Four-star linebackers, Andrew and Michael Harris, talk recent UCF commitment

Photo Credit: @ucfsports

Andrew and Michael Harris experienced the recruiting process in a unique way. The twin brothers and four-star linebackers committed to the University of Central Florida on July 6. Andrew and Michael joined me for an interview over Instagram Live on July 11.

The Harris brothers play at Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Andrew is ranked as the No. 13 linebacker, the No. 38 recruit in Florida, and the No. 191 overall recruit in the Class of 2023 according to 247sports. Michael is ranked as the No. 19 linebacker, No. 60 recruit in Florida, and the No. 297 overall recruit in the Class of 2023 according to 247sports.

In the modern recruiting era, Andrew is UCF’s third highest-ranked recruit to commit to the school, and Michael is the seventh highest-ranked recruit to commit to UCF.

The four-star linebackers chose UCF, which is about 40 minutes away from Altamonte Springs, Michigan State, Maryland, and more. “It was really close to home, I built a great relationship with Coach T-Will [Travis Williams],” Andrew said. “He runs the same exact defense as we did. I thought it was a great fit for me and my brother to play there.”

Distance seemed to be a major factor in the Harris brothers’ decision, as Michigan State was a great interest to them as well. “Honestly, if UCF wasn’t there, we’d probably be at Michigan State,” Andrew said. “They showed a lot of love to my family and friends. It kind of felt like home.”

But the fellow commits in UCF’s class also made the school feel like home to the brothers. “You got Kaven Call, we ‘bouta have another one coming in soon,” Andrew said. “We comin’ in strong, we talk almost every other day.”

On the field, UCF runs the same defense that the brothers are a part of at Lake Brantley, so the adjustment from high school to college might be easier for them. “They run it just like Coach Miller, a 4-2-5,” Michael said. “I love their defense. I love their run defense.”

The coordination Andrew and Michael had throughout the process deserves a lot of credit. However, for wanting to attend the same school, they seemed to be on the same page. “We was going to the same school really,” Michael said. “We had both our minds on the same school.” Each brother held 26 offers, and throughout the process they were interested in the same schools at the same times.

The brothers would often talk about their current stances in the process, and they’d often talk about how their dreams are turning into reality. “We was probably talking every other night at night time, just laughing it up saying ‘dang, this is really happening right now.’”

They were thankful to have each other not only during the recruiting process, but throughout their high school football careers. Both brothers started playing football in the ninth grade, and their careers accelerated quickly in just a few years. But they experienced everything side by side. “Just having someone right there, that plays exactly like you, it’s so crazy,” Michael said. “It doesn’t get much better than that.”