Harris chose Stanford because he wants to be challenged
Arlen Harris was looking for a place that would challenge him to not settle for less. The St. Peters, Missouri, junior running back committed to Stanford Friday over offers from Iowa, Michigan, Penn State and others because he was confident he'd found the right environment on The Farm.
"It's just a feeling that came that I was ready," he said in a phone call to Cardinal Sports Report on Thursday.
Harris was thorough in his recruiting process and felt empowered by his parents to go wherever his head and heart told him was the right place. His father, also named Arlen Harris, was a running back at Virginia before playing in six seasons in the NFL and he gave his son some advice about how to think about this decision.
"Just kind of be selfish," Harris Jr. said. "He put a big emphasis on that this is one big choice in my life that I can choose for myself. It's where I want to go. He wanted me to really push myself and challenge myself to see what environment I would fit into."
Before Stanford offered, that place was probably going to be Iowa. He visited the campus in Iowa City multiple times and had been recruited by the Hawkeyes staff for several months before Stanford offered July 20.
"I was so comfortable with them and I didn't have any worries. But Stanford came in and definitely made it a lot harder for me, and I'm glad it did because without those challenges maybe I wouldn't have strived for something like Stanford. Being comfortable with being uncomfortable, Stanford does that.
"My parents explained that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and this is where I belong. It's a place that matches a lot of my characteristics."
Three days before he was offered by Stanford he took part in a virtual visit. That ended up being a key event in his recruiting process.
"It was huge. Stanford did an amazing job. Most of the calls I did with other schools were half an hour to maybe an hour. Stanford's was two-plus (hours) and I loved it. They explained everything to me for on the field and off. It gave me a pretty great idea of what Stanford is.
"Coach Gould explained to me that this is going to be a place for learning and growing. One of the things he told me is there will be no dumb questions."
Off the field, Harris wants to be equally proud of his academic legacy at Stanford as anything he does in football. He explained his interest in studying business and animal science to Cardinal Sports Report in a July interview.
“I’ve always had a pull to animals and anatomy. I took biology sophomore year and I was very interested by it. I like to work with animals and I like to learn about them and the different aspects of life that they have for their survival, their environments and the way they think.”