CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Quentin Harris picked Duke for reasons beyond football. So when Daniel Jones, taken as the sixth pick of the NFL draft by the New York Giants, committed to the Blue Devils in the same Class of 2015 and quickly passed him on the depth chart, Harris didn’t think transfer.
That has become a seemingly involuntary reflex among quarterbacks these days in college football, but Harris had other ideas on his mind involving his Duke education..
Long-term, politics intrigues him. The fifth-year senior has already graduated with a degree in public policy, but real estate development might be the closer starting block. His Masters program is in business.
“My decision wasn’t based solely on football,” Harris said at the ACC Kickoff media days. “It was based on academics, the program and the coach of the program. Duke was a place I wanted to be for the combination of athletics and academics. It’s a world class education and I’m playing in the ACC.
“Just because there was competition at my position, I wasn’t willing to leave just because I wasn’t getting playing time. I’ve earned (the starting job) now and I’m looking forward to the playing time this season.”
Sports announcing has crossed his mind, although that would be like a presidential candidate settling for city council.
“We’ll see,” he said. “Hopefully this year will help define my interests.”
Don’t underestimate the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder – on or off the field.
His business sense can’t necessarily be determined in a sports interview, but listen to him speak with media cameras, microphone and notebooks surrounding his table in a breakout room in the Westin Hotel. It’s clearly evident he can command a huddle or make his point to an audience.
The first indicator is found in speech patterns. His words flow with answers to the media questions, while other players include and uhs and ahs commonly found interrupting human speech. Actually, sportswriters could use him throwing in a few uhs and ahs just to keep up with him while taking notes or transcribing quotes.
But Harris has thrown more interceptions — one last year in 10 games – than he has uttered uh and ah since last season when he made his first two career starts while Jones was injured and began meeting with the media.
As an orator, Harris won’t need a teleprompter giving political speeches.
“Quentin is brilliant, just plain and simple brilliant,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. “You can coach him intellectually, you can coach him (physically). He understands what the concepts are and what we’re trying to do.
“I think what we’re working on is trying to find what he believes in. Ultimately what he has most confidence in what we’re going to do. We have a big ole wide array of offense, a lot of sets, a lot of pass concepts. What we want to do is zero in on what Quentin Harris believes in. So that’s really what we’re working on.”
There is a tendency to label a short, black quarterback as a runner, but Cutcliffe says don’t let the limited playbook Harris worked with when he was thrust into two starts last year define his ability. His says his teammates have seen him air it out plenty in practice.
“I don’t feel like I have to prove anything about my abilities to throw or my ability to be a pocket-passing quarterback,” Harris said. “It’s something I pay attention to. I focus on critiquing myself so I can get better each week.”
Harris finished last year completing 34-of-68 passes for 437 yards and seven touchdowns with the one pick. He ran 46 times for 195 yards and five scores. Cutcliffe is confident Harris’ completion percentage will improve this year with experience gained in his pre- and post-snaps reading defense.
The bulk of his playing time was in three games – all wins — the second half at Northwestern (21-7) after Jones went down with a broken collar bone and starts at Baylor (40-27) and at home against N.C. Central (55-13).
Now he has to take the next step as the established starter and team leader.
“We have a lot of confidence in Quentin,” said senior linebacker Koby Quansah, who joined Harris for media days in Charlotte. “He’s been a leader since he stepped in. He’s been able to communicate with guys. He makes sure everybody is on time for meetings and reminds people in the morning what we’re doing with texts.”
Politics, the real estate development and sports announcing are all on hold for more pressing matters this fall.
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Tom Shanahan, Author: Raye of Light http://tinyurl.com/knsqtqu
— Book on Michigan State’s leading role in the integration of college football. It explains Duffy Daugherty’s untold pioneering role and debunks myths that steered recognition away from him to Bear Bryant.
http://shanahan.report/a/the-case-for-duffy-and-medal-of-freedom
http://www.shanahan.report/a/forty-four-underground-railroad-legacy-facts
David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize winner and biographer; “History writes people out of the story. It’s our job to write them back in.
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