Harris Happy to be Back on the Field
8/10/2017 7:30:00 PM | Football
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The deep sideline pass, intended for a well-defended Donavan Hale, was deflected toward the ground.
But looking something like Superman sans cape, redshirt junior slot receiver J-Shun Harris II came rocketing in, seemingly out of thin air and before the eye could blink.
Flying face-first and horizontal to the ground, Harris snagged the ball before it hit the turf.
It was very early into Indiana's preseason football camp but the sequence served to announce, emphatically, that Harris was back.
A year after tearing his left knee's anterior cruciate ligament.
Two years after tearing his right knee's ACL.
Three years after he was named Indiana's Offensive Newcomer of the Year.
As a fleet freshman year Harris had, among other things, helped key IU's big road win at No. 18-ranked Missouri with receptions of 43 and 33 yards, the latter for a TD.
But then came the sort of adversity that can mar, or derail, a fast athlete's career. Twice.
"The toughest day was definitely right after surgery, both times," Harris recalled Wednesday. "It's nothing you can get used to. Pain is pain. You can only try to build a tolerance.
"But I was thankful for my family, my teammates, the coaches, and the strength and medical staffs. They all helped me keep my mind right, keep my hopes up. And then the best day was getting back out here and it was, 'Wow, no blue jersey, out here competing full-go with my guys.' "
Blue jerseys at IU practices connote injury impairment, with the inability to fully participate. Harris doesn't have to wear one of those anymore.
"It definitely felt great, getting out there and being a part of the team again," Harris said about that first fall camp session. "The knee is feeling very strong right now, so I'm very thankful for that."
And his teammates are thankful to have him back.
"He's still so fast, which is crazy," said fellow slot-man Luke Timian. "With two knee injuries like that, you'd think his speed would be a little less, but it's not. I think he might even be faster, which is crazy.
"He brings speed, playmaking ability, quickness. All that."
IU's receiving corps was already well-stocked, on paper, too.
There are taller receivers such as 6-4 Hale, Simmie Cobbs and Jonah Morris, 6-3 Nick Westbrook and 6-2 Taysir Mack. There are speedy slot guys such as Harris, Timian, Issac James and Whop Philyor.
"Simmie and Nick can go up and get the ball," Timian said. "Those big guys are going to create mismatches on the outside. Me and J-Shun are going to bring some speed to the inside.
"There are going to be quite a few weapons out there."
New receivers coach Grant Heard is trying to further acclimate all of them, and other teammates, to new offensive coordinator Mike DeBord's system.
"They're still getting adjusted to the tempo we want, and we're still trying to set that tone," Heard said. "But they're learning. They got a lot thrown at them that first week and, trying to learn it fast makes it a little tough."
SPEA management major Harris agreed that continuing to learn, quickly, was key.
"Definitely getting our tempo up to speed, how we want it," Harris said when asked what his unit most needed to accomplish in camp. "Each and every day we're working at that. Understanding the plays to where we can run them out of any position – I can go outside and the outside guys can come inside.
"Knowing the playbook like the back of our hand will definitely help us out, and that is where we need to get. Everyone wants to become the best receiving corps in the country and that's our goal. We're … striving every day to achieve that goal."
Harris knows all about striving daily toward a worthy goal. He's had two long years of re-hab. Sometimes, during that stretch, the former all-state product from Fishers would watch one of his old games just to remind himself of what sort of player he was, and could be.
"My mom has all the games at home on the DVR," Harris said, "so whenever I went back home during the summer, I always checked out some of the highlights of those games.
"And (it) just kept my mind going, 'Hey, this was you, and now you need to get back to and exceed that level. You've done it before. There is no reason you can't do it again, can't get back out there and compete with your guys.' "
And, if anything, he now feels enhanced by the procedures on his knees.
"The guys always (use) all these machinery references, saying I need 10W-40 for my knees, all that sort of stuff," Harris said with a grin. "But I honestly feel I'm close to (where I was) if not there, speed-wise."
Even after IU's medical staff cleared him fully this summer, proclaiming both knees structurally sound, Harris had to conquer the mental hurdles that always arise after knee surgeries.
And he knew that first hit on the practice field was coming, too.
"Oh, yeah, that was definitely something I was thinking about, that first live period," Harris said. 'It's been a while since I've taken a lick.'
"But, in my mind, when I'm out there, I feel like I'm 6-5, 220 pounds – so none of those guys scare me when it comes to the live tackling."
Harris is listed at 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds.
But he is unafraid.
He's already shown he can take on major adversity and whip it.
Somebody find that man a cape.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The deep sideline pass, intended for a well-defended Donavan Hale, was deflected toward the ground.
But looking something like Superman sans cape, redshirt junior slot receiver J-Shun Harris II came rocketing in, seemingly out of thin air and before the eye could blink.
Flying face-first and horizontal to the ground, Harris snagged the ball before it hit the turf.
It was very early into Indiana's preseason football camp but the sequence served to announce, emphatically, that Harris was back.
A year after tearing his left knee's anterior cruciate ligament.
Two years after tearing his right knee's ACL.
Three years after he was named Indiana's Offensive Newcomer of the Year.
As a fleet freshman year Harris had, among other things, helped key IU's big road win at No. 18-ranked Missouri with receptions of 43 and 33 yards, the latter for a TD.
But then came the sort of adversity that can mar, or derail, a fast athlete's career. Twice.
"The toughest day was definitely right after surgery, both times," Harris recalled Wednesday. "It's nothing you can get used to. Pain is pain. You can only try to build a tolerance.
"But I was thankful for my family, my teammates, the coaches, and the strength and medical staffs. They all helped me keep my mind right, keep my hopes up. And then the best day was getting back out here and it was, 'Wow, no blue jersey, out here competing full-go with my guys.' "
Blue jerseys at IU practices connote injury impairment, with the inability to fully participate. Harris doesn't have to wear one of those anymore.
"It definitely felt great, getting out there and being a part of the team again," Harris said about that first fall camp session. "The knee is feeling very strong right now, so I'm very thankful for that."
And his teammates are thankful to have him back.
"He's still so fast, which is crazy," said fellow slot-man Luke Timian. "With two knee injuries like that, you'd think his speed would be a little less, but it's not. I think he might even be faster, which is crazy.
"He brings speed, playmaking ability, quickness. All that."
IU's receiving corps was already well-stocked, on paper, too.
There are taller receivers such as 6-4 Hale, Simmie Cobbs and Jonah Morris, 6-3 Nick Westbrook and 6-2 Taysir Mack. There are speedy slot guys such as Harris, Timian, Issac James and Whop Philyor.
"Simmie and Nick can go up and get the ball," Timian said. "Those big guys are going to create mismatches on the outside. Me and J-Shun are going to bring some speed to the inside.
"There are going to be quite a few weapons out there."
New receivers coach Grant Heard is trying to further acclimate all of them, and other teammates, to new offensive coordinator Mike DeBord's system.
"They're still getting adjusted to the tempo we want, and we're still trying to set that tone," Heard said. "But they're learning. They got a lot thrown at them that first week and, trying to learn it fast makes it a little tough."
SPEA management major Harris agreed that continuing to learn, quickly, was key.
"Definitely getting our tempo up to speed, how we want it," Harris said when asked what his unit most needed to accomplish in camp. "Each and every day we're working at that. Understanding the plays to where we can run them out of any position – I can go outside and the outside guys can come inside.
"Knowing the playbook like the back of our hand will definitely help us out, and that is where we need to get. Everyone wants to become the best receiving corps in the country and that's our goal. We're … striving every day to achieve that goal."
Harris knows all about striving daily toward a worthy goal. He's had two long years of re-hab. Sometimes, during that stretch, the former all-state product from Fishers would watch one of his old games just to remind himself of what sort of player he was, and could be.
"My mom has all the games at home on the DVR," Harris said, "so whenever I went back home during the summer, I always checked out some of the highlights of those games.
"And (it) just kept my mind going, 'Hey, this was you, and now you need to get back to and exceed that level. You've done it before. There is no reason you can't do it again, can't get back out there and compete with your guys.' "
And, if anything, he now feels enhanced by the procedures on his knees.
"The guys always (use) all these machinery references, saying I need 10W-40 for my knees, all that sort of stuff," Harris said with a grin. "But I honestly feel I'm close to (where I was) if not there, speed-wise."
Even after IU's medical staff cleared him fully this summer, proclaiming both knees structurally sound, Harris had to conquer the mental hurdles that always arise after knee surgeries.
And he knew that first hit on the practice field was coming, too.
"Oh, yeah, that was definitely something I was thinking about, that first live period," Harris said. 'It's been a while since I've taken a lick.'
"But, in my mind, when I'm out there, I feel like I'm 6-5, 220 pounds – so none of those guys scare me when it comes to the live tackling."
Harris is listed at 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds.
But he is unafraid.
He's already shown he can take on major adversity and whip it.
Somebody find that man a cape.
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