4 Saturday, August 31, 2019
THE DAILY
Four years after starting as true freshman, Nick Harris is commanding the UW offense
By Josh Kirshenbaum The Daily Nick Harris was surprised when, the summer before his senior year of high school, Washington became the first FBS school to offer him a scholarship. It was an
even bigger surprise when just over a year later, then-offensive line coach Chris Strausser told Harris he was going to play as a true freshman. Four years later, and now the unquestioned leader of the UW offensive line, the only surprise
currently on Harris’ mind is where the time went. “It’s pretty crazy when you put it in perspective, just how fast the time has gone by,” Harris said. “But it’s a role I’ve been ready to embrace.” Harris, now with 30 career
starts under his belt, will enter the 2019 season on the preseason All-Pac-12 team, as a second-team preseason AllAmerican, and on the watch lists for the Outland, Rimington, and Wuerffel trophies. But right now, the biggest
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focus for the 6-foot, 1-inch, 302-pound center is stepping into even more of a leadership role in his final year on Montlake. That hasn’t always come naturally for him. Junior Luke Wattenberg, who has known Harris longer than anyone else on the UW roster, first met him when Harris transferred to JSerra Catholic as a sophomore. “I didn’t know what to think of him,” Wattenberg said. “At that time, a lot of transfers were coming in and out, so I thought he was just another one.” Then he saw the new kid take a rep. “As soon as I saw him take his first pass, I saw those feet,” Wattenberg said. “Those quick feet everyone knows of his, and his unreal athletic ability.” Wattenberg — JSerra’s left tackle — said it still took Harris about a year to completely settle in to a spot opposite him on the right side. Even once he was there, he didn’t draw nearly as much attention as Wattenberg from colleges, with most coaches considering Harris — who first came to Washington listed at 270 pounds — too small to play at the next level. But before their freshman seasons, Strausser sat Harris down and told him he wasn’t going to redshirt. “It kind of just shook me and woke me up a little bit and told me I had to get going,” Harris said. He hasn’t stopped since. After four starts as a true freshman — including against No. 1 Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal — Harris became a full-time starter as a sophomore.
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It’s pretty crazy when you put it in perspective, just how fast the time has gone by. But it’s a role I’ve been ready to embrace.
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Ethan Uehara The Daily
Nick Harris makes an adjustment at the line of scrimmage during Washington’s season opener against Auburn in 2018. The matchup with the Tigers was Harris’ first career start at center for the Huskies; he went on to start all but one game there for the Dawgs last season.
Going into his junior season, he made the move to center, where he started all but one game last season. Now, he’s taking the final step of his collegiate career as a leader. “He’s a contagious personality,” offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said. “That guy, whatever he says, this team does and this offense does. He’s genuine, I think he’s authentic, and that guy’s as good of a leader as we have.” It’s a process that began for Harris back as a freshman in 2016. The new face on a line with veterans like veterans like Jake Eldrenkamp and Coleman Shelton, Harris got a first-hand look at how to lead a position group by example. “I think just the pride, the passion they played the game with, how in it they were, and how they took it day-by-day just to get better,” Harris said. “Just
