2019 Miami Hurricanes Player Profile: RB Cam’ron Harris

The final arrival to the University of Miami’s roster came with small fanfare. The bulk of the 2018 recruiting class had already made their debut on campus and put in some time on the team’s Greentree Practice Field. When it was officially announced that Cam’ron Davis was enrolled in classes, the news served more as a checkmark on attendance than a hype session for what the running back could bring.

Cam’ron Davis was the last man on the totem pole in UM’s running back group. It was a cast of players driven by 2017 rushing leader Travis Homer. RB DeeJay Dallas served as the dynamic change-of-pace back gifted with the versatility to line up under center and as a receiver. Senior Trayone Gray was the physically imposing back who was making the transition to fullback. Many Canes supporters were excited about the arrival of University High School RB Lorenzo Lingard. A five-star prospect according to 247 Sports, Lingard was projected to wrest some carries away from the incumbents, etching his name into the starting line up.

That premonition did pan out after all was said and done. It’s was just another freshman runner that made the favorable impression.

Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images

After not getting any snaps in the Hurricanes’ season opener against LSU, Davis earned his first career carry in UM’s home opener against Savannah State. With the Hurricanes up 56-0, Davis lined up beside QB Jarren Williams in shotgun formation and was ready to get on the stat sheet after running a play action on first down. On a second-and-ten on the Tigers’ 24 yard line, Davis took handoff and was met by three unblocked Tiger defenders. Yet, churning his legs forward, David picked up three yards. Capitalizing on opportunity is a common play for this back.

Against Florida International two weeks later, Davis increased his carries to five against a difficult opponent. Alongside fellow Lorenzo Lingard, the freshmen backs would combine to closeout the game for the Hurricanes’ offense. Rushing for 24 yards on five carries, the Miami Carol product illustrated his explosiveness after the handoff by picking up a chunk of yardage with each carry.

In the midst of Miami’s mid-season slump, Davis didn’t get a single snap in the team’s losses to Virginia, Boston College and Duke. With Lorenzo Lingard suffering a season-ending injury and Miami desperate to get out of their losing skid, Davis finally got some touches in an early November game in Atlanta.

It was a tough go for both the RB and UM’s offense. The first couple of touches of the game, it appeared that Davis was ducking his shoulder pads to run into a wall, with little yardage gained on those carries. However, on a 3rd and 2 at the Yellow Jackets’ 22 yard line, Davis would celebrate a career milestone. Davis squirmed through a hole in the middle of the Georgia Tech defense, streaking into the endzone for 22-yard TD run. Dropping to his knees, Davis is on record for his devout faith “Thank[ing] God for giving him a chance to get on the field.”

That trend would continue the following week when the back would once again fall to the ground in the endzone after a 42-yard run against Virginia Tech in the third quarter. The celebrations didn’t end there, as Davis would record his first touchdown reception of his young career on a 12-yard pass from N’Kosi Perry. That explosion in the open spaces was on full display in what was arguably the best game of his freshman season.

Davis ended his first year on campus with 28 carries for 166 rushing yards, three receptions for 25 yards and three total touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving).

After making splash plays here and there for the Hurricanes last season, the running back aims to continue his upward trajectory within the Canes’ new offense. The running back already underwent a Machiavellian change this offseason — he assumed his father’s surname. Cam’Ron Davis is now Cam’Ron Harris. Under a new regimen led by director of strength and conditioning David Feeley, Harris has packed on 15 pounds of muscle and dropped his fat percentage from 10% to 6.8% this past spring. That’s great news for a young back who is in line to see a significant uptick in production in 2019.

When asked this past spring about the competition among his position group, Harris replied,

“We’re challenging each other to become better. We make each other better. It’s really nothing about who wants to be first or second. If your name comes up, be the best man.” Feeding off one another should help spur Harris and the rest of Miami’s offense as they adapt to offensive coordinator Dan Enos’ system. According to the sophomore back, “Once we get this [offensive] playbook down pat, we’ll be awesome.”

In most of the interviews that Harris has conducted, you see his optimism for the team. He has supported Miami’s criticized offensive line, mentioning his confidence that the unit is getting better each and every day. When asked about which quarterback has done the best, Harris is quick to mention that he’s comfortable catching passes from all of the quarterbacks on the roster. Perhaps Harris is wise beyond his years, or maybe he’ll be the next Hurricane to make a career for himself in politics, either way the back has a knack to say the right thing in a scrum.

Prediction for 2019

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There’s a viable scenario that Cam’Ron Harris works as a 1A to DeeJay Dallas’ 1 at running back. Harris is a one-cut runner that can plant and go, gaining five yards in an instant. Approaching the line of scrimmage like a bowling ball, Harris crashes into defenders, usually falling forward to gain optimum yardage. What he lacks in wiggle and escapability he makes up for by racing towards open spaces on defense. We’ll see if Harris can be a bigger threat as a receiver out of the backfield for the offense. Lets not forget the all-important aspect of any young QB’s skillset: Improving his pass protection for this coming year.

Whether Cam’Ron Harris goes on to be the starting running back or becomes a Tag-Team Champion with DeeJay Dallas this season, he’s on track to exceed his production from last year. Harris is set on seeing the best version of the Hurricanes’ offense reach its potential and his own talent pool will be heavily drawn upon to make that happen.

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