Monte Harrison proves you can teach an old dog new tricks
It's a non-traditional route to college football for the Kansas City-area native, who went into professional baseball right out of high school, and spent roughly 10 years in the Major League Baseball system. Coming out of high school, he was a four-star prospect and had committed to play both baseball and football at Nebraska, but the money in the MLB was too good to turn down.
'When Major League came in, they offered a number that I couldn't really pass up,' Harrison told reporters on Monday. 'That was my number, so I took it, but I got to a time period where I felt like football, it was time for me to go back. It's not your traditional route but at the end of the day it's still football. I am an incoming freshman, even though it might look a little different, but it's just a transition more than anything.
'I give props to Pitt, to give me the time period to be able to transition my body back to a football body, and now it's just moving forward and really know the playbook and go out there and compete.'
What Harrison is working on for his second year
Last season, Harrison saw playing time primarily on special teams. He caught two passes for 29 yards, but his transition from baseball player to football player was a longer process than just a few months of preseason practice.
'It definitely took some rust,' Harrison said. 'I mean, I didn't put the pads on until fall camp around this time last, and that was my first time in 10 years. So, I think rust is kind of an understatement. I needed more than WD-40 to be able to get through it…I think when I got through probably, I'll say, like, the fifth or sixth game of the year, I felt like I started to transition and started to feel more fluid.'
Harrison is one of just a few returning wide receivers from last year who actually recorded a pass reception, and he's become a leader in the room.
'If a guy's gonna be able to follow you, he's got to be able to trust that you're doing it,' Harrison said. 'A lot of words don't mean nothing. Actions speak 1,000 words. So you could tell by how receptive they are, maybe just from baseball, but also being a little bit older. But you got to realize that I just don't hop on the field and I just earn respect, you know? I mean, I got to go out there and still play football.'
From the other wide receivers' perspective, he's referred to as 'Unc.' said Harrison is somewhat of an assistant coach out on the field.
'He's a special person,' Fouch said. 'He's almost similar to, I can lean on him as like an assistant coach. I want a message to the whole room being delivered, you know I can work through him sometimes. He can deliver the message. That way I create more leadership within the room. Instead of me trying to bring guys together, I ask him. He's been a pro, he knows what it takes to win at a high level.'
Harrison and the Razorbacks will be out for Day 5 of fall camp on Tuesday morning. Be sure to stay tuned to HawgBeat for more coverage of Arkansas football. Subscribe to HawgBeat right now for $1 and also receive a free year of The Athletic for new members.
More HawgBeat Football Coverage
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Yankees snap 5-game skid after Paul Goldschmidt's pinch homer to avoid rare sweep in Texas
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt put the Yankees ahead with a pinch-hit solo homer in the seventh inning and New York ended its five-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday. Goldschmidt went deep off lefty reliever Robert Garcia (1-7), who has now given up homers in his last three appearances. The Yankees (61-54) avoided being swept in Texas for the first time since 2010, and kept the Rangers from moving past them for the American League's third and final wild-card spot. Mark Leiter Jr. (5-6) got the win after coming on with a runner on in the sixth and getting a flyout before a double-play grounder to end the inning. That came after his cousin, Rangers rookie starter Jack Leiter, struck out three and walked four in 3 1/3 innings while allowing two runs (one earned). David Bednar struck out five while throwing 42 pitches over the final 1 2/3 innings for his 18th save. No. 9 batter Ezequiel Duran had three hits and scored both runs for Texas (60-56), which had an eight-game home winning streak after winning the first two games in the series. He scored on Sam Haggerty's single in the third and Marcus Semien's sacrifice fly in the fifth. New York went up 2-1 in the fourth. Anthony Volpe had an RBI single and the other run came home on catcher Kyle Higashioka's throwing error when the Yankees pulled off a double steal. Key moment Bednar struck out cleanup hitter Adolis García to end the game after Corey Seager had walked and Semien singled. Key stat The Yankees are 9-3 this season when trying to avoid being swept in a series. Up next Both teams have a day off before home games Friday night against division leaders. The Yankees open a three-game series against AL West-leading Houston, and the Rangers host Philadelphia from the NL East. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Shohei Ohtani strikes out 8, hits go-ahead HR vs. Cardinals in first start since leaving mound with cramps
Shohei Ohtani returned to the mound Wednesday for the first time since ending a July 30 start early due to cramps. All seems well with the MVP favorite. Ohtani pitched four strong innings against the St. Louis Cardinals. And he hit a two-run home run in the third that gave the Los Angeles Dodgers a 2-1 lead. He did it during a home game in which the Dodgers gave away replicas of his World Series ring. [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Ohtani quickly quelled any concerns over the cramps from his previous start with a strong first inning. Ohtani needed just 10 pitches to get through the Cardinals side. He reached 100 mph on the radar gun with a third-pitch strike to Alec Burleson that ended the inning. Ohtani pitched another 1-2-3 inning in the second that featured two strikeouts and required just 11 pitches. The third inning required more work from Ohtani and saw the Cardinals crack the scoreboard first. Jordan Walker reached on a leadoff infield pop-up that Miguel Rojas lost in the sun. Walker then stole second base and reached third on a groundout. Brendan Donovan sent him home with a savvy two-out bunt that landed for an RBI single and a 1-0 Cardinals lead. The lead was short-lived. Alex Call led off the bottom of the third with a double for the Dodgers. Two batters later, Ohtani sent him home with a home run deep into the centerfield stands off of Cardinals starter Matthew Liberatore. The home run was the 39th of the season for Ohtani, which put him one behind NL leader Kyle Schwarber and three behind MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh. It was also the 1,000th hit of Ohtani's MLB career. And Ohtani's day on the mound wasn't done. He returned for the top of the fourth inning, where he proceeded to strike out the side. Ohtani got each of Burleson, Lars Nootbaar and Masyn Winn out swinging on third-pitch breaking balls to maintain the 2-1 Dodgers lead. The Dodgers added an insurance run in the bottom of the fourth for a 3-1 lead, and Ohtani did not return to the mound for the fifth inning as reliever Justin Wrobleski took over. Ohtani finished his day on the mound having pitched four innings while allowing two hits, zero walks and one earned run that was the result of a misplay in the field. He struck out eight and lowered his season-long ERA to 2.37. Ohtani was not in line for the win due to the abbreviated start that was part of the continued plan to ramp him back up on the mound from his second Tommy John procedure. Otherwise, everything from his performance up to his exit on the mound encapsulated why Ohtani's a significant favorite to secure his fourth career MVP trophy.
Newsweek
11 minutes ago
- Newsweek
BetMGM Bonus Code NW150: Get $150 Betting Bonus For MLB, NFL Preseason
Sign up for a new account with the BetMGM bonus code NW150 to get a $150 bonus offer or a $1,500 first bet safety net for MLB games and more. Sign up for a new account with the BetMGM bonus code NW150 to get a $150 bonus offer or a $1,500 first bet safety net for MLB games and more. Claim one of two welcome offers with the latest BetMGM bonus code NW150 for MLB games, the NFL preseason and more. You will get a $150 bonus offer or a $1,500 first bet safety net depending on your location when you create a new account. All you have to do to sign up is click here. Create an account in MI, NJ, PA and WV to get the $150 bonus offer, which requires a winning $10 wager to start your account. Sign up in other states to secure the $1,500 first bet safety net to start. Now is a good time to capitalize on either of these offers. Bet on any MLB game tonight or the Aces-Valkyries WNBA game with the promo you receive. This will set up your account to take advantage of the first full weekend of NFL preseason games. Sign up now to capitalize on your welcome offer and other promos available within the BetMGM Sportsbook app. BetMGM Bonus Code NW150 For MLB Games, NFL Preseason Let's start with the $150 bonus offer, as this has an important caveat. You must win your initial $10 bet to get the bonus bets. This wager can be placed on any market across BetMGM Sportsbook. Make sure to look at a wide range of markets to find one that you believe has a good chance of settling as a win. If you plan to bet on one of the MLB games taking place tonight, you might want to look at some prop options. These might be easier to predict than other markets like the moneyline, spread or total. You could bet on players like Roman Anthony to record a hit or George Kirby to strike out a certain number of batters. With the $1,500 first bet offer, you can bet up to that amount and get a bonus refund if your bet settles as a loss. Maybe you would like to bet $1,000 on the Eagles to beat the Bengals on Thursday night. If the Eagles do win, you will get a large cash payout. An Eagles loss would trigger a $1,000 bonus refund to your account. BetMGM Sportsbook In-App Promos When you are set up with a new BetMGM Sportsbook account, you will have the opportunity to capitalize on several in-app offers in addition to your welcome promo. For Wednesday, you can bet an MLB parlay boost token, an odds boost token to use for any sport and a golf second chance offer. You can also win prizes with the MLB Daily Swing free-to-play game or watch the free game of the day within the BetMGM Sportsbook app. Create Account With BetMGM Bonus Code NW150 Create your account with BetMGM Sportsbook by clicking here and providing basic personal information, like your name, date of birth, mailing address, etc. Enter the bonus code NW150 to redeem your welcome offer. Enable location settings during this process to ensure you receive the offer you are eligible for. Use a secure payment method, like a credit card, debit card or several other options, to make an initial deposit to your account. This will cover your first bet to activate the welcome offer you are eligible for. Any bonus bets you receive from either of these offers will be valid for seven days before they expire. Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through the links in this article. See the sportsbook operator's terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.
