Sometimes all it takes is a bit of good news to turn things around.
It wasn’t long ago that Mason Harris was unsure about his future. The Ridgeland High School senior defensive end always had thought football would be his route to a college education, but as his junior year wound down, the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder was still waiting on his first Division I offer.
He had been to camps where the news always seemed the same: We love your athleticism, but you’re too small to be a lineman and we don’t know if you can play linebacker. Then came a trip to South Carolina, where Harris, who sensed his opportunities to get an early offer were dwindling, put together a memorable workout for Gamecocks coaches, including a timed 40-yard sprint of 4.4 seconds.
An offer immediately followed and it didn’t take long for Harris to say yes. That afternoon, he says, changed his life.