Starting RB Cam’Ron Harris declares for Draft after injury-shortened fourth year at Miami

About an hour before the Miami Hurricanes introduced Mario Cristobal as their new coach Tuesday, Miami lost a potential starter to the NFL.

Cam’Ron Harris, who started 19 games across the last three seasons, declared for the 2022 NFL Draft after an injury-shortened junior season in 2021. The running back started the first six games of the season and ran for 409 yards and five touchdowns on 71 carries, and caught 11 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown before sustaining a season-ending knee injury in October.

“I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to play for my dream school. I want to think Coach [Mark] Richt, Thomas Brown, Coach Diaz, [running backs coach Eric Hickson], and all of my teammates for believing in me,” Harris wrote in a post shared on Twitter. “It’s been a challenging journey for me not finishing the season because God had other plans. I have decided to declare for the 2022 NFL Draft. Thank you Miami.”

Harris is the third Hurricane to announce his plans to enter the NFL Draft with eligibility remaining. Wide receiver Charleston Rambo also declared for the Draft on Friday and safety Bubba Bolden previously said he would leave for the NFL.

Harris, who was a four-star prospect out of Miami Gardens Carol City in the vaunted Class of 2018, has been a contributor since his freshman year in 2018, when he ran for 166 yards in a reserve role. In 2019, he took over as the starter for three games when DeeJay Dallas was injured and he took over as the full-time starter in 2020, running for 643 yards and 10 touchdowns on 126 carries and starting all but one game.

With an extra season of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tailback began his second junior season as the starter, too, and shouldered a big load early while fellow running back Jaylan Knighton was suspended. He started slow before getting into a rhythm in the middle of the season, only to have his season cut short by an injury against the North Carolina Tar Heels. Knighton served as the starting running back for the rest of the season with Harris and fellow running back Donald Chaney Jr. both out with season-ending injuries.

Harris would’ve had a chance to be the starter again if he returned for the 2022 season, but the competition got more complicated because of the continuing ascents of Chaney and Knighton, who were both four-star recruits in the Class of 2020. Chaney, who began the year as Harris’ backup before a September knee injury, ran for 44 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Knighton finished the regular season with 145 carries for 561 and eight touchdowns, plus 20 catches for 280 yards and three touchdowns while starting the final six games.