Impressive mind, impressive knowledge: Marietta’s Harris is about more than football
MARIETTA, Ga. (BVM) — When you are an elite football player, it’s hard not to think about the future; what could be. Will you be a regular on SportsCenter’s Top 10? Will you be playing on Sundays for years to come?
But to make it there, you can’t just simply be good at football. You need to be the total package, and Paul Harris of Marietta High School is.
Harris has the makings of someone with a bright future on the gridiron. He’s a defensive back for the Blue Devils, who were the 2019 Class 7A GHSA state champions. Not only were they well-renowned in Georgia, but they were also ranked No. 10 in the nation.
The future college athlete has immense strength for his size. At 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, Harris can bench 260 pounds, squat 465 pounds, and really use his legs.
His 40-yard dash was clocked in at 4.4 seconds, and his vertical jump maxes out at 40 inches.
Besides his measurements, Harris comes from an athlete’s pedigree. His father, Mark, played football at the University of Central Florida, and three of his cousins played Division I football as well. Two of them, Corey Sawyer and Karon Coleman, had NFL careers. Outside of football, his aunt, Angela, was an All-American track and field performer at Florida State.
Harris himself now has colleges calling. From the NCAA Division I level, all the way down to the NAIA, there are 34 schools keeping tabs on the soon-to-be senior.
Despite all of this, though, the most tantalizing thing about Harris is his intangibles. Things that cannot be easily taught or learned. Harris has a good head on his shoulders.
As a student at Marietta High School, Harris holds a 3.26 cumulative GPA, all of his classes being advanced placement programs. As an honors level student, he is a candidate in the International Baccalaureate Program. During the offseason, he operates his own business called Super Pressure Washers, pressure washing driveways.
With such an impressive all-around resume though, Harris remains genuine, and keeps his values at heart. When it comes to football, he wants to choose a place that isn’t only successful on the field, but aligns with his academic and personal interests.
“It really is not more important to me than being at a good school, where it’s like a family, where the coaches care about the players like coach Morgan and all of my coaches at Marietta do care about us,” Harris said. “Where I can graduate with a good education and a degree in either media or business.”
And when he does get around to choosing that school, he’ll maintain the idea that the team is bigger than himself.
“My goal is to do my best to help my team win, no matter what the coaches require of me or want me to do,” Harris said. “To just be a team player, a leader on and off the field and do what I can to help my team win.”
One thing is for sure, Harris will have a slew of good schools to pick from when it’s all said and done. As of now, the Wisconsin Badgers are one of the top DI programs showing interest, but the once-DIII, now-DI St. Thomas Tommies are on his radar as well. Additionally, there are five DII schools, 18 DIII schools, and six NAIA schools in the mix.
