Published Feb 3, 2008
UCF opened eyes for Harris
Brandon Helwig
UCFSports.com Publisher

UCF got the last opportunity to impress Rivals100 cornerback Brandon Harris. The four-star prospect from Miami's Booker T. Washington High School spent the weekend taking a closer look at the Knights after taking previous trips to Miami, Ohio State, LSU and Florida.

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"Everything was great," Harris said of the UCF trip. "I enjoyed it. It was a real fun experience for me and I really enjoyed being there. I'm glad I took that visit because it opened my eyes to things about UCF that I never knew."

Harris and his parents arrived in Orlando Friday afternoon.

"They showed me around the entire campus and I had a chance to see the football facilities as well as the academic facilities," Harris said. "I got a chance to visit with a professor for my major (sports management) so that was really good. I attended some school functions, like the basketball game on Saturday night."

Harris said he was recognized by many fans and students in attendance at the UCF-Houston game.

"They were chanting my name during the game," Harris said. "That was fun. They showed me respect that they thought that highly of me. I appreciated all of it."

Freshmen A.J. Guyton, Kamar Aiken and Derrick Hallman served as his player hosts for the weekend. Like Harris, Guyton and Aiken are from Dade County.

"They showed me around and told me everything about the school," Harris said. "They showed me how it is there from the players' perspective so that was good."

Harris said he was extremely impressed with UCF's campus and facilities. The Knights recently opened their new on-campus football home, Bright House Networks Stadium, and have the only indoor practice facility in the state. The school itself is the sixth-largest in the nation.

"It was my first time really on campus so I had never experienced it before," he said. "Everything is really nice, all the buildings and everything like that. They have really good football facilities. They have an indoor facility and a new stadium. Everything was great. Just perfect."

Harris spent a lot of time with the coaches.

"I had a good talk with the coaching staff," he said. "I met with Coach (George) O'Leary and the position coach (Gary Blackney). We talked about the opportunities there. They basically just told me about their program and said I'd have an opportunity to play. They didn't talk about the other schools, just UCF, and I respected that."

O'Leary met with him one final time before they left Sunday.

"It was a good meeting," Harris said. "He met with me and my family. We talked about some things, we spelled out some things and it's on me from here."

David Kelly, who coaches UCF's wide receivers, has been recruiting him.

"I have an excellent relationship with Coach Kelly," Harris said. "He's been with me throughout the process. I have great respect for him. He's like family."

If he's leaning anywhere, Harris won't tip his hand at this point. He said he will announce Wednesday between UCF, Miami, Florida, Ohio State and LSU. He took official visits to all five schools.

"I need to talk to my family about everything," Harris said. "I'm not sure what I'm going to look for. I'll just go with what my feeling is. Whatever feels right is what I'm going to go with.

"I haven't thought about it a whole lot yet. I need time to think things over so I'll probably turn my phone off so I can think about it."

Harris will make the pick live on ESPN at 1:05 p.m.

"I've only got a few more days," he said. "It's a relief to know it's almost over. It was fun while it lasted, but it gets crazy at times too."