Tears streamed down his face as he gazed into the sea of gold that occupied the stands at Arizona Stadium Saturday. He held long embraces with quarterback Manny Wilkins and Chase Lucas before making his way down the railing and acknowledging the hundreds of fans chanting his name.
Shortly after, N’Keal Harry made up his mind.
On Monday afternoon, he made it official. Harry will forego his senior season in Tempe and declare for the NFL Draft.
“This place has given me opportunities that I only dreamt of and I’m forever thankful for that,” Harry said. “I feel like when I first came into this university, I feel like I was a boy trying to find his way. I feel like I’m really leaving this place as a grown man.”
Harry noted that he’s still “not too sure” if he’ll take part in the Sun Devil’s bowl game and head coach Herm Edwards added that Harry will prepare to play in the bowl game but his participation will come after he and Harry talk, mentioning, too, that ASU Athletic Director Ray Anderson, who was in attendance Monday, will “be involved with that as well.”
Regardless, Harry’s announcement brings to end one of the greatest careers in Arizona State history. In three seasons, the ASU junior ranks third in program history in receptions (213) and receiving yards (2,889) and fifth in school history with 22 receiving touchdowns.
“This young man has done a lot for this university as far as his ability to play football but also how he’s represented this university and represented this community, Edwards said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do as an athlete, as a leader on the football team.”
Coming out of Chandler High School in 2016, Harry was ranked as the No. 1 receiver in the country, rated as a five star by nearly every recruiting service.
Incredible expectations loomed as he joined an ASU team that lost its starting quarterback in Mike Bercovici and was coming off of a disappointing 6-7 season. But as he sat in the Arizona State media room, it became clear: Harry exceeded the mammoth expectations that preceded him.
He will likely be the first Arizona State player to get drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft after going to high school in Arizona since offensive lineman Mike Pollak did so in 2008. While Harry took recruiting visits to Texas A&M and Washington, he stayed home. He, along with Lucas, became the epitome of the hometown hero slogan that ASU tried to engulf its program with.
“It was 100 percent worth it,” he echoed Monday. “This state has given me so much. Being a kid from a small island ending up in Arizona, this state means the world to me. When I was going through my recruiting decision I was weighing my options and I was thinking to myself, ‘Why not Arizona State? Why can’t I accomplish my dreams at Arizona State?
“I was close to all the people I needed to be close to and whenever I needed advice or needed to talk to anybody, they were always right there.”
Harry soaked up the love given to him by the Arizona State fanbase. Oftentimes, he was the last player off the field after games, handing out gear to kids in the stands and ensuring that everyone chanting his name has the chance to get a picture or high five.
Those moments, Harry said, were why his decision, though seemingly an easy one on the surface, was so difficult.
“This university has given me everything that I ever wanted,” Harry said. “Those fans have been great to me. When I stay after games, when I talk to kids, when I give them some of my gear, I get pure joy from that. I really enjoy doing things like that for people.”
In his junior season, the 6-4, 221-pound receiver more than provided enough highlights for any outsider to quickly see his value. Whether it be catching a punt at the 3-yard line and returning it for a touchdown or reversing field on a screen pass or catching a jump ball in double-coverage, Harry became the quintessential ‘No, no, no, no. Yes!’ guy.
The Sun Devils relished in his play-making ability as Harry reeled in 73 passes for 1,088 yards and 10 total touchdowns. It vaulted him into the first round of nearly every NFL mock draft.
USA Today projects Harry will fall to the Baltimore Ravens at No. 21 and CBS Sports thinks that the Arizona Cardinals would keep the Harry in the Valley and take him at No. 2.
Edwards, who played and coached in the NFL for decades, thinks those NFL grades are more than just.
“There’s a lot of boxes that he checks off and probably the biggest box of all that he checks off, and I’ve discussed it with the pro guys, is that he loves to compete,” Edwards said of Harry. “If you go to practice and watch him practice, you can see why he performs well.”
Edwards added that while he doesn’t like comparisons, Harry reminds him of receiver Dez Bryant. “Big, strong, physical guy. Can make the contested catch. Some people say it’s a 50-50 ball. No. With good receivers, it’s 70-30. Strong hands, loves to compete, really good in the red zone.”
As Arizona State shifts to its New Leadership Model under Anderson and Edwards, Harry will be the first test case, possibly setting the foundation for Sun Devil NFL success that ASU’s A.D. wanted when he made the move to the 64-year old head coach.
As agents and everyone else start calling Harry’s phone, the junior receiver will have Anderson and Edwards to lean on.
“Ray used to be my agent so he’s a good agent and he knows enough people, I know enough people, we can always find an agent,” Edwards said. “I just want him to be comfortable playing football and those are the conversations we’ve had numerous times.
“If he wants advice, he knows where to come get it.”
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