Monte Harrison could be set to make impact this fall

FAYETTEVILLE — Freshman Monte Harrison isn’t your normal newcomer since he graduated from high school in 2014.

He was a standout football and baseball player at Lee’s Summit (Mo.) West High School and signed with Nebraska for football. He was rated a four-star prospect. However he was drafted in Round 2 of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and signed with them instead of going to college. However now Harrison is giving college football a try and his coach Ronnie Fouch feels he can help the team.

“Monte’s been impressive,” Fouch said following Tuesday’s practice. “I was unsure, coming from baseball, how in shape he could be and how you handle a full practice, and he’s done a great job. He’s strong, he’s physical, he’s still learning releases and stuff like that. A little raw on some technical things, but he’s progressed every day of camp and developed those techniques that he’s missed out on for a couple years. But he has the natural talent, the burst, the strength, and the strong hands.”

Fouch, who is just 35, was asked if there is any problem coaching an older player and has he ever done it?

“I have,” Fouch said. “I coached in a professional league, and there was there was some quarterbacks that were near my age. And at the end of the day, everybody just wants the knowledge. They wanna be coached. Coming from baseball, he’s eager to learn more and more about football, being away from it so long.

“And there’s just a different level of maturity. He’s played in the professional league, so he acts like a pro. He takes care of his body, he studies, he takes notes. So, it’s great for the young guys to learn from him on how to be a pro.”

Isaiah Sategna is one of the returning receivers who has been impressed with what he has seen from Harrison.

“You know, he can catch the ball,” Sategna said. “He has crazy ball skills. He’s not really used to running routes and stuff, but he can catch that ball for sure.”

Isaac TeSlaa also has been impressed with the former baseball player.

“It’s good to have someone with experience — obviously it wasn’t in the NFL — but play in the league (as in Major Leagues),” TeSlaa said. “He’s obviously got a lot of wisdom and experience, so we’ve been listening to him and the different advice he’s got.”

Jaedon Wilson was one of the older receivers on the team until Harrison came on. Wilson likes how Harrison is fitting in.

“We know there’s a big age gap there, but we treat him like he’s one of us,” Wilson said. “So he’s just one of the guys.”

Cornerback Jaheim Singletary has also seen a lot of Harrison as he has to cover him in practice.

“I’ve been going against him,” Singletary said. “He’s a pretty nice dude. He’s big in size and real strong, so he’s going to be good for the team.”

Even Sam Pittman has liked what he has seen from Harrison including the very first practice.

“I tell you, Monte Harrison caught a nice slant route for a touchdown in either a two-minute drill or in team period,” Pittman said. “So, I think the competition part of it is going to be — hopefully we’ll be a little bit deeper than we thought. I thought both sides of the ball line-wise played extremely hard and we stayed up. The more athletic you are, the more you’ll stay on your feet, and I couldn’t tell you but maybe a handful of plays that someone was on the ground.”

Arkansas will return to the practice fields on Wednesday at 9 a.m.