Damien Harris


Damien Harris is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He played college football at Alabama.

Early years

Harris attended Madison Southern High School in Berea, Kentucky. During his high school career, he rushed for 6,748 yards with 122 touchdowns. He was rated by the Rivals.com recruiting network as a five-star recruit and was ranked as the top running back and the eighth best overall player in his class. Harris committed to the University of Alabama to play college football under head coach Nick Saban.

College career

Harris was a backup to Derrick Henry as a true freshman at Alabama in 2015. He played in 12 games and rushed for 157 yards on 46 carries. With Henry leaving for the NFL, Harris became Alabama's starting running back in 2016, beating out Bo Scarbrough. In his first career start against USC in the season opener, he rushed for 138 yards on nine carries. In the third game, against Ole Miss, Harris carried 16 times for 144 yards, including a 67-yard run in which he out-muscled two defenders. A sprained knee against Kent State on September 24 caused him to sit out the rest of the game, but he returned the following week against Kentucky. Against Arkansas on October 8, Harris had 122 yards rushing, 60 yards receiving, and a touchdown reception. Harris had his fourth 100-yard game of the season against Texas A&M, rushing for 125 yards on 18 carries. He graduated in December 2018.

Statistics

Professional career

Harris was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He made his professional debut in the team's Week 7 33-0 victory over the New York Jets, rushing for 12 yards on four carries.