ASU Football: Five things we saw at Pac-12 Media Day
By Trevor Booth
3. Herm Edwards’ love for N’Keal Harry
As expected, coach Edwards has a ton of love for Harry as a football player.
Harry, a 6-foot-4, 213-pound receiver from Chandler, Arizona, has earned high remarks entering his junior year at ASU. Rivals.com’s former No. 1 wide receiver in the country was named to preseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award, Fred Biletnikoff Award and the Paul Hornung Award in the past few weeks.
Harry has also gained steam as a prospect in this year’s NFL Draft. In a way-too-early 2019 NFL Mock Draft comprised by ESPN’s Todd McShay, he was projected to be selected 29th overall by the Houston Texans.
In the short few months he’s gotten to know his No. 1 offensive option, Edwards said Harry fully embodies the qualities that make him so special.
“I don’t have to worry about this guy [Harry],” Edwards told Pac-12 Networks. “The thing that we all know about N’Keal Harry is this: when he walks between the lines or he walks in the weight room, he’s competing. And that’s the one thing I stress to my team: you have to compete every day if you’re going to get better. He does that. That’s his DNA.”
Edwards, who played 10 seasons in the NFL as a defensive back, also mentioned his duty to give Harry the best advice possible to help him reach the league.
“He [Harry] looks at his life now and goes: this thing can carry me out of here,” Edwards added. “It carried me out of there. He has the ability to do that, and all the information I can give him on how to play at that level, I’m going to give it to him.”
Harry said he’s loved listening to his new coach, and that his words have impacted him ever since he met him in his senior year of high school.
“His words really do stick with me,” Harry told Pac-12 Networks. “I still remember being a senior in high school, having him coach me at the Under Armour game, and him telling us that it’s so important for us to act right off the field. What we do off the field is a direct reflection of our family, and we can either make our family extremely proud or bring shame to our family. And that’s something that’s stuck with me ever since I’ve heard it.”
With Harry being the most high-profile name on this year’s roster, expect the relationship between him and Edwards to grow as the year progresses. There may be moments when Edwards pushes Harry to a higher standard than others, but in the end, it’ll be the best thing for his future in football.