Andrew Harris

Physical Profile

Thick, pro-framed tweener build at 6-2/238 — heavier than a prototypical modern off-ball backer and lighter than a full-time hand-in-the-dirt edge, which is exactly why the services listed him at EDGE (247 No. 46 EDGE, No. 23 in NC) while his college staff signed him as a linebacker. The athleticism is verified, not projected: an 11.48 100 meters as a sophomore at that mass is legitimate straight-line speed for the position, and he also threw shot put, a combination that points to real explosive-strength carryover and a frame that should hold 245-250 without losing range. The tape-to-testing question is change of direction and hip fluidity in space, since sprinter speed and shot-put power do not automatically translate to click-and-close from depth. At his listed weight he already has an SEC-ready run-fit body — most true freshman linebackers need two calendar years to reach 238, and he arrived with it.

Play Style

Note: this description is derived from his statistical profile, measurables, usage, and recruiting evaluations — a detailed published film breakdown was not available in public sources. The production signature is that of an attacking, downhill front-seven defender rather than a read-and-react linebacker. A near-one-third TFL rate over two seasons combined with 36 hurries describes a player who is at his best moving forward on a declared assignment: slanting, blitzing, or shooting a gap. The sprinter speed shows up as pursuit range and as a closing burst on the quarterback; the shot-put strength shows up as the ability to knock a blocker off his track and disengage. He was used as a hybrid defensive end/linebacker in high school, which is why his services listing and his college position disagree. What he most likely does not yet do well is diagnose from depth, play with disciplined eyes in zone, or carry vertical routes.

Strengths

• Elite disruption rate behind the line: 81 tackles with 25 for loss and 7 sacks as a junior, following 104 tackles / 25 TFL / 8.5 sacks as a sophomore. A TFL-to-tackle ratio near 31% two years running is not scheme noise — it reflects genuine penetration skill, timing on the snap, and the ability to defeat a blocker on the move rather than just accumulate volume tackles.
• Verified straight-line closing speed at position weight (11.48 in the 100 as a sophomore, plus 200m and shot put in the same spring). That translates to backside pursuit range, effectiveness on run-throughs and green-dog pressures, and value as a designated blitzer from Day 1.
• Pass-rush production layered on top of run defense — 36 quarterback hurries as a junior on top of the 7 sacks. Even if he never becomes an every-down coverage linebacker, a 238-pound LB who can be aligned on the edge in sub packages has immediate, schemed-up snaps available to him.
• Two-year winner in a top-flight NCHSAA program (13-1 junior year, 12-2 senior year with a 7A West Regional title game appearance) plus a January enrollment and a completed spring — he banks a developmental year most 2026 signees will not have until August.
• Positional bloodlines and an unusually strong internal support structure: uncle Thomas Davis played 16 NFL seasons as a converted safety/linebacker, and his identical twin signed with the same program.

Areas to Improve

• Positional identity and coverage development. Every major service graded him as an EDGE or defensive lineman; South Carolina signed him as a linebacker. That gap is the entire projection. His high school production came from attacking downhill in a phone booth, and there is no evidence in the public record of extensive man-coverage reps against tight ends or backs, zone-drop depth and eye discipline, or route recognition. These are the skills that decide whether he is a three-down player or a package player.
• Space tackling and open-field angles at a new depth. Playing off the ball at 4-5 yards rather than on the line changes his tackle radius entirely — the same closing burst that produced TFLs on the line of scrimmage will now have to be regulated and broken down in space. Expect early-career overrun angles as he recalibrates.
• Block deconstruction against pulling guards and centers at the second level. He beat high school linemen with quickness and leverage; SEC offensive linemen climbing to the second level are a different problem requiring hand technique and stack-and-shed discipline he has not had to develop.
• Weight management in both directions. If he adds mass to survive the box he risks becoming the edge player the services already thought he was; if he trims to gain coverage range he gives up the run-fit density that is currently his best trait. The staff will need to pick a target and commit.

College Projection

He is already on campus as a true freshman entering fall camp 2026, with a spring practice already in the bank — a real advantage over the summer arrivals in his class. Realistic Year 1 role: special teams core (his speed-plus-mass combination is ideal for kick coverage) plus situational sub-package pass rusher, where his high school skill set transfers with no translation needed. Year 2 is the pivotal one — either he wins a rotational off-ball job by proving he can handle coverage responsibilities, or the staff moves him permanently to the edge, which several evaluators already believed was his natural home. Projected timeline to starter: 2028 as a redshirt sophomore/junior, with a Year 2 rotational role the reasonable expectation if development is on schedule. He was recruited by Clayton White, but South Carolina's defensive line coaches (Travian Robertson, Sterling Lucas) were involved throughout and have been camping him since 2022, so a position move would be a short walk, not a rebuild.

NFL Outlook

Draftable body type with a clear but conditional path. The 6-2/238 frame with sub-11.5 speed at that weight is a legitimate NFL sub-package profile, and the family precedent is directly on point — Thomas Davis entered the league as a tweener and became a three-time Pro Bowler by settling at linebacker. The determining variable is coverage. A linebacker who cannot cover in today's NFL is a two-down player with a short career; one who can, at 238 with this closing speed, is a Day 2 conversation. Most likely current outcome: a developmental Day 3 prospect after a redshirt-junior or senior season, with meaningful upside to Rounds 2-3 if the coverage piece develops and he holds off-ball weight. A move back to edge would likely cap him — at 6-2 he would be undersized for an every-down NFL defensive end and would need to become a genuine pass-rush specialist.

Best Fit

A multiple, hybrid front that does not force a binary between edge and off-ball — an odd-front or 4-2-5 system with a designated blitzing linebacker role (SAM/JACK/Money) where he can align on or off the ball by package. He needs a program that will commit two years of coverage development rather than take the fast path of putting his hand in the dirt for immediate production, and a defensive coordinator comfortable with a heavier linebacker whose value is created moving forward. South Carolina is a reasonable landing spot on those terms — an aggressive SEC front with a pass-rush-forward identity and, critically, a staff that has known him since 2022 and recruited him specifically as a linebacker rather than defaulting him to the line. The presence of his twin on the same defensive front is a genuine retention factor in the portal era.