N’Keal Harry committed to Arizona State three years and 24 days ago.
He’s been very productive in his limited time in Tempe.
Harry currently sits third in Sun Devil history in receptions and receiving yards and fifth in career touchdowns. Pac-12 defensive backs can now breathe a sigh of relief as the ASU wide receiver declared for the 2019 NFL Draft on Monday.
“There was a lot of thought that went in to this,” Harry said. “I had multiple conversations with my family members, a lot of my friends. This definitely was not an easy decision. I truly love this university, this place has given me opportunities that I’ve only dreamt of.”
For ASU head football coach Herm Edwards, who has plenty of experience in the draft process as a former NFL head coach, he believes Harry passes all the tests as a draft prospect including skill, competitive nature and character.
“This football thing is hard,” Edwards said. “It’s easy to play in the games, but when you come to work every day, are you preparing to win? He prepares to win…that’s what you want to know. He checks all the boxes.”
Harry was a five-star wide receiver out of Chandler High School when he committed to the Sun Devils. He, paired with his high school and college teammate Chase Lucas, provided Todd Graham with huge in-state commitments in his tenure. After going through multiple coordinator changes, a head coaching change and a 19-18 record over three years, Harry said he is still happy with his decision to stay home and play for ASU.
“It was 100% worth it,” Harry said of his decision. “This state has given me so much. Being a kid from a small island, ending up in Arizona, this state means the world to me.”
The wide receiver said part of the appeal of staying home was playing in front of his grandmother and the rest of his support system, who helped him achieve his NFL dreams while with the Sun Devils.
“That’s what kept my confidence up a lot of the time when I was going through some things,” Harry said. “I was close to all the people I needed to be close to. Whenever I needed advice, whenever I needed to talk to somebody, they were always right there.”
Harry said he was “unsure” whether he would play in the Sun Devils’ bowl game to wrap up the 2018 season but will discuss his options with Coach Edwards.
