Tua Tagovailoa isn’t the only five-star freshman in Alabama’s backfield who considered a transfer out of Tuscaloosa prior to a starring role in the team’s national championship run last season.
Sitting down with his hometown newspaper The San Fransisco Chronicle this summer, Crimson Tide running back Najee Harris revealed that he too thought about transferring from the school in search of more playing time after an up-and-down campaign as a true freshman. Ultimately though, will return to the program after talking with several key people close to him because he thinks the school gives him the best spot to play in the NFL.
“The only thing I can tell you is, I hope I’m on the field more,” Harris said of the upcoming 2018 campaign before discussing his first season with the team. “Last year was the worst feeling. That whole season was mentally challenging.”
Harris signed with the Tide as the No. 1 player in the country according to most recruiting services and was expected to push for carries early despite a crowded running backs room. Things didn’t quite play out that way however, as he saw some success early during a few blowouts but was relatively unused until busting out 64 yards on the ground against Georgia in the title game to help spark the team’s comeback. It seems that kind of effort on the big stage led to a meeting with Nick Saban that helped keep him in the fold at Alabama, per the Chronicle:
We’ll see just how much Harris winds up playing as Saban and the rest of the coaching staff manage an embarrassment of riches in the backfield, not just with Tagovailoa and fellow quarterback Jalen Hurts, but a position group at running back that also includes senior Damien Harris and junior Josh Jacobs.