Damien Harris, Paul Hornung Award winner, at Big Spring Country Club in Louisville, Ky. (Photo: Frankie Steele, Special to The Courier-Journal)
Five-star Madison (Ky.) Southern running back Damien Harris – the nation’s No. 1 senior at his position – was presented with the Paul Hornung Award as the state’s top football player during a Louisville Quarterback Club luncheon at Big Spring Country Club. The University of Kentucky’s top recruiting target, who plans to announce his decision on Jan. 9, spoke with the media award accepting the trophy from Hornung.
Where does this award rank on your list of honors?
It’s definitely a very prestigious award to win. There’s a long list of great players who have won this award before me, so it’s definitely an honor to be in a club with such great players at a high standard of football. So I’m just really blessed and grateful to have this opportunity to win such a prestigious award.
Were you familiar with the name Paul Hornung?
A lot of people were telling me about this award, but I didn’t know exactly who he was. But I looked him up, and it shows the importance of this award and how it’s such a high accolade I’ve received. I had to look him up, but once I did, I understood the magnitude of the award.
How big would winning Mr. Football be?
It would be huge. It’s the best football award you can win in the state. I know I’m going up against a lot of great competition, but hopefully I’ll be able to pull it, even though I did miss almost the majority of the season.
How are you after your injury?
I’m back to 100 percent. I did a lot of rehab toward the end of the season trying to get back. Our season came up a little short and we lost in the playoffs. But I’ve just been rehabbing, trying to get back in shape and get ready for this game in Florida (the Under Armour All-American game) in a couple weeks. But I’m back to 100 percent.
Nick Saban and Urban Meyer were both in Richmond. What were those visits like?
It’s great to see how those coaches are off the field and out of the media. You get to see how they are personally and not when they’re in the limelight and with cameras in their face. They’re great guys. Every coach has something different to offer that is great. Personally their all great guys. You just have to take in what they have to say, let them spend time with you and your family at your home and take what they say into consideration when you try to make your decision.
What will be the perfect fit?
Just a pro-style offense, somewhere that likes to run the ball obviously, but they could use me in any way they need. Definitely a team with a great family feel. I don’t want to be part of a bunch of individuals. I’d like to play for a team that has all the common goals together to want to work together. I’d also like to play with other great players. I’d like to play with some of the best players in the country because you know, I can provide for them and they can provide for me, and we can make it a little bit easier on each other.
What schools are left on your list?
Alabama, Kentucky, Florida, Ohio State and Texas A&M.
What kind of player will they be getting?
A tenacious player, a player who’s ready to come in and compete at any moment. I play to win at any cost, even if that is for me to take a back spot to somebody who’s been there longer or somebody who’s better than me, that’s something that I’ll do or I’m willing to do. But at the same time, I’ll also do what I have to do to get better and surpass that player who might be ahead of me. Competition makes everybody better, so they’re going to get a player who is extremely competitive and knows a lot about the game and just wants to win.
How was your official visit to Kentucky this last week?
It was a great time. Like I said, I’m really close with the staff and the coaches at Kentucky. They showed me around, and I got really close with some of the players. I’ve known some of them for a while, but a lot of the players I got to meet. It was just a great experience all the way around.
What was new about this visit after all the visits that you’ve taken there?
I don’t think it was anything new. It was just more of a reassurance kind of thing. A lot of the players, like I said, I’ve known. I’ve met some new players and a lot of knew recruits who either were committed or leaning heavily to Kentucky, players I would potentially get to play with and seeing who I play against.
A lot of people are assuming that you are actually, truly down to those two, Alabama and UK? Is that true? And Ohio State got a recent commitment (from four-star back Mike Weber).
I wouldn’t say it’s true. I definitely look at those two heavily. But Ohio State did just get a commitment out of another running back. Florida losing Coach (Will) Muschamp, they definitely affected me because I was close to him. And Texas A&M, I haven’t had much contact with them. But I wouldn’t say I have two favorites. We’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out.
So Kentucky and Alabama, are they standing out as a top two or anything like that?
A little bit, but it’s not over. Any school can make any kind of run at you.
Is Florida trying to get in touch with you with their new coach?
Well, they have. It’s just kind of hard. With Coach Muschamp being the coach that recruited me, it would be kind of hard to be there without him being there.
If your choice did come down to Kentucky and Alabama, one is going to be playing for a national championship, one is going to be in rebuilding mode in a sense but is the home-state school. How do you balance that, or look at the goals you could have at those places?
The main thing for Kentucky is to get to that point where you are winning consecutive games, making it to bowl games. Of course, everybody’s goal is to play for the national championship someday, but you just kind of have to compare that with your desire to want to rebuild something or already go to an established program.
