Junior offensive linemen Nick Harris excels at blocking the defensive wiles of his opponent. He helped the Washington Huskies win a Pac-12 championship and reach the Rose Bowl Game for the first time since 2001.
His dedication and work ethic can also be seen in his studies, Harris earned All-Academic Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors for 2017 and 2018.
“It’s a very diverse school, it offers a lot. You see things that you don’t see in Southern California,” Harris said. “Growing up in Inglewood, I didn’t see a lot of things until I went to [Washington].”`
Family is a key source of inspiration for Harris. He is majoring in education.
“I eventually want to be a coach, try to be around the youth and stuff like that,” he said.
Upon his arrival at Washington, the Inglewood native was granted playing time opportunities. He was one of four true freshmen to compete in the season opener in 2016 when the Huskies defeated Rutgers 48-13.
As a freshman, Harris competed in high profile games, like the Pac-12 championship and their College Football Playoff Semifinals against the Alabama Roll Tide.
Early in his college career, Harris competed at the left and right guard positions. As a junior, he played 13 games as a center during the season. The conference took notice and awarded his efforts. In 2017, Harris was All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and was named on the All-Pac-12 First Team in 2018.
Harris noted how time management helps him balance his commitment to his classwork and his efforts during games.
“We have a busy schedule as student athletes with practice and class and stuff,” Harris said. “Just making sure you make time for certain things. Make time for homework, make time for classes and when you’re done with that, putting that away and then bringing your mind on football.”
Harris recalled taking a sociology class at Washington that he enjoyed. The university put in place programs to help Harris be a high achieving student.
“We have tutors, we have a lot of academic centers that we can go to that are open for help,” Harris said. “We have so many resources that we use on a daily basis.”
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