WR Jay Harris, Downingtown East HS (Pa.) - (5-foot-10, 175)
Ratings: Rivals (NR), Scout (3 stars), 247 (3 stars), ESPN (NR)
Other notable offers: Pitt, Maryland, Temple
When it rain, it pours, I guess.
Pennsylvania receiver Jay Harris became the second MSU commit on Monday, the third in two days and the fourth in a week. There is a lot of excitement around the program right now.
First we get @Tk_Kilgore7 now we get my boy jay harris a Pa native....man oh man!
— Damion Terry (@DamionTerry) June 26, 2012
In Harris, MSU is getting a prototypical slot receiver and return guy. He shows a solid burst and acceleration, but he doesn't shy away from contract either.
Last season, Harris had 53 catches for 732 yards and 11 touchdowns, along with kick-returning. He's ranked as the No. 14 prospect in talent-rich Pennsylvania. He has good physical skills with speed and some toughness, but needs to work on fine-tuning the route running.
In February, Harris participated in a Maryland camp and was listed among the top receivers by Rivals.
Harris stood out with his athleticism. He was shifty and elusive after the catch and has little to no wasted movements. Harris also did a nice job locating and tracking deep passes. But he probably needs to improve his route running and sell his double moves a little better.
Despite not planning on taking many receivers in the 2013 class, Harris earned an offer from a few months ago. He offer list was small, but Penn State and Pitt also were showing strong interest. Outside of the state of Pennsylvania, he didn't get much exposure, but MSU has been high on him for some time.
Similar to Trey Kilgore, the Ohio receiver that committed earlier Monday, Harris pointed toward academics as a reason he chose MSU. Kilgore wants to major in engineering, while Harris wants to go into business. From 247:
"I just committed to Michigan State," Harris said. "Just from the first day I went up there I had a great feeling about it. I got a good feel for the coaching staff, the atmosphere. They have a great education system up there. They have a great business school and that's what I want to go into. It just all clicked."
Earlier in the day, 247 speculated that Harris might be squeezed out of a spot after Kilgore's commitment, and there were only a few guys MSU would take as a second receiver in the small class. But the MSU coaches apparently liked Harris enough to accept his commitment and move forward with other positions. MSU is now at 10 commits, and they likely will end up with somewhere between 13-16.
Barring a top prospect looking to join, I wouldn't imagine MSU grabs another receiver, having signed seven in the last two years, but you never know, I guess.
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