4-star CB Tae Harris breaks down interest from Clemson, Florida, other contenders
Cedartown (Ga.) four-star cornerback Tae Harris jumped off the board quickly last summer, as he committed to Georgia in June. That pledge to the in-state Bulldogs did not last, however.
Following the departure of defensive backs coach Fran Brown, Harris opted to reopen his recruitment last month. He’s now back on the board and is fielding interest from plenty of high-profile programs.
Earlier this month, Harris told On3 that he has locked in official visits to Clemson (May 31) and Georgia Tech (June 7). The 6-foot, 180-pounder is also lining up spring visits as he works through the next phase of his recruitment.
When speaking with On3’s Phillip Dukes on the latest edition of ‘The Five Star Flex’, Harris touched on both of the ACC programs, as well as Florida, Ole Miss and UCF. The four-star sees plenty to like with each of school in his ear and is making it known what kind of a player they’re recruiting.
“They’re getting a kid that really just wants to play ball. Keep the main thing the main thing, I just want to play ball. I want to be the best me I can be. Well-coached kid, hard work is all I know, really, that’s all I know how to do,” Harris said.
While he’s listed as a corner, Harris says he’ll be playing safety at the college level, though he knows he can play just about anywhere on the defensive side of the ball. He is the No. 247 overall prospect in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Tae Harris talks top contenders
Georgia Tech: “They’re on the come up, for real. They’ve got a lot going for themselves. Me and Coach (Cory) Peoples’ connection, we’re like this. Coach (Brent) Key, Coach (Tyler) Santucci really I’m just tight with all the coaches. If I went there, that would be on the good side … nothing bad about that program, I’ve heard.”
Florida: “Me and Coach (Billy) Napier, if you know Coach Napier, he really doesn’t recruit Georgia kids like that. He stays in Florida, because they don’t really have to move much. It really stood out to me when he came to watch me at track practice. It was really cool, so I really like that. The connection I’ve got with Coach (Chad) Lucas and Coach Will Harris, they’ve got a lot going, too. They take DBs like me, too, so I really like that.”
UCF: “Coach (Gus) Malzahn, he expressed to me how much that they needed DBs like me back in the program. Coming from an SEC school, going down to UCF, they needed DBs like me. Coach (Addison) Williams, him and my trainer know each other, so that’s really cool, he checks up on me every day and stuff like that. Coach Ted Roof, that’s my guy. He calls me here and there. He talked to me about some of the defense that he’s going to run this year, so that football connection and stuff like that. We just talk football, so I really like that about UCF.”
Ole Miss: “They’ve got a lot going for themselves. If you watched the Georgia game, the DBs played well, they’re well-coached, you can tell. I’ve got a visit down there coming up soon, so we’ll see, that’ll tell the tale, for real.”
Clemson: “They really made an impact on me and my mom when they came to talk to me. I’m going down there March 9. Me and Khalil Barnes, we’re more like brothers. We talk every day, we’ve got each others numbers and stuff like that. I really like the connection me and him got. Coach (Mickey) Conn, Coach (Mike) Reed, all of them, they keep the main thing the main thing and I really like that. Death Valley, they look good, for real.”