Auburn getting 'impactful' player in Harris

HOOVER, Ala. — In nine seasons as head coach of Thompson High School, Mark Freeman has turned the Warriors into a powerhouse at the 7A level.

He's coached a lot of players, seen plenty of them play at the next level and won four consecutive state titles. However, he's never coached someone like the newest Auburn commit, Kaleb Harris.

"He might be the most impactful football player we’ve ever had," Freeman said. "He’s physical, he’s strong, his instincts are tremendous. He’s our leader, he’s our dog. He’s a good football player."

On and off the field, Harris holds his teammates accountable, making sure the Warriors' defense is set up for success every play.

"He does it by his actions," Freeman said. "He doesn’t say a whole lot, but when he says stuff they listen. I told Coach (Hugh) Freeze he could play at any level. In college, he’s gonna be a star/nickel type player and he’ll knock your head off and he can cover people."

Hoover's quarterback found out fast just how hard Harris hits Friday night when facing the Warriors. On a third down play, Harris shot across the line of scrimmage and delivered a powerful strike.

Putting Harris on the line is something that Freeman would like to do more often, but the issue is that it might give something up in the secondary. Regardless of where Harris played Friday against Hoover he created issues for the Buccaneers, as Thompson won the game 21-11.

"He can move around," Freeman said. "Kaleb’s a good football player and Coach Freeze and them got a winner. He’s a winner."

How exactly did Freeze and Auburn land Harris?

"They were aggressive," Freeman said. "I think the other staff had actually offered him and the ball kinda got dropped...I’ve known Coach Freeze for a long time and I just think he’s gonna do great things at Auburn. I asked Coach (Freeze) to reevaluate [Harris] and look at him, and they did."

Overall, Freeman knows what kind of player Auburn is getting on the defensive side of the ball.

"He is a heck of a star/nickel/money type player," Freeman said. "He loves the line of scrimmage, he loves tackling people, but he can cover so he’s a really good football player."

Harris committed to Auburn on Oct. 23 and became the Tigers' 17th commit in the 2024 class.

"I want our kids to go where they feel comfortable," Freeman said. "Kaleb grew up loving Auburn. I’m happy for Kaleb, I’m happy for Coach Freeze and Auburn."