On Sun Devil Football Eve, N'Keal Harry was a mastermind at wide receiver

Happy Football Eve to all who celebrate!

Yesterday's time in the spotlight went to Xavion Alford, coming off First-Team All-Big 12 honors and looking to take Arizona State to the next level. For the last day of our countdown there were a handful of players to choose from, but today's honors go to the elder of ASU's wide receiving tandem in the late-2010's, N'Keal Harry.

Born in Toronto and spending some of his infancy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, N'Keal moved to Phoenix as a child, going on to become a star wide receiver at Chandler High School. A 5-star recruit according to Rivals.com, he had offers from many top-tier programs across the country, including USC, Oregon, and Texas A&M. Ultimately he decided to stay in Arizona, signing with the Sun Devils for the 2016 season.

The hype surrounding N'Keal was immediate, becoming just the ninth true freshman in ASU history to start the season opener against Northern Arizona. After a modest 31 yards in his debut, he upped the ante with 72 and 78 yards in each of the next two games. His production varied for the rest of the season, but not before setting a season high with 114 yards in back to back games at home against Utah and on the road at Washington.

N'Keal would finish the season by setting program freshman records for receptions (58) and receiving yards (659), adding 5 touchdown catches to his credit. He was named a First-Team Freshman All-American by Scout and Campus Insiders, and was named Honorable Mention All-Pac-12.

N'Keal's sophomore season got off to a bit of a slow start before he hit the gas in Week 3, posting 148 receiving yards in the loss to Texas Tech followed by a career-high 170 yards in the Pac-12 home opener against Oregon. Seemingly a magnet for any ball thrown at him, N'Keal received a 107.0 QB rating when targeted, according to PFF.

His 82 catches for 1,142 yards and 8 touchdowns led the team in all categories, finishing second in the Pac-12 in catches and receiving yards and leading the conference in yards per game (87.8). 82 catches on the season also put him in a tie with Jaelen Strong for third-most in a single season in program history, a mark that still stands today. In recognition of his outstanding season, N'Keal was named First Team All-Pac-12 in 2017.

The 2018 season came with high expectations as N'Keal was named a preseason All-American by Athlon Sports. He did not disappoint, starting the season with a bang against UTSA by hauling in 6 catches for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns, including this piece of wizardry that evaded almost the entire defense.

One of four 100 yard games on the season, Harry was a nightmare for secondaries. In fact he was held under 50 yards in just one game, Week 4 at Washington where the Huskies limited him to 20 yards on 5 catches.

N'Keal also emerged as a dynamic punt returner as a junior, returning 9 kicks for 152 yards, the best return being this 92 yard touchdown at USC.

A team leader in all receiving categories for the second straight season, N'keal finished the year with 73 catches for 1,088 yards and 9 touchdowns, good for second in the conference in receiving yards and fourth in catches and touchdowns and earning him First Team All-Pac-12 honors. His punt returning abilities earned him the added distinction of Second Team All-Pac-12 honors as a return specialist.

N'Keal declared for the 2019 NFL Draft and heard his name called early, selected 32nd overall by the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. His career in New England did not produce the same results that he showed in Tempe, recording 18 catches on 103 targets for 598 yards in 33 games in Foxboro (18 starts), scoring 4 touchdowns.

The Patriots traded him to the Chicago Bears ahead of the 2022 season where his usage was minimized, appearing in 7 games with 7 catches for 116 yards and one touchdown. He would then spend the 2023 season with the Minnesota Vikings, splitting time between the practice squad and active roster and recording no stats in the 9 games he appeared in. Most recently he was a member of the Seattle Seahawks practice squad during the 2024 season.

Harry's career marks of 213 catches for 2,889 yards remain third most in program history today, and his 22 touchdown catches coming in at fifth all-time. His elite pass catching ability made him the primary target on the field, while his elusiveness could produce highlight reel plays at any moment.

We here at Devils In Detail hope you have enjoyed our player spotlights as we counted down the days until football season. Every player highlighted has contributed to the legacy of the maroon and gold and stands out in their own distinctive way. As we turn to the page to the 2025 season, I'll leave it to the legendary voice of Gus Farwell:

Go, Devils, Goooooo, and Forks Up!