***Talking Running Backs with Tim Harris Jr. ⚔🏈
- By Brandon
- The Dungeon - Knights Only
- 9 Replies
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Tim Harris Jr.'s running backs room is deep. UCF's co-offensive coordinator welcomes back Isaiah Bowser, Johnny Richardson and Mark-Antony Richards, plus R.J. Harvey who returns from injury. Joining the group is promising freshman Jordan McDonald and Florida transfer Demarkcus Bowman, a former five-star recruit.
UCFSports.com caught up with Harris at the recent media day.
You've got quite a few guys to work with. You got some dudes.
"It's great. It's a good problem to have, having a lot of talented guys in the room. Good young men who are good teammates. They like competing with each other. They want to see each other do well. That makes my job easier on Saturdays. It can go a lot of different ways when you've got that kind of group. We don't have that problem at all. I enjoy coaching all of them. I'm looking forward to the season."
Take me back to late December, early January, when Isaiah Bowser said he's coming back. He's got unfinished business. How excited were you that you're going to work with him for another year?
"I was ecstatic. It was about him being able to trust our process. He trusts Coach Malzahn as a head coach. When he came here, it was all about him playing last season and then moving on. That was the plan from the start. We kind of thought that. Him being with us for a year and going through injuries, he trusted us enough to help him to continue to get better. I appreciated that more than anything. His teammates, the same thing. He looked at our room and the talent we have. A lot of people would shy away and see they might have to share carries. He looked at it as a positive that it will help him in the long run."
Having a physical running back, we saw it in the Florida game after he had a month off. Shook off the rust and dominated in that second half. I know you've got to be strategic in how you use him, but is that what your vision is?
"Isaiah is a special back. I think he has the talent to be one of the best running backs in the country. He can play all three downs. There isn't anything he can't do. I think he's an every-down back. He can do everything for us. The good thing for him is we've got other guys that can spare him at different times. Then also, bring something, a different dynamic to the table. Isaiah can do it all. However we use him, whatever we need to do to win. I heard Coach Malzahn say that at media day. That's our mindset. I'm on board with that."
Johnny Richardson, how did you like his development last year? He provides something a little different.
"Johnny is special. Johnny can have chunk plays just like that. We've seen him get better over the course of spring ball and these first three days. He's developed other parts of his game. You watch us last year and how we used him. We had to be very particular with how we used him because there were things he wasn't ready to do yet. Now, he's going into an offseason and worked on those things. He's worked on himself individually and gotten stronger. He understands what we're doing a lot better. I think that's going to help his game continue to get better. I'm really excited about Johnny's development. When Johnny touches the ball, there's a chance for a big play."
I feel like fans didn't really understand about R.J. Harvey. I know he was in line to play a really big role before he got hurt last August. He's back? Is he close to 100 percent? What are you seeing from him?
"R.J. is 100 percent. Through these first three days of camp, he was in contact. R.J. has looked good. Right now, he looks fast. His speed is back. He ran really fast in our 40 testing this offseason. He was still in his knee brace then. That's not a question mark at all. Other things R.J. brings is being a former quarterback, mentally understanding what we're trying to do as an offense. He's also a kid that can play all three downs. Really strong. Focuses on details. I'm real excited about him getting a chance to show we he can do."
What kind of continued development are you seeing from Mark-Antony Richards? He played a lot last year, helped you win that ECU game.
"Mark is the ultimate teammate. He understands the room that we have. The dynamics of it. Mark is a young man that whenever his number is called, he's ready to go. You don't find that a whole lot. Mark was a highly recruited kid, goes to one school and had a lot of goals for himself and ended up coming here. You could always be looking for negatives if you don't come in and be the guy. Mark didn't do that. When his number is called, whether it's practice or the game, Mark shows up. I've been pleased with coaching him. He's been doing the same thing as Johnny, developing areas of his game that weren't very strong last year. He's only going to get better."
You made a late addition to the room in Demarkcus Bowman. I think he might redshirt, but maybe his time will be a year from now, I don't know the status of the waiver, but what will he bring to UCF?
"Explosiveness. You see it in individual drills. He can go from 0-60 like that. I think he's developing his strength right now. He got here late in the summer for us. Really getting into our strength and conditioning program. Trying to develop in some areas there. The talent, it's easy to see. You do simple running back drills and you snap and he can go. I'm really excited about him, whenever he gets his opportunity to play. Watching him in practice, he's focused on learning and getting caught up on what we do as an offense. I've been pleased with what I've seen so far."
Jordan McDonald is a young guy who was here in the spring. We saw what he did in high school. Maybe his time is a year from now, but what do you like about him?
"There's a lot to like. Jordan is a great young man. He's really smart. He's already physically ready to play at this level. I'm not going to get into whether his opportunity will come this year or next year. I know when his number is called, Jordan is going to be ready. We try to create that mindset in the room. Last year there were some guys that got a chance to play, they didn't think that would happen either. Jordan handles his business like that every single day. He comes into the meeting room, he's focused on trying to be the best player he can be. He's gotten under Isaiah's wing. Those guys, Isaiah and Mark, help him a lot with some of the things they've been through in their careers and trying to help him have a seamless transition from high school. He listens to that. I've been pleased with what I saw from him in the spring. Training camp has been the same thing. Jordan is going to be special."
Having so many weapons at running back, is there talk of getting two of them on the field at the same time? Creative ways to use guys?
"We'll see. We'll always find creative ways to get our best players on the field and get our best players the ball. We'll figure out what that looks like. I'm excited about the potential for all those opportunities."
Tim Harris Jr.'s running backs room is deep. UCF's co-offensive coordinator welcomes back Isaiah Bowser, Johnny Richardson and Mark-Antony Richards, plus R.J. Harvey who returns from injury. Joining the group is promising freshman Jordan McDonald and Florida transfer Demarkcus Bowman, a former five-star recruit.
UCFSports.com caught up with Harris at the recent media day.
You've got quite a few guys to work with. You got some dudes.
"It's great. It's a good problem to have, having a lot of talented guys in the room. Good young men who are good teammates. They like competing with each other. They want to see each other do well. That makes my job easier on Saturdays. It can go a lot of different ways when you've got that kind of group. We don't have that problem at all. I enjoy coaching all of them. I'm looking forward to the season."
Take me back to late December, early January, when Isaiah Bowser said he's coming back. He's got unfinished business. How excited were you that you're going to work with him for another year?
"I was ecstatic. It was about him being able to trust our process. He trusts Coach Malzahn as a head coach. When he came here, it was all about him playing last season and then moving on. That was the plan from the start. We kind of thought that. Him being with us for a year and going through injuries, he trusted us enough to help him to continue to get better. I appreciated that more than anything. His teammates, the same thing. He looked at our room and the talent we have. A lot of people would shy away and see they might have to share carries. He looked at it as a positive that it will help him in the long run."
Having a physical running back, we saw it in the Florida game after he had a month off. Shook off the rust and dominated in that second half. I know you've got to be strategic in how you use him, but is that what your vision is?
"Isaiah is a special back. I think he has the talent to be one of the best running backs in the country. He can play all three downs. There isn't anything he can't do. I think he's an every-down back. He can do everything for us. The good thing for him is we've got other guys that can spare him at different times. Then also, bring something, a different dynamic to the table. Isaiah can do it all. However we use him, whatever we need to do to win. I heard Coach Malzahn say that at media day. That's our mindset. I'm on board with that."
Johnny Richardson, how did you like his development last year? He provides something a little different.
"Johnny is special. Johnny can have chunk plays just like that. We've seen him get better over the course of spring ball and these first three days. He's developed other parts of his game. You watch us last year and how we used him. We had to be very particular with how we used him because there were things he wasn't ready to do yet. Now, he's going into an offseason and worked on those things. He's worked on himself individually and gotten stronger. He understands what we're doing a lot better. I think that's going to help his game continue to get better. I'm really excited about Johnny's development. When Johnny touches the ball, there's a chance for a big play."
I feel like fans didn't really understand about R.J. Harvey. I know he was in line to play a really big role before he got hurt last August. He's back? Is he close to 100 percent? What are you seeing from him?
"R.J. is 100 percent. Through these first three days of camp, he was in contact. R.J. has looked good. Right now, he looks fast. His speed is back. He ran really fast in our 40 testing this offseason. He was still in his knee brace then. That's not a question mark at all. Other things R.J. brings is being a former quarterback, mentally understanding what we're trying to do as an offense. He's also a kid that can play all three downs. Really strong. Focuses on details. I'm real excited about him getting a chance to show we he can do."
What kind of continued development are you seeing from Mark-Antony Richards? He played a lot last year, helped you win that ECU game.
"Mark is the ultimate teammate. He understands the room that we have. The dynamics of it. Mark is a young man that whenever his number is called, he's ready to go. You don't find that a whole lot. Mark was a highly recruited kid, goes to one school and had a lot of goals for himself and ended up coming here. You could always be looking for negatives if you don't come in and be the guy. Mark didn't do that. When his number is called, whether it's practice or the game, Mark shows up. I've been pleased with coaching him. He's been doing the same thing as Johnny, developing areas of his game that weren't very strong last year. He's only going to get better."
You made a late addition to the room in Demarkcus Bowman. I think he might redshirt, but maybe his time will be a year from now, I don't know the status of the waiver, but what will he bring to UCF?
"Explosiveness. You see it in individual drills. He can go from 0-60 like that. I think he's developing his strength right now. He got here late in the summer for us. Really getting into our strength and conditioning program. Trying to develop in some areas there. The talent, it's easy to see. You do simple running back drills and you snap and he can go. I'm really excited about him, whenever he gets his opportunity to play. Watching him in practice, he's focused on learning and getting caught up on what we do as an offense. I've been pleased with what I've seen so far."
Jordan McDonald is a young guy who was here in the spring. We saw what he did in high school. Maybe his time is a year from now, but what do you like about him?
"There's a lot to like. Jordan is a great young man. He's really smart. He's already physically ready to play at this level. I'm not going to get into whether his opportunity will come this year or next year. I know when his number is called, Jordan is going to be ready. We try to create that mindset in the room. Last year there were some guys that got a chance to play, they didn't think that would happen either. Jordan handles his business like that every single day. He comes into the meeting room, he's focused on trying to be the best player he can be. He's gotten under Isaiah's wing. Those guys, Isaiah and Mark, help him a lot with some of the things they've been through in their careers and trying to help him have a seamless transition from high school. He listens to that. I've been pleased with what I saw from him in the spring. Training camp has been the same thing. Jordan is going to be special."
Having so many weapons at running back, is there talk of getting two of them on the field at the same time? Creative ways to use guys?
"We'll see. We'll always find creative ways to get our best players on the field and get our best players the ball. We'll figure out what that looks like. I'm excited about the potential for all those opportunities."
