Mizzou pledge Keenan Harris soaks in commitment ceremony of friend Jacob Eberhart
ST. LOUIS — As he watched from a few feet away, Keenan Harris wasn’t surprised by Jacob Eberhart‘s decision.
Harris tried his hand in making Missouri standout the most to his fellow St. Louis product. Yet when it came down to Eberhart’s hat selection, two Tigers foes became the center of conversation. Eberhart, a Class of 2026 four-star, announced his verbal commitment Saturday to Illinois over Oklahoma.
“Mizzou almost made it, man,” said former Missouri linebacker Markus Golden, the cousin of Eberhart. “The hat was up there. At the end of the day, football is always about following in your own footsteps. … I wanted him to come out and go his own way. He’s got to go there and play. I can’t come there. They ain’t gonna let you start because of who your cousin is.”
“The big thing is, man, this is his race,” added former Missouri wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, Eberhart’s coach at Kirkwood (Mo.) High. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s not about me; it’s not about Markus. It’s not about anybody else; it’s about Jacob Eberhart.”
For Harris, he watched his longtime friend chose an upcoming opponent of Missouri. Harris, a Class of 2026 linebacker at St. Louis (Mo.) University High, locked in his commitment to the Tigers in late May, and if these go as planned for both players, there are four opportunities to play against each other in 2026-2029.
“I’m proud of Bibby, man,” Harris said. “He’s going to rock out for sure. … I’m super excited. I know wherever he was gonna go, he gonna go and be himself and go out and ball. So it’s good just seeing my brother just be able to go somewhere in the Power Five level and just go be great.”
Harris celebrates his own commitment
Harris and his family scheduled his commitment party for the second-to-last weekend in June. With a pledge already locked in with his in-state program, he never wanted to chase a huge event for his decision, rather bring together the most important people to him.
“It was good,” Harris said. “I had a lot of a lot of the same people, our trainer (Jerry Stanfield) right there. And it was good just being able to celebrate my family in such a big celebration.”
“As you can imagine, when those guys are working out and training together, it’s just a beautiful thing,” Stanfield added. “Because they push each other. That’s why it’s so satisfying to see a day like today. … Keenan came here to support (Eberhart). (Eberhart) went to Keenan’s commitment to support him. That’s what it’s really all about.
“When they have the (Arch Rivalry) game, which side am I gonna sit on? They both told me the same thing: ‘You got to get a jersey that splits.’ So I guess that’s what I’m gonna have to do.”
Harris has already started to plan out his fall schedule, looking to make the majority of the Tigers’ home games. With his second-oldest brother, Jonel Harris, coincidentally moving to Columbia, the youngest Harris will have a lot of familiarity at his new school once he enrolls in summer 2026.
“This year, really just to elevate the name that I already made for myself and just to finish strong,” Harris said.
