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Jay Harris

*Note: Name links to official K-State Bio.

Bio

Position: Running Back

Height: 6’1

Weight: 215

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri

High School: Timberland

Recruiting Class: 2022

Former Team: Northwest Missouri State, Oregon

Eligibility Remaining: 1 Season – Redshirt Senior

High School Recruiting Rankings: Not Ranked

Transfer Portal Rankings: 3*(86.24) – National Rank: 1064 – Running Back: 93

High School

• All-state running back
• All-district running back
• Two-time all-conference
• Timberland Player of the Year as a Junior

High School Highlights

College Career

2022 Season – Northwest Missouri State

• Played in 9 games
• Carries: 89 – Yards: 398 – Touchdowns: 9
• Scored a touchdown in 9 consecutive games

2023 Season – Northwest Missouri State

• Playing in 11 games, started 10
• Carries: 244 – Yards: 1433 – Touchdowns: 14
• Ran for 100+ yards in all 11 games
• First Team AP Division II All-America
• Transferred to Oregon

2024 Season – Oregon

• Appeared in 4 games and maintained redshirt
• Carries: 10 – Yards: 35 – Touchdowns: 1

2025 Season – Oregon

• Appeared in 11 games
• Offensive Snaps: 103
• Carries: 42 – Yards: 151 – Touchdowns: 2 – Receptions: 6 – Receiving Yards: 89
• Ran for 35 yards and a touchdown, and pulled down 3 receptions for 32 yards vs Indiana in the CFP

College Highlights / Interviews

2026 – Season Outlook

Part of the running back rotation.

Thoughts

I’ll never understand why a player like Jay Harris decides to play for a team like Oregon. I get “betting on yourself” and whatnot, but Harris was never going to be able to show what he can do in the Ducks’ loaded backfield. They had significantly more resources tied up in their other backs, making the road to the top of the depth chart even rockier for a 3*, DII transfer.

The thing is, when he did manage to get on the field, he was productive. The best game of his Oregon career came against Indiana in the CFP Semi-Final after the Ducks ran out of running backs. He ran hard, but the Hoosier defense locked down the entire Oregon offense. He did have an impressive touchdown run where he overpowered a couple of Hoosier defenders at the goal line, and that will be one of his roles for Kansas State.

Looking at his film and listening to the chatter coming from K-State circles after spring practice, I think it’s premature to mark him down as the short-yardage back in what looks like a 3-headed Wildcat rushing attack. He’s definitely the hammer in a room of otherwise smaller backs, but that doesn’t mean he’s strictly a battering ram. I was impressed with his hands out of the backfield against Indiana, and while the film is limited, he certainly didn’t look slow and lumbering on film.

He has all the tools to win the starting job in fall camp. I don’t think he will, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if his ability to grind out yards between the tackles and catch the ball out of the backfield doesn’t earn him more carries in the Collin Klein offense than people anticipate. He brings an aggressive, angry running style to the game, and that’s something that could pair well in a “thunder and lightning” setup with Avery Johnson. With Harris as the back, the defense has to respect his ability to pick up yards in the A and B gap, which could give Avery an extra step to get to the perimeter, and on several occasions last season, he was a step away from breaking something big. I can imagine a world where he takes over as the starter this season, not because he’s the best back on the roster (he might be, I have no clue), but because he’s the best compliment to Avery.

I also would not be surprised if he leads the team in touchdowns. He might end up as the preferred redzone back because when the field gets smaller, Harris can still use his physical running to plow forward and gain the extra yards through contact. Jackson and Johnson struggled to pick up last season.

Harris has a clear role in the offense as a short-yardage back from day 1 and could expand that role further as the season progresses.

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