Report: Monte Harrison, former MLB player, commits to Arkansas football

Monte Harrison, who spent the last near decade playing professional baseball, including the MLB, committed to Arkansas, according to Richard Davenport.

Per the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette recruiting writer, Harrison committed to Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks. He never used any college eligibility.

Originally committed to Nebraska in the Class of 2014, Harrison was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers that year in the second round.

He eventually made it to the Big Leagues in 2020 with the Miami Marlins, playing two seasons with the team. He also played for the Los Angeles Angels in 2022.

Through that season, Harrison had a .176 batting average, two home runs and six RBI as an outfielder. He spent the majority of his career in the minor leagues.

The 28-year-old Harrison also held offers from Michigan State, Missouri, Indiana and Kansas, among others when he was a recruit a decade ago.

As a member of the Class of 2014, Harrison was a four-star recruit out of Lee’s Summit (Mo.) West, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 5 overall prospect in the state, the No. 50 wide receiver in the class and the No. 297 overall prospect in the class.

During his senior year of high school, Harrison showcased why he was one of the best prospects in the area. He finished with 60 catches for 1,007 yards, 13 touchdowns, 198 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns and even threw a touchdown.

Pittman didn’t want to lose any players during the spring window, but acknowledged it’d happen. He also knew he’d gain some as well, perhaps not quite like Harrison though.

“We don’t want to lose any of our players,” Pittman said of the spring portal in April. “And I had to talk with our team and I said, ‘Hey, we just don’t lose anybody that we have and don’t add anybody, we’re gonna have us a fine football team. So the number one thing is I don’t want to lose anybody. We’re going to. I mean, I hope not but we could. I don’t know why you’d want to leave this team. This is a good football team, but I understand the landscape of football.”