In my own words: Willie Harts
Speed and length are the two traits that prominently define Arizona State’s 2019 class of defensive backs. One of the players that embodies that trait for this crop of Sun Devil newcomers is Pittsburg, California’s Willie Harts. The ASU freshman details how he views the impact of his God-given skills in his development as a football player and his expectations for his upcoming first year of college football.
“First time I remember playing football I was like four, five playing ‘mommy-and-me’ football with my mom, and then she had me play flag football with all my friends growing up. I just fell in love with the game holding it, and running with one. When I played my first year and I ran my first touchdown, was when I started to get serious about playing and possibly getting a college scholarship. All my friends and my dad’s parents- my dad’s friends, were all saying ‘your son has good speed,’ and ‘he could be a good football player when he gets older.
“I was just born with this speed, it’s God-given. My parents weren’t track athletes. My dad played one year of football, and my mom didn’t do any sports. I know that to be a good football player. It’s not just about having speed but that all ties in with your mechanics, giving you a boost and helping your game. My fastest 100 meters was a 10.74, and my fastest 200 meters was a 22 flat.
“I played on the Varsity team as a freshman, and I didn’t expect that. When something like that happens, it can be hard to be humble. But I wasn’t cocky because playing on the Varsity team and being that young was just natural. I’m used to hanging out with older people than me, and I was used to what everybody walking around saying, ‘Willie, you’re good.’ So I know I’m blessed to have this God-given talent, and I’m going to use it and not let it go to waste. The game got a lot faster when I got to high school, so I had to work hard to keep up.
“First time I was contacted by an ASU coach was during spring ball of my junior year. Coach Tony White, the defensive backs coach, texted me asking me questions how I feel about football, am I interested in Arizona State, and see how my recruiting process was going. I was surprised to hear from them because they were the first Pac-12 school to contact me with interest.
“Coach White talked about beyond football at Arizona State. He was giving me a different outlook on the world from football because it will always end, and that I’ll be set for life going there, beyond football. My visit there was amazing and everybody showed love.
“Schooling-wise I really love the school because I’m an outdoors person, and with the way their science majors are, it’s a perfect fit for what I want to do in my future life. I don’t just love the desert, I like all of nature. I really love the campus, I have a couple of friends that went there and they say it’s beautiful, and when I went on my visit I felt like you’re all connected to everybody you need, and like they’re all a family, just all united. The team was very welcoming on my visit. As soon as I got there, I felt like I was already a part of the team and the players like Darien Butler made me feel like I was already a Sun Devil.
“Talking to coachhttps://twitter.com/ASUFootball/status/1075475877931081728 Herm he showed me that he really cares about his players and he invests all his time in them. Whenever they need him, they can make a call and reach him. He makes you feel comfortable right away. My uncle played for the Kansas City Chiefs, and he left as soon as coach Herm went there and he was angry because he really wanted to play under Herm. He gave me a background on how Herm was as a coach and had positive things to say about him. As soon as I went there on my visit it was true, and I believed it and that’s how I fell in love with Herm”
“The 3-3-5 scheme is a good fit for me because I can move around and have a lot of time to maneuver around the defense and watch everything develop. And with my speed, it makes up lost time if I make a mistake. I played safety all of high school and I’ll play that at ASU. I love that position because of the freedom you have and that you are the last resort so you can decide what’s going to happen. Playing a lot of offense in high school helped me play safety because you see both sides, offense, and defense, and you get both perspectives for both of them, so it helps you out.
“My biggest challenge at ASU is just needing to compete, that’s it. Because to be the best of the best, you are going to have to compete every day. Off the field, nothing should be a challenge because my aunt lives out there and her son is moving back out there and I’m very close to him. I have a cousin that plays for the Cardinals (tight end), Darrell Daniels. It’s very cool that they can watch both of us play (in the same city) so I’ll feel comfortable at ASU, and with my family, I’ll feel at home.
“Being a defensive back in the Pac-12 is the hardest job just because you know the passing offenses are probably the best in the country in college football. I have no pressure my freshman season. My expectation is that the best man wins the job. Everyone has a bad day, and many things happen at practice and in games. So it’s going to be up to me to come in, do what I can do, and see what happens from there.”
Chris Gleason contributed to this article
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