Muskegon senior offensive lineman Jim Harris Jr. commits to Virginia

MUSKEGON, MI – It takes a lot to move Jim Harris Jr. off his spot.

The punishing run blocker for the Muskegon Big Reds football team has almost always stonewalled his opponents at the line of scrimmage and helped anchor an offensive line that powered Muskegon to a Division 2 state championship last November.

The soon-to-be senior fully expected to let his final season as a member of the Muskegon Big Reds football team play out before making his college plans official but one trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, knocked him off his feet.

Harris visited the University of Virginia football program on an official visit on June 14 and knew by the time he returned to Michigan that he had found his future home. The 3-star recruit announced via social media Monday afternoon that he will join the 2025 recruiting class for the Cavaliers and head coach Tony Elliot.

“The visit was amazing and the people I met there were great,” said Harris of his trip to Virginia. “The conversations I had with the players and the staff there were very transparent and I could just tell that there are good people there and I just felt very comfortable.

“Some of the commits that were there on my visit like Grayson (Reid) and Jon (Adair) were on me the whole time to join the class and I really felt a strong connection with those guys too. Everything about Virginia and the atmosphere there made me feel right at home so I decided that I didn’t need to wait any longer to make my decision.”

A conversation with fifth-year offensive lineman Ugonna Nnanna also helped Harris make his decision a little easier.

“We talked a lot during my visit because he was my host that weekend and he answered a lot of my questions,” Harris said of Nnanna. “He told me playing at Virginia could really change my life. He’s been there for five years and he wasn’t just saying things because he’s a part of the program. All of the players and the staff there that I’ve talked to seem like genuine people and I can tell they want what’s best for me on and off the field.”

The 6-foot-5, 295-pound athlete is a 3-star prospect according to the 247Sports composite rankings and is the No. 21 overall player in Michigan and the No. 75 offensive tackle in the country for the 2025 class.

Harris Jr. has 19 scholarship offers including Virginia, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Miami (OH). He has also taken trips to Liberty, Kentucky, Michigan State, and Wisconsin, amongst others.

“This whole process has been a blessing,” said Harris of his recruitment. “I just want to give a lot of praise to God for putting me in this position because I didn’t see this coming when I was younger. Before I got my first offer from Cincinnati, I was playing football because I loved the game. Now, I’m getting offers from a lot of Power 4 programs and it’s just overwhelming at times. I’m grateful for this opportunity and I’m looking forward to putting in the work to keep getting better.”

Harris joins senior teammate N’Kye Wynn as Division 1 commits for the Big Reds. Wynn announced his verbal commitment to Rutgers on June 2. The dynamic duo have bonded since their state championship run last fall and have been each other’s support system throughout the recruiting process.

“N’Kye is my brother and we’re always talking, texting and checking in on each other,” Harris said. “It’s been really cool going through all of this at the same time because we didn’t really bond until our state championship run. Since then, we’ve been working out together, hanging out a lot and just talking every day. A lot of the same college coaches would call one of us and then call the other one right after, so we got a chance to compare and really talk things out.”

For more on Jim Harris Jr. and his journey with football, stay tuned for our Top Recruits series continuing throughout the summer.

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