Latest news with #CadenHarris
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Georgia, Kirby Smart Flip 4-Star SEC Commit On Saturday
Georgia, Kirby Smart Flip 4-Star SEC Commit On Saturday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Head coach Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs continue to build momentum in the class of 2026. Georgia entered the weekend with four commitments in the month of June, including blue-chip cornerback Justice Fitzpatrick, top punter Wade Register, top kicker Harran Zureikat and three-star offensive linemen Zykie Helton and Zachary Lewis. Advertisement The Bulldogs' latest pledge, the fifth in the last two weeks, is one that Smart and his staff have been working on for a long time. Four-star cornerback Caden Harris initially committed to SEC foe Vanderbilt on April 29 over Georgia and Notre Dame. Harris is a two-way standout at Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tennessee. He totaled 30 tackles, seven pass breakups and an interception on defense while catching 37 passes for 782 yards and 11 touchdowns on defense as a junior last season, per MaxPreps. Haywood's Caden Harris (1)Jamar Coach / The Jackson Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Harris (6-foot, 170 pounds) ranks as the No. 8 player at the position, the No. 4 player in the state and the No. 76 overall recruit in his class (On3). Advertisement Despite Harris' commitment to Vanderbilt, Georgia kept in touch and officially hosted the highly-coveted recruit last weekend. And that trip has seemingly paid off for Smart and Co., as Harris flipped his pledge to UGA on Saturday. Harris becomes a key piece in what is shaping up to be a talented group of defensive backs for the Bulldogs under Smart, co-defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson and cornerbacks coach Donte Williams. Georgia also holds commitments from four-star cornerback Justice Fitzpatrick and four-star safeties Jordan Smith and Zech Fort. Harris' pledge vaulted the Bulldogs to fourth nationally in the 2026 cycle. Advertisement Related: Nation's No. 1 Punter Commits To SEC Powerhouse Related: Nation's Top LB To Officially Visit SEC Powerhouse After Trips To Clemson, Oregon This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Georgia flips 4-star CB Caden Harris from Vanderbilt
June 14 - Four-star cornerback Caden Harris flipped his commitment from home-state Vanderbilt to Georgia on Saturday. Harris, who plays at Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tenn., is ranked as the No. 11 cornerback and No. 85 prospect overall in the 2026 class by the 247Sports composite. He announced his Georgia commitment with a short video posted to social media site X that included this note: "Recruitment shut down!!" Harris committed to Vanderbilt in April but took an official visit to Georgia on June 6 and had four others scheduled with Southeastern Conference teams. "I felt real strong about Georgia coming in," Harris told DawgNation. "We'd be in contact for a while, and they had just been hard on me ever since. We had the OV planned. I knew for sure I had to come down and take it. I was coming into it strong, and I left out of it even stronger." Harris' commitment is the fifth this month for Georgia, which stands at No. 4 in the 247Sports class rankings. The Bulldogs trail Southern California, Ohio State and Notre Dame, still early in the 2026 recruitment cycle. Georgia's class includes one five-star prospect, quarterback Jared Curtis from Nashville (Tenn.) Christian School. He is ranked by the composite as the No. 1 QB and No. 4 overall player in the class. --Field Level Media
New York Times
13-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How studying sushi chefs helped Clark Lea and Vanderbilt land top-100 CB Caden Harris
Four-star cornerback Caden Harris and Josh Puckett, his coach at Haywood (Tenn.) High School, heard from dozens of college coaches over the past few years. One of them didn't sound like the others. Vanderbilt's Clark Lea, a 43-year-old former political science major, didn't talk like a typical football coach. Especially when he went down a rabbit hole about raw fish. Advertisement 'He talked to us about studying and making sushi,' Puckett said, 'and how master sushi chefs in Japan perfected their craft and how he took it as (inspiration for) perfecting his craft in coaching and playing. 'It's something about (how) the ingredients never change in the sushi. So the only thing that can change is the way you prepare it and the way you go about making it.' Harris' hometown of Brownsville (population approximately 10,000) in West Tennessee may not be known for its spicy tuna rolls, but it does have one of the top defensive players in the Class of 2026. Harris, ranked No. 82 in the 247Sports Composite, likes Lea's vibe and smarts, and he also appreciates how the Commodores staff jumped on him early and made him the top priority during the recruiting process. So on April 29, Harris turned down the likes of Auburn, Georgia, Notre Dame and Missouri to stay in-state and commit to Vanderbilt in a ceremony at his school. Not finished!⚓️💜 — Caden Harris (@therealcaden7_) April 30, 2025 Taking down No. 1 Alabama last October was clearly the biggest on-field win of Lea's four-year head coaching career. Landing Harris, who would be Vanderbilt's highest-rated signee of the modern recruiting era (dating back to 2002), is no doubt his biggest victory on the recruiting trail. Vanderbilt hasn't landed a top-100 recruit since signing Nifae Lealoa in the Class of 2014. 'From the start, Vanderbilt had been on me very hard so it wasn't very hard to see that it was a school I'd like to attend,' Harris said. 'With them being a great academic school … how their program is quickly turning, it was really Coach because coach Lea, he's a very educated guy. So any time he speaks, he drops a lot of gems. 'He talked a lot about stuff off the field and a lot of stuff with me being developed and a lot of things that are gonna really help me (with) growing and being a man. That just struck me.' Advertisement Harris was ranked in the 200s last spring but jumped 140 spots in the past year to cement himself firmly inside the top 100. At 6-feet, 160 pounds, he's on the small side among the nation's top corners, but his speed, Puckett said, made him a no-brainer for Power 4 programs everywhere. 'He's long and really, really fast. Fastest player I've ever coached. And so the physical tools are all there,' Puckett said. 'And that's why everybody loves him. That's why he got offered by pretty much everyone in the Southeast. 'He runs legit-legit 4.4 laser now.' Harris picked up his first Division I offer in May 2023, when TCU reached out ahead of his sophomore season. Memphis came two days later, and Mississippi State was the first SEC school to get in on the action later that month. Vanderbilt and Tennessee both offered within four days of each other in September 2023. As Harris trimmed his list down to Vanderbilt, Auburn, Missouri, Notre Dame and Georgia, he told Puckett about a week before his announcement that the Commodores would be the choice. Vanderbilt's staff was in on his decision ahead of time, too. He broke the news to several staffers over dinner at The Burger Basket, a restaurant in his hometown, then hopped on the phone with Lea to share the good news. 'They just thought they were coming on a routine visit,' Harris said. 'We kicked it for a while, talking about some ball, talked about some off-field things. … And right before they left, I hit them with it. 'It was pretty shocking for the public, of course. I think I surprised a lot of people, so it was pretty cool. Puckett said Vanderbilt did its part in creating an attractive package for Harris, which included the financial piece of the puzzle. NIL and revenue-sharing opportunities have become an important part of the process for top recruits. But Vanderbilt also backed up its product with its play on the field. Advertisement 'Obviously Vanderbilt made waves for themselves by winning the way they did,' Puckett said of the Commodores going 7-6 in 2024 after a 2-10 campaign in 2023. 'That opened up a lot of people's eyes. 'It's an interesting perspective — you can definitely go to places that are established and follow in the footsteps there and go down the road that other guys have gone and be successful. Or you could be the guy that goes and blazes his own path and goes a different route.' So what is Vanderbilt getting in Harris? In addition to his speed on the defensive end, he can help the Commodores on special teams. Puckett recalled a game last season against Crockett County when Harris fielded a punt off the bounce around the 5-yard line. 'You're like, 'Let it go, let it go,' and he picks it up and you're like, 'Oh no,'' Puckett said. 'And he makes two or three guys miss and he goes and scores from like 95 (yards) out. And so it goes from 'Oh no, oh no,' to 'Oh yes' rather quickly. He's just got that type of ability. And he can make bad coaching look very smart.' In the meantime, Vanderbilt will have to do everything possible to hang onto him. Harris said he wasn't sure if he would still take previously scheduled official visits to other programs. The Commodores have already been back to Brownsville for a visit, and Puckett expects to see them around again soon. 'I'm gonna create my own lane,' he said. 'They're getting a very disciplined player to come in, ready to work.' (Photo courtesy of Caden Harris)
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Notre Dame is on the short list for this coveted cornerback who picks his school next week
Notre Dame is on the short list for this coveted cornerback who picks his school next week Notre Dame is on the short list for cornerback Caden Harris, who is set to announce his college decision next week. Harris, out of Brownsville Haywood in Tennessee, is a four-star recruit and the number 92 overall player for 247Sports. He will announce his school choice on Tuesday, April 29 at 1 p.m. ET on the 247Sports YouTube channel. Advertisement Notre Dame is in the running along with Auburn, Georgia, Missouri and Vanderbilt. Harris is 6'0", 160 pounds and has 40 offers. He's the No. 11 cornerback for 247Sports and the No. 4 overall player from the state of Tennessee. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions. Follow Tim on X: @tehealey This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame could be the choice for cornerback Caden Harris
USA Today
21-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Notre Dame is on the short list for this coveted cornerback who picks his school next week
Notre Dame is on the short list for this coveted cornerback who picks his school next week Caden Harris announces his pick next week, and the Fighting Irish are on his short list. Notre Dame is on the short list for cornerback Caden Harris, who is set to announce his college decision next week. Harris, out of Brownsville Haywood in Tennessee, is a four-star recruit and the number 92 overall player for 247Sports. He will announce his school choice on Tuesday, April 29 at 1 p.m. ET on the 247Sports YouTube channel. Notre Dame is in the running along with Auburn, Georgia, Missouri and Vanderbilt. Harris is 6'0", 160 pounds and has 40 offers. He's the No. 11 cornerback for 247Sports and the No. 4 overall player from the state of Tennessee. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions. Follow Tim on X: @tehealey
