HOLLYWOOD – N’Keal Harry came to the United States for an opportunity.
A kid from the south Caribbean nation of St. Vincent, known more for explosive volcanos and yacht life than elite football players, his grandmother made the decision to provide a better life and future for a then-four-year-old Harry.
Fast forward to 2015. Harry, a five-star wide receiver prospect out of Chandler High School (Chandler, Arizona), held scholarship offers from several elite programs including Oregon, Texas, USC, Washington, and both in-state Pac-12 schools Arizona and Arizona State.
Harry was ranked as the No. 18 recruit in the country in 2015 by Rivals and the No. 1 receiver. The same class produced Byron Murphy, a four-star cornerback that many, including Harry, had projected to commit to the Sun Devils under then-head coach Todd Graham.
“It was a bit surprising at first because I expected would stay and play with us,” Harry told Rivals at Pac-12 Media Day, when asked his initial reaction to Murphy choosing UW over ASU, among others.
“But at the end of the day you have to go their separate way at some point. We all have to make decisions and it’s worked out. I’m extremely happy for him and I look forward to seeing all the success that’s come his way.”
Both Harry and Murphy have seen their fair share of success since gracing the conference with their presence. The Huskies touted sophomore missed seven games last season after suffering an injury during practice after week three.
UW has made strong head roads in the desert since hiring Chris Petersen back in December 2013, signing four players from the state of Arizona including Murphy. Versatile three-star defensive back Dominique Hampton is the latest to come to UW from the state as a part of the Huskies 2018 recruiting class out of Peoria, Arizona (Centennial).
Hampton, a 6-1 athlete caught Lake’s eye during the Huskies annual summer Rising Stars Camp in June 2017. He came to Seattle that weekend without an offer and left with one, committing to Petersen and rest off the staff almost one month later.
“There is so many talented players in Arizona. I feel like it’s slept on a lot because we’re on the west coast and football is very big in the south,” Harry said. “But there’s some sleepers out in Arizona. Some kids that really know how to ball and some kids that will make an impact in the NFL one day.”
Harry is widely expected to be one of those very players to hear his named called as a high first-round draft pick in either the 2019 or 2020 NFL Draft.
The junior takes pride in not only being a great player, but more importantly a guide for younger players to look up to as they chase a similar dream.
“It’s meant the world to me. I want people from Arizona, kids, high school players from Arizona, to look and say why not,” Harry said. Why not me? Why can’t I go to Arizona State and do everything I wanted to do, accomplish all my dreams. It’s a great place for that and I wanted to be a role model for that.”
When Harry does choose to turn pro his effort to better the future for younger players is only going to intensify and expand.
“Yes. I would love to give back to the state of Arizona. I would also love to give back to my home country St. Vincent,” he said. “Just because there’s not a lot of opportunity out there like there is out here. That’s really the reason I came to the United States. That’s why my grandma brought me here. So I want to do anything I can to help players.”
If it sounds like there is a three letter acronym that could align with Harry, believe it. He almost was an O.K.G. (Our Kind of Guy), the saying Petersen uses most often to describe the high-character type of player he and the the Huskies staff seek.
“Yeah, of course,” Harry said, when asked how close he came to choosing UW over ASU in 2015. “They were in my top five. It was a school I could have seen myself at, but at the end of the day I just felt like Arizona State was the place for me.”
Petersen fired Brent Pease as WR coach in December 2015, ending a two-year stint at UW and paving the way for Bush Hamdan to emerge as another young budding coach under Petersen. Hamdan assumed the role for the Heart of Dallas Bowl and was named full-time coach in January 2016.
Since then UW has signed four four-star WR recruits; sophomore Ty Jones, and freshmen Austin Osborne, Marquis Spiker and Trey Lowe. Lowe is the only non-Hamdan recruit, committing to UW in March 2017, one month after Hamdan left UW for the Atlanta Falcons QB coaching job.
Whether Harry chose red or purple, he’s happy with his decision and cherishes the relationship he has with his Dawg brother, Byron Murphy.
“Of course. I’ll always keep in touch with people like that,” Harry said. “That’s honestly one of my brothers. That’s been somebody who’s been around who has helped me through some of the tough times I’ve had, and somebody who will always be a part of my life.”
