OL Knijeah Harris locked in with the Gators: 'Everything is perfect at Florida'

For Knijeah Harris, the recruiting process is now completely in the rearview mirror.

The Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy offensive lineman committed to Florida in May and says he will not be visiting any additional schools going forward.

A native of Port St. Lucie, the 6-foot-3, 327-pound Harris has collected nearly 30 offers. Some of the additional schools on his list include Alabama, UGA, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Notre Dame, LSU and USC.

“Everything is perfect at Florida from the coaches to the campus to the facilities,” Harris told On3’s Jeremy Johnson. “Coach Napier’s the man with the plan. You talk with him, you sit down with him, you see how detailed he is and you see he has everything planned out.

“From just the offseason workouts to fall camp to everything, he has a plan for all the players. You can see that he has a vision.”

However, when it came to pulling himself off the market, there were a handful of Gators staff members who played a pivotal role in that decision.

“(They) hit me up multiple times a week,” said Harris. “Multiple coaches recruited me as well. (Offensive coordinator Rob) Sale, (offensive line) coach (Darnell) Stapleton, (head) coach (Billy) Napier, (running backs) coach (Jabbar) Juluke, (defensive analyst Jamar) Chaney. They gave it their all.”

The recruiting cap is always nearby for Harris

Itinerary is not exactly finalized, but Harris hopes to attend UF’s recruiting cookout on July 30. You can expect him to be present for a flurry of home games as well.

With his recruitment shut down, Harris is now taking on the role of recruiter in hopes of strengthening a Gators recruiting class that ranks 16th in the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings.

In addition to Harris, some of the notable names in the class include wide receiver Eugene Wilson III, running back Treyaun Webb, defensive lineman T.J. Searcy and cornerback Sharif Denson.

“We came back,” Harris said. “We got a few big-time commitments (on) the offense.”

Inside the Film Room

With Harris, this is a prospect who has plenty of experience pulling and getting downhill to punish defenders.

The Port St. Lucie native provides that pop at the point of attack, and more often than not, does a good job of getting his opponent to the turf. He also shows good awareness when scanning the field for defenders. There are times when he can do a better job of sinking his hips and making contact with better pad level, but that is not a big concern.

Although he typically overwhelms the opponent in front of him, Harris can make improvements in the strength and conditioning department. IMG suits up against quality competition; however, the SEC is obviously another level and boasts much stronger players. He needs to continue to get stronger overall; that will improve his drive-blocking ability even more. That will also allow him to play with much better leverage and power.

Harris can also drop some weight and tighten up his frame, but that will happen fairly quickly after arriving in Gainesville. Making full use of UF’s strength and conditioning program under Mark Hocke will be very beneficial.

There are times when he overextends in pass protection; however, that is something he can correct fairly quickly. He shows decent footwork in that part of his game and is aware of his surroundings as well. At this stage in his career, however, Harris is much more advanced as a run blocker and that is evident when watching his film.

As for his projected fit, Harris says the Gators are courting him to play a mixture of guard and center. He is actually moving to center for his senior year, so that will be great practice ahead of his time in Gainesville.

With all that being said, what stands out the most is Harris’ aggressiveness. In today’s day and age of college football, everyone wants the lean and prototypical type of offensive linemen; however, with Harris, this is a stout road grader along the interior who brings it every play.

Stay tuned to Gators Online.