Mark Harrison earned playing time last season as a true freshman, but dropped on the depth chart after very strong springs from Tim Wright and Quron Pratt. (Sam Hellman)
— Sam Hellman
When Mark Harrison heard the news he was devastated.
Wide receiver Tim Wright, officially out for the season with a knee injury and subsequent surgery, is a mentor and brother to Harrison, he said, and moving on without him at wide receiver will be tough for him.
“He’s like a brother to me,” Harrison said. “He’s one of the biggest role models on the team for me because he goes out there and works hard. It’s just tough to see him go down like that because he worked so hard for his spot.
“I know his work put me down one slot on the depth chart, but he just taught me things every day and I learned from him. Seeing him go down like that hurts inside. It makes me feel for the kid. Now I just have to go out there and produce for him and make my season a good one for him.”
Harrison received more playing time last season than Wright, with Wright not making a single catch and entering games primarily as a blocking wide receiver. Harrison caught a touchdown pass last year in his home state of Connecticut, but his playing time dwindled by the end of the season based on injury and freshman inconsistency.
Wright, however, surpassed Harrison in the spring with a very strong campaign, earning the most improved offensive player award at the end of spring practice.
Harrison gets bumped up to first team wide out with Wright’s injury and has a strong shot to win a starting job in his sophomore season, but the 6-foot-4 Stratford, Conn., native didn’t want to get elevated in this fashion.
“Everything I do this year is probably going to be something that he either taught me or helped me perfect,” Harrison said. “I know he’s going to be there with us every day, getting us going. He’s the same Tim, but it’s just tough not to see him out on the field with us.”
Mark Harrison
Don’t write Harrison in as the job-winner yet, though.
With two weeks of training camp to go and a smattering of hungry true freshmen receivers, to go along with redshirt freshmen Quron Pratt and Aaron Hayward and sophomore Keith Stroud, Harrison has a lot to prove.
“Every day I work on something new and I work on something little,” Harrison said. “That way, I’m progressing each day. I don’t worry about the big things. They’ll come later once I continue to do the little things right. I have so much more I need to learn and accomplish, but I’m confident that I can do it.”
Harrison’s first real chance to prove himself comes Saturday at Rutgers Stadium in the Scarlet Knights’ first scrimmage of training camp. Look for Harrison to get significant work with the first team offense alongside sophomore Mohamed Sanu and Pratt in the slot.
“I’m definitely going to try and get in the end zone in the scrimmage,” Harrison said. “But more importantly I need to take care of my assignments and do what I have to do”
