Monte Harrison brings pro mindset to young Razorback receivers

The curious case of Monte Harrison's sojourn from a rising10-year professional baseball career to a sophomore leader of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks' revamped and unproven receiving corps seems backward. That's only if you're a prisoner of conventional timing.

Harrison turns 30-years-old on August 10 but his unique ability to transcend time and place may be key a moving forward. He's crossing paths with an entirely new crew of 20-something teammates on the come up in a second year at Arkansas with offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, receivers coach Ronnie Fouch and quarterback Taylen Green.

All of them are looking to Harrison to impart some wisdom gained in his unconventional route back to a deferred college experience, and prove some things get better with age.

"I can’t say enough about Monte. He’s a special person," said Fouch. "I can lean on him as like an assistant coach. If I want a message to the whole room being delivered, I can work through him sometimes. He can deliver the message.

"Instead of me trying to bring guys together, I ask him. He’s been a pro, he knows what it takes to win at a high level. So he’s been a huge help in the room and he’s really taken some huge strides this offseason to become a big-time player. I think he’s going to help us a lot this year."

Monte Harrison: A Man Out of Time

Harrison already holds the distinction of being one of a few people in college football history to come from Major League Baseball (MLB) and record a statistic in an official FBS football game. He caught a pair of receptions in the 2024 Razorback season opener against the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions.

" I think the biggest thing with him being a leader is that he listens to us as well. And that's the thing you have to do as a leader, is just being able to learn from other guys as well and not just feel like you're above everyone."

Raylen Sharpe

Coming out of Lee Summitt West High School in Missouri, Harrison was a highly-sought after four-star recruit in football, basketball and baseball. A lucrative last-minute offer from the Milwaukee Brewers convinced him to by pass college and go straight into professional baseball where he achieved his dream of playing at the major league level.

He became the 50th overall selection in the 2014 MLB Draft and went on to stints in the big leagues as recently as 2021 and 2022 with the Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Angels. Now in his second year, circling back to realize another dream of play big time college football, Harrison feels he's ready to help fill a void for the 2025 Razorbacks.

With former teammates now trying to make NFL rosters like Andrew Armstrong, Isaac Teslaa and Tyrone Broden — plus Isaiah Sategna, Luke Hasz and Dazmine James leaving via the transfer portal — Harrison's two catches compare well to pass catchers returning this year. Harrison's height at 6-3 and his wealth of experience as a professional athlete are welcome components to the current roster.

"I think that's a good way to put it," Fouch said. "You know, he was so raw coming in last year. It was just not having to get out of a break in a while, run a comeback, run a curl — those types of routes. "He's taken huge strides to where now he's a big-time player, man. I think he's going to explode in this offense this year, and we're going to do some good things with him and use him in different ways that Petrino likes to do with big guys like that."

Arkansas receiver shaking the rust off

In his first year back in football, Harrison admits he needed to do some body work and retune his engine for the gridiron grind. Now in his second year, he's all lubed up and ready to make a run on the final legs of his athletic career.

"It definitely took some rust," said Harrison who plans to spend his birthday on Sunday resting with his family, understanding the challenges ahead. "I didn't put the pads on until fall camp around this time last, and that was my first time in 10 years. So, I think rust is kind of an understatement.

"I needed more than WD-40 to be able to get through it. But, no it took its rust. I think when I got through the fifth or sixth game of the year, I felt like I started to transition and started to feel more fluid. And then once I got into spring, the exact same thing happened. Then my main emphasis after that was really in the summer. It was like, how much can I compete with myself every single day? I don't challenge guys in the room to be able to compete with each other — even though we do compete with each other. How can I look myself in the mirror every single day and compete with myself? That's the only person that really matters."

Looking up to the Future

Among the newcomers into the receivers room, O'Mega Blake and Raylen Sharpe are expected to take leading roles along side Harrison. Blake — a redshirt senior — began his career in the SEC at South Carolina. He then transferred to Charlotte where he led all receivers in the FBS by averaging nearly 25 yards per reception while recording a team-leading 795 yards and nine touchdowns.

The 5-foot-9 Allen, Texas native Sharpe is another redshirt senior who transferred from Fresno State after starting his career at Missouri State. He is expected to compete for a starting position with Alabama-Birmingham transfer Kam Shanks at slot receiver.

Sharpe said it took some time to adjust to taking direction from an "underclassman", but he's come to realize Harrison's experience carries a weight of its own.

"He's done it before, so that's the best thing for us is to just be able to hear him and learn from him," Shapre said. "That's not even just football. That's if it's a car. If it's doing things like that — just certain things that we should do or shouldn't do. (It's) just learning from him and his mistakes and his success as well, so I think his message is always good.

"I think the biggest thing with him being a leader is that he listens to us as well. That's the thing you have to do as a leader is just being able to learn from other guys as well and not just feel like you're above everyone. I think that's the biggest thing."

Family Matters

Blake agrees that it has been the little things Harrison is doing which has caused the up-and-comers on the team to affectionately adopt Harrison as a football uncle.

"Unc's just unc, man," Blake said. "When I first got here, man, I remember him giving me a ride home. We had a talk. Yeah, man, I listened to everything he said, and took it in. Like I said, he never told me nothing wrong. And the simple fact (is) like Raylen said, he's like a dad. He's going to put you in your place when you're wrong, and he's going to let you know when you're all right or doing good.

"Just the way he approaches every day, you can tell he's hungry and he's got a point to prove. So with that being said, I just think overall, he's that guy for real. He's the guy to be around each and every day and to learn from."

Having an older brother (Shaquille), who played professionally in the NBA with five teams from 2018 to 2022, Monte still insists that consistency is the key to successfully navigating new times and places. No doubt 2025 will be no different.

"The highs and lows. Baseball is a game of failure. You'd be a superstar or an all-star and you fail 70 percent of the time," Harrison said. "Coming in every day being the exact same guy — no matter what you do. You can go 4-for-4 or 0-for-4, just be the same guy every single day. The transition — more than anything — is just mental. You know what I'm saying? Mentally, putting myself in spots where I know I can be successful, and that's the way the game of baseball has helped me."

"It's love and hate on both sides. It's just what comes with it," he said. "I really don't get to see much — just because the only social media I have is Instagram. I try to limit myself as much as possible, and I started that at a young age. I try to tell these guys. 'Man, as quick as they can love you, they can hate you at the exact same time.’

"That's not to scare people or anything like that. But it's the Internet. The internet's not really real. It's different when you have to walk into a room in front of a 6-4, 200-whatever pounds to be able to say some of the things that they say on the internet. But also, on the flip side, they do give a lot of love. It is (what it is). I'll take it— I don't want to say I'll take it with a grain of salt — but like I said, I try to be the same dude every single day. So I really don't have to look at it and just be Monte. Stay focused and keep your eyes on the prize."