you can’t substitute for, so I just hope it’s as loud as possible and gives us that extra advantage.
“This is a huge advantage for us having these first three ACC games all at home. Especially against the caliber of teams that we have, if we can protect our home field it helps us in reaching out goal of playing in the ACC title game.”
Down by five with less than a minute remaining, the Pack drove 72 yards in just three pass completions to notch the decisive score with just 8.5 seconds remaining.
Carter-Finley Stadium erupted on the Daniel Evans to John Dunlap 34-yard TD pass in the back corner of the endzone. Fans that left early rushed to get back into their seats. The Wolfpack players and coaches on the sidelines jumped up and down and many ran around looking to celebrate with somebody much in the same way Jim Valvano is remembered seconds after the Pack’s win in the 1983 national championship contest.
Then there were the 11 offensive players on the field. Sure, these players have practiced the two-minute drill numerous times in practice, but to get the opportunity to execute it during a game, one that was on national TV, against a top-25 foe, that was special.
“We are pretty comfortable going no huddle, so I really don’t think that last series was going too fast for anybody on offense,” said center Leroy Harris. “We practice and work hard on those final drives in practice a lot, so we already had a lot of experience going through that.
“I was pretty confident the whole time. We had seen those defenses before so it was just up to us to go out and execute. We completed one pass, then another, and our confidence just grew.”
Harris was the man who started each play. Breaking out of the huddle, calling the offensive line assignments seconds before he snapped the ball back to Evans. Then pass-protecting to make sure the redshirt sophomore, in his first career start no less, had enough time to connect on his three completions on that final drive.
“That was one of the most exciting endings I’ve ever been a part of,” said Harris. “The end of that game was the loudest I’ve ever heard our crowd. Being my senior year and playing at home made it that much better. It was a great feeling to be on that side of things and get a great win.
“It’s always good to beat a top-25 team, and to get that exciting win at home just made it even sweeter. Every ACC game is going to be a big one for us this season, so it’s always a good thing to get that first win in your first attempt.”
Not only was Harris crucial on that final drive, he has been one of the Pack’s top offensive linemen in each of his four seasons. He has started all 36 games he has played in thus far in his career, knocked out of the starting lineup only for the final four games of the 2004 season due to a shoulder injury.
While it’s easy to point out that Harris’ value to the squad is his strong, aggressive play, another aspect of his value is his versatility on the offensive line. While regarded as one of the nation’s top centers - he has been on the Rimington Award watch list for two straight years and he was a freshman All-America selection in 2003 - it has been Harris’s ability to move away from center and also play guard that has been most beneficial to the Pack.
“I think the fact that I can play different positions on the offensive line helps both me and the team out,” said Harris. “(Offensive line coach Pat) Meyer has a lot of faith in a lot of different guys to put us in different positions not only during practice, but actually changing during the game.
“Whenever injuries happen or guys just get tired during a game, it benefits us that we have various guys that can move around on the offensive line. All of us guys playing different positions can make up some depth issues that we have sometimes.”
After going through most of the preseason as one of the starting guards, Harris has played each game this season at center due to injuries to other players. But now as players are coming back and getting healthy, the Wolfpack coaches have the option of playing Harris at center while also getting him snaps at guard and utilizing his ability as one of the top pulling offensive linemen in the conference.
“Right now I think I’d rather keep lining up at center because I’ve been playing it for four weeks now,” said Harris. “But before that I was playing guard throughout most of the fall camp, so I really am comfortable at both positions. We got some guys back from injuries now, so hopefully I’m going to be able to start playing both spots in games. We are rotating a lot in practice right now, and that helps me get comfortable at both spots.”
While the job of an offensive lineman is to run block and protect the quarterback when he drops back to throw, both the center and the guard positions are a bit different.
“The center position has a lot of responsibilities because you have to communicate with the whole line and recognize the defenses by calling out assignments,” said Harris. “That is stuff I had to study on tape in the offseason, and every coach I’ve worked with here has done a good job in preparing me.
“At guard I think it is a lot more fun, because you can just go out there, run around, and hit some people. You just have to play smart at guard and know where the center and the tackle are next to you and work with them. Technique is really important there, just knowing when you have help and when you’re blocking on your own.”
Harris not only thinks that playing both positions helps the Wolfpack this season, but also believes it will help him down the road when he tries to secure a job in the NFL.
“Hopefully scouts will see me at either position, and that might give me a better chance at making a team by showing teams I can work at both positions,” said Harris. “I’m really glad I’m getting practice snaps at both positions now, because I think that can only help me down the road showing NFL teams how versatile I can be.”
While Harris already holds a degree in sports management with a minor in business, it’s clear that he would like to pursue a job as a professional football player.
“I hopefully will get invited to play in the Senior Bowl, and that really starts the whole process of working towards the draft,” he said.
The one hard part of trying to make it as a professional player for Harris will be leaving the Raleigh area. Harris was a star two-way player at local Southeast Raleigh High School, and made the decision to come down the road to NC State.
“I got offers from everywhere in North Carolina, but I decided to come here because the coaches and players were just the perfect fit,” said Harris. “There is a real family atmosphere at NC State, plus the fact I’ve lived only five minutes away really might have been a key factor.”
One of the best parts about playing for the Wolfpack is the fact Harris gets to play in front of his family. Harris and his wife, Christina, had their first son last October, and the support of both families in the Raleigh area has been a key part of Harris’ success on the field. Coming to games regularly are Harris’ parents, his wife and her parents, and even sometimes his son.
“He likes to cheer when everybody else does, and he is so close to the field, I know he knows what is going on,” said Harris. “The cheering though wears him out sometimes, but he always has a good time at games.
“After games I really look forward to just seeing my family. We take tons of pictures after these games, and that is something we really enjoy.”
It’s very easy right now for Harris and his wife to dial the phone and get any number of relatives to come over and babysit for an evening. But come spring, Harris’ ability to play at the next level might factor into a change of scenery for his wife and son.
“It could be a little hard down the road if I catch on with an NFL team and have to move away from Raleigh because most of my family is here,” said Harris. “It will be easier knowing that I’ll have my wife and son, but just moving away might be a hard step. It makes it feel better knowing that they will be with me wherever I go. Everybody I know is pretty much around me now, and that is a big reason why I came to NC State.”
Right now Harris and his Wolfpack teammates are just thinking about the next task at hand, a Thursday night home contest against nationally ranked Florida State. NC State is one of the only ACC schools to enjoy success against the Seminoles recently, as the Pack under Chuck Amato is 3-3 against FSU over the last six outings.
“I think the Boston College game was a great lead-in to the Florida State game,” said Harris. “For the second straight home game we have a top-25 team coming in, and it’s not hard for players to get up for a school like Florida State. I expect a loud, raucous crowd especially since it is on national TV being on Thursday night. I know that stadium will be packed, and have tons of energy.
“I always get chills running out of that tunnel. The fans’ excitement makes me want to play every game at home having that type of support. The crowd is one of those things that you can’t substitute for, so I just hope it’s as loud as possible and gives us that extra advantage.
“This is a huge advantage for us having these first three ACC games all at home. Especially against the caliber of teams that we have, if we can protect our home field it helps us in reaching out goal of playing in the ACC title game.”
Coach Doeren Signing Day Presser (Dec. 3rd)
Wednesday, December 03
FB Players Postgame Presser vs UNC
Sunday, November 30
Coach Doeren Postgame Presser vs UNC
Sunday, November 30
Coach Doeren Weekly Press Conference (Nov. 24)
Monday, November 24