Nebraska picked up a commitment from Monte Harrison (Lee’s Summit, Mo./Lee’s Summit West) on Thursday, and it meant more than just getting a solid football player. The Huskers nabbed a solid athlete.
In addition to being a four-star receiver and the No. 5 football player in Missouri, Harrison is an equally talented -- if not better -- baseball player. He committed to the Huskers to play football, and he said playing college baseball is in his plans as well.
“It feels good. I’m glad to get it over it and focus on both sports,” Harrison said of his commitment. “I was just feeling everything [about Nebraska]. I was talking to my mom, and she said it was cool.”
Harrison, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound athlete with 4.48 speed in the 40-yard dash, was recruited to Nebraska by offensive line/tight ends coach John Garrison. He chose Nebraska over offers from Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Michigan State and others. Harrison visited Lincoln, Neb., in April for the Cornhuskers’ annual Red-White game.
Whether or not Harrison will wear the Nebraska colors, however, is still to be determined. Harrison is one of the top outfielders in Missouri, and he’s open to looking at a professional baseball career depending on how he fares in next June's MLB draft.
One thing’s for certain: Nebraska was an easy choice because the football and baseball coaches are willing to work with his schedule.
“The day when baseball coaches could first call, Nebraska was one of only three coaches to do it,” Harrison said. “I like both coaching staffs, and the atmosphere there is nice. At the same time, they were really focused on asking recruits questions. Talking to the coaches, I knew that’s where I wanted to go.”
As a wide receiver, Harrison is ranked No. 49 nationally.
