Signing Day Capsule: IMG OL Knijeah Harris locks in with Florida
Name: Knijeah Harris
Class: 2023
Position: Interior Offensive Lineman
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 327 pounds
Location/School: Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy
Signed with: Florida Gators
On3 Consensus Ranking: No. 31 interior offensive lineman | No. 409 player overall | No. 76 senior in Florida
On3 NIL Valuation: $16.1K
Quotable
“It’s a lot of things. They are a top school in the country and I have a lot of trust in coach Napier, coach Stapleton and coach Sale. I feel like they had my best interest and are giving me a chance to contribute early but also be developed. It also has a family feel.”
Scouting Report on Knijeah Harris
With Harris, this is a prospect who has plenty of experience pulling and getting downhill to punish defenders.
The Port St. Lucie native provides that pop at the point of attack, and more often than not, does a good job of getting his opponent to the turf. He also shows good awareness when scanning the field for defenders. There are times when he can do a better job of sinking his hips and making contact with better pad level, but that is not a big concern.
Although he typically overwhelms the opponent in front of him, Harris can make improvements in the strength and conditioning department. IMG suits up against quality competition; however, the SEC is obviously another level and boasts much stronger players. He needs to continue to get stronger overall; that will improve his drive-blocking ability even more. That will also allow him to play with much better leverage and power.
Harris can also drop some weight and tighten up his frame, but that will happen fairly quickly after arriving in Gainesville. Making full use of UF’s strength and conditioning program under Mark Hocke will be very beneficial.
There are times when he overextends in pass protection; however, that is something he can correct fairly quickly. He shows decent footwork in that part of his game and is aware of his surroundings as well. At this stage in his career, however, Harris is much more advanced as a run blocker and that is evident when watching his film.
As for his projected fit, Harris says the Gators are courting him to play a mixture of guard and center. He is actually moving to center for his senior year, so that will be great practice ahead of his time in Gainesville.
With all that being said, what stands out the most is Harris’ aggressiveness. In today’s day and age of college football, everyone wants the lean and prototypical type of offensive linemen; however, with Harris, this is a stout road grader along the interior who brings it every play.
I think he could have a good career at center. A lot of kids do not have experience snapping or shy away from taking on that challenge, but that is not the case with Harris.
Stay tuned to Gators Online.
