Harris ready to mentor new starting cornerback

KENOSHA, Wis.-It was 45 minutes after practice and Matthew Harris still hadn’t appeared. Most of the media had already wrapped up their player interviews and the majority of the Wildcats had already gone, visiting with their families.

Scrimmage day in Camp Kenosha is a welcome change of pace for the Wildcats. After a full week of wall-to-wall football, most players go out to dinner and spend time with family and friends after the scrimmage.

Northwestern Media Relations staff members were asked if they were having trouble finding Harris. “No, we know exactly where he is,” they responded.

About five minutes later, Harris walked in, fresh off a weightlifting routine that he completed after practice. Even though the majority of starters did not participate in the day’s scrimmage, the senior cornerback from LaGrange Highlands, Ill., had no intention of taking the day off.

This is Matthew Harris in a nutshell. When others are calling it a day, he is back in the gym, getting his work in.

When asked about individual accolades, he deflects the attention and praise to his teammates and coaches. When he talks about his Northwestern career, he pays frequent praise to the defensive backs that came before him. When he’s asked about the remarkable obstacles he’s had to overcome to be in this position today, he makes no excuses and responds with humility and grace.

Though he is an expert at deflecting passes on the field, he may be even better at deflecting praise off of it.

With the season-ending injury to Keith Watkins II, who was set to start at the other cornerback spot, Harris will play an even more crucial role this upcoming season. Not only is Harris expected to be an anchor in the defensive backfield, but the four-year starter is also going to be a leader and mentor, especially with regards to getting sophomore Montre Hartage ready to play in Watkins’ starting spot.

This is a role that Harris acknowledges and is ready for. He says that he’s focused on “just making sure that we’re solid as a position group, as DBs. Kyle (Queiro) is stepping into that starting (safety) spot. Montre is stepping up for Keith. Just making sure we are on the same page because we all have the ability to perform, it is just being consistent with it.”

His role is not without precedent, as the veterans of the defensive backfield in previous years served as mentors to Harris when he was breaking into the rotation as a true freshman in 2013. They instilled valuable lessons that Harris now emphasizes and embodies to his younger teammates.

When asked who played a big role in his development, Harris mentioned three players he shared the secondary with over the last three seasons.

“Definitely (safety) Ibraheim (Campbell). His work ethic was just unbelievable. (Safety) Traveon (Henry), his leadership and the way he approached the game was also great. I still keep in contact with both of those guys to this day. Also (cornerback) Nick VanHoose, I know he was an unspoken leader, but he had talent and was the one that was always on the field making plays.

“All those three combined definitely game me a good example of what it takes to be a leader on this team and what it takes to be a great Big Ten football player.”

It would be easy for Harris to simply apply the successful methods that Campbell, Henry and VanHoose employed over the past couple seasons and leave it at that. Moreover, Harris, a naturally soft-spoken sort, could have taken a backseat to the more natural vocal members of the team.

Instead, Harris has carved out his own style by emphasizing not only a diligent work ethic, but also his enjoyment of the game. He admits that his style relies on the fact that he “just likes to have fun.”

“These four or five years aren’t guaranteed. At the end of the day it’s a game and we just want to have fun, but at the same time we all have a common mission, which is to win. I try to balance the two by being vocal and making sure everybody is doing what they have to do to win, but also making sure that every time they touch that field, they’re enjoying themselves as well.”

He’s taken a particular interest in helping Hartage get ready for the greatly increased role that he was not expected to play this season. In typical Harris fashion, he was extremely complimentary of Hartage before commenting on his own role in the mentoring process.

“Montre is a great cornerback. He came in ready to play,” said Harris, who will make his 29th start as a Wildcat on Sept. 3 against Western Michigan, while Hartage will be making his first. “That is a testament to him playing as a true freshman. He has always competed, so he’s made that transition easy for himself just because he has always prepared as a starter. He’s always been there, watching film, hitting the weight room, really just making sure he is at his best so when his time comes he’ll be able to perform.”

As for how he plans on getting Hartage up to speed, “The only way that I can help him is just mentally. Just making sure that he is confident in his abilities, and I know he is going to go out there and compete.”

With this being the final year of eligibility for Harris, the next stop may be an NFL roster. In the meantime, however, Harris is focused on being a key contributor for the Cats on and off the field.

“It’s pretty easy with this team just as far as everybody has their heads on straight. Everybody wants to win and we have a bunch of leaders. I’m not the only one.”

Matthew Harris, an expert in deflection.