North Carolina State University Athletics
Tony Haynes: Harris Doubles Up
8/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Tony Haynes
NC State’s versatile and athletic Leroy Harris can play either guard or center, and do so at an All-ACC caliber level. It’s too bad for the Wolfpack that he can’t play both positions at the same time. “I wish I had two of them and we could put one at center and one at guard,” cracked Pack head coach Chuck Amato. But barring a miraculous cloning in the next few weeks, Harris will settle into one position or the other before NC State opens its 2006 football season against Appalachian State on September 2.
When fall camp began, the
Not that Harris minds the switch. Going all the way back to 2003 when he was named a freshman All-American, Harris has spent most of his Wolfpack career playing the left guard spot. It’s also the position that allows him to take better advantage of his quickness and mobility.
“Guard gives me a little more freedom,” Harris said. “You don’t have as much responsibility. You can just run around and just hit guys. At center, you have a little more responsibility; you have to direct the offense, change the protections and read the defenses.”
Either way, Harris is a tremendous player who will likely get his chance to keep playing football on the next level. He’s currently on the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy, given each year to the nation’s top center. Then again, Harris is good enough to win postseason honors at just about any position on the offensive line.
“I think he’s an exceptional player wherever he’s at,” said Amato. “I really think he’s an outstanding player at guard. At center, because it’s the focal point and he’s making calls and things like that, he’s so valuable there. We’re going to evaluate it and get the best five linemen and put them in the best positions we can.”
Amato says where Harris ends up on September 2 depends on two factors: how well Lathan performs at center during the preseason and how many reps Heppe can squeeze in once he’s healthy.
“Hopefully Kalani is going to be able to do some things later this week,” Amato said. “But there’s no sense of pushing it where that hamstring becomes a chronic thing all season. Luke would have earned it if in fact he’s doing the job, and he did pretty well [in Saturday’s scrimmage].
Perhaps it was an omen of sorts in last December’s Meineke Car Care Bowl when Harris was forced to move from center to guard because of a broken hand. Several months later, he’s working at both spots and willing to do whatever is necessary to help the Pack win big in his senior season.
With the NC State offense starting its second campaign under the direction of coordinator Marc Trestman, everyone on the offensive unit linemen included has a better grasp of the west coast scheme that relies heavily on timing and rhythm.
“We all have a strong understanding of the offense and that’s a key for us this year,” Harris said. “That’s especially true in the passing game where you need to know the ins and outs of protections against blitzing teams like Appalachian State and
That cohesiveness on the offensive front will certainly be tested against Appalachian State and
A quick start will be critical for NC State, which will play five of its first six games on home turf. Harris, who played on the Wolfpack’s 2003 Gator Bowl squad that won a school record 11 games, doesn’t think it’s unreasonable to have high expectations for the upcoming season, his last for the Red & White.
“Our reasonable goal is the conference championship,” Harris said. “That’s what we set our goal for every year. Our goals haven’t changed this year.”
Goals don’t change, but in Leroy Harris’s case, the position he plays could change depending upon circumstances over the next few weeks.
