SPRINGDALE — There was not just one football player on the field Thursday night in Springdale with an Alabama offer.
There were two - Arkansas defensive end commit Zach Williams (6-4, 225) of Joe T. Robinson and a 13-year-old ninth grader playing in his first high school football game. The Senators lost 48-28.
The ninth grader would be E’Marion Harris (6-5, 298), who got offers from Alabama (June 8) and Texas State (June 9th) earlier this summer and took unofficial visits to Arkansas, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Memphis and Louisiana Tech.
“I was like ‘for real?’” Harris said when he heard of the Alabama offer.
Harris is the son of former Arkansas defensive end Elliott Harris (2001-2004) and the younger brother of Robinson senior offensive lineman Elliott Harris, Jr., who has an offer from Texas State and interest from several other Division I programs.
The older Harris brother wants to keep his younger brother in check.
“He was like if I get an offer or coaches are looking at me then to not get too big headed because you still have a long way to go,” Harris said. “I’ve still got four more years of high school because I am only in the ninth grade.”
It’s hard to believe that E’Marion Harris is in the ninth grade because of his size, but it’s the truth.
“My birthday is Sept. 8, 2004,” Harris said.
E’Marion Harris is just beginning his prep career, but does know of one thing in particular that he would like to improve on.
“What I am really trying to polish up is my speed because I know when I get to college, I am going to have to really work on that,” Harris said.