On December 18, 2023, a news alert popped up on the phone for many Oregon Duck fans.
“Former Northwest Missouri State RB Jay Harris to transfer to Oregon,” it read.
…who?
Some quick Googling told you that the Ducks picked up a 6-foot-2, 215-pound running back out of the transfer portal. One who averaged 130 yards per game and scored 14 touchdowns in 2023 alone. A player who, with the size of an NFL running back and the speed of a wide receiver, went practically unnoticed from the high school football ranks into the Division II streets of Maryville, Missouri.
Seems like a strange path, no?
You don’t know the half of it.
Jay Harris is not unlike many other football players in the sense that he’s trying to use the game to change his life. The story of humble beginnings turned into generational wealth is a popular one in our world of sports, and it’s been turned into a new “American Dream” for many intercity kids across our nation who got dealt a raw hand.
Harris certainly fits into that mold of a young man trying to climb out of a pit where systemic failures started him. But the depths of that pit reach far beyond what many could imagine.
In November of 2005, when Jay was 2 years old, a tragic incident resulted in the death of both his mother and father in a matter of a few days. This resulted in Jay and his four siblings, all of whom are less than five years apart, going to live with his grandparents, John and Diann Harris.
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This magnitude of tragedy early in life can mold someone and set them on the wrong path early on if not handled with care. Fortunately, Jay was able to find football at the age of five when his older brother started playing in a Wentzville youth league.
Jay developed a liking for the sport, grabbed on tight, and hasn’t loosened his grip since.
“Football was my escape,” Harris said in an exclusive interview with Ducks Wire. “I missed a lot of family events because of football. Just travel and stuff like that. Football was definitely my getaway from whatever else was going on.”
It was apparent early on that Jay had a future in it. From his days in Little League running over opponents to his time at Timberland High School where he was named an All-State running back and cornerback, Jay had a knack for the sport, and the size to pursue it at a high level.
The only problem? Opportunity and timing.
“I had low offers, like small D1 and D2 schools,” Harris said. “Around that time I lost my grandpa, too. That was kind of my year where things fell off.”
With his grandfather now gone, Jay was forced into foster care, where he bounced around to a few different homes. Ultimately, his grandmother was able to get him back under her care.
With the stability that Diann provided lifting him up once more, Jay landed at Northwest Missouri State, where he would play for two years and eventually turn into the running back that many thought was possible. His first season with the Bearcats saw him play just four games, but he notched five touchdowns with limited opportunities. Then, in 2023, Harris exploded.
A total of 11 games allowed Jay to rush the ball 244 times for 1,433 yards (5.9 YPC) and 14 touchdowns. He had over 100 yards rushing in every contest, averaging 130 yards per game with one in particular seeing the breakout star tally 274 yards and 4 scores.
The plan was coming together. Jay knew that if he put in the work necessary at Northwest Missouri State, doors would open up. A solid season or two, and he could have a chance to make the leap to D1 and earn some newfound NIL money for himself and his family.
“I just went out and played hard every day, executing, rushing for the yards that I did,” Harris said. “And then Coach Locklyn called.”
Jay thinks back to the day that he got a phone call from the Oregon Ducks running backs coach, offering him a spot on the roster. Some kids might recall that memory with a sense of fulfillment and emotion. Instead, he sounded like an employee recounting a well-deserved promotion more than anything.
“I wasn’t really too surprised,” Harris said. “I didn’t think it would be Oregon, but I knew a call was coming from somewhere.”
One of the pillars of Dan Lanning’s program in Eugene is connection.
Time and again, he will tell you that brothers who are connected, knowing the things that make each other tick on an emotional level, will fight harder for one another when things get tough in a game.
He calls it a player’s “why,” and makes sure that “knowing your why” is one of the prerequisites to being a Duck.
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So it makes sense that Jay Harris landed at Oregon, learning under a coach who believes in the power of passion and drive. He may not have known it when committing to the Ducks, but his “why” was finding a place to grow.
What is his “why?”
“My grandma,” Harris said. “She’s the reason I get up and do what I do every day. She’s the last one in my corner. Everything I go out and do every day is for her.”
More than just making Diann proud, Harris is driven to provide. Not only for her but for his family as well. That’s why teammates describe Jay as having a different demeanor around the practice facility.
“He’s a funny dude — a big goofy dude,” said Oregon RB Jordan James. “But he attacks everything that he does.”
It’s been that way since Harris landed in Eugene earlier this year. James describes him as “working like the starter” in every aspect of his life, while offensive coordinator Will Stein says he’s always wanting to get better.
Oregon RB Noah Whittington explained it to me perfectly — Jay has no choice.
“He understands that this is his shot to change his family trajectory, and the future of his family,” Whittington said. “I tell him ‘If you do two good years here, then you can buy whatever you want to buy.'”
So far, things are going well for Jay in Eugene. He’s picking up the playbook, improving every day, and starting to carve out a role for himself in the offense. In Oregon’s Spring Game, he had 14 touches for 86 yards and a touchdown, earning our Ducks Wire MVP Award.
Making a mark during the season will be more difficult, with both James and Whittington ahead of him on the depth chart. There will be times when frustration might come, and the carries might be sparse, but Harris is confident that he will get through it.
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If he does, there’s more opportunity to come. It could be in the form of NIL deals, an NFL draft selection, and signing bonuses down the road. No matter what it is, the end result will all amount to the same thing — providing for his family and doing a good bit of work in changing his family trajectory.
With that thought, Jay Harris will continue to push forward from a rough upbringing, always moving forward.
“Just remembering my why,” he said. “It’s why I’m even getting up every day.”
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