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Samuel Harvill |
Position: Defensive Tackle Previous College: None Projection: Redshirt Status: On Scholarship |
Samuel Harvill (b. March 3, 1992) is as big as an ox (figuratively speaking — although he's supposedly up to 270 pounds now) and quite a bit stronger than one. His max squat is 550 pounds, and so is his max bench.
Harvill set world records in the bench press in the following age groups: 14 and under, 15 and under and 16 years old.
The 14-U record was set March 1, 2007, when Harvill benched 405 pounds — then he did 33 reps at 225 pounds two minutes later. His 15-U record was 505 pounds.
As a freshman, Harvill once banged out 48 reps on the bench at 185 pounds. According to his Rivals.com profile, he's up to 64 reps now.
Harvill, who played both ways, was the second-most important player for Shiloh Christian, behind star quarterback and Auburn commit Kiehl Frazier. He holds the all-time sack record in the state of Arkansas at all levels of high school.
Shiloh Christian won four league titles and three state championships with Frazier and Harvill leading the way.
In his four-year career, Harvill had 341 tackles, 95 tackles for loss, 48.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and one interception. And he wears freaking warpaint. See why this is one of my favorite recruits ever?
Best of all, Harvill was one of our first commitments in the class of 2011 and he never wavered. He's enamored of Bill Snyder and he worked hard to recruit other players, such as Mitchell Roberts* and Dennell Wesley**, to the Cats.
And now for the bad news: Harvill tore his ACL during one-on-one drills last month, so despite assurances from the coaches that he could come in and compete for a starting spot immediately, he instead will redshirt and rehab.
Rest assured, though. I don't think anything will keep this guy down, and I foresee him being an impact player for us in 2012 and beyond. For a taste of what's to come, check out this nine-minute highlight video.
*Roberts walked on as a linebacker in 2010, but since has left the team.
**Unfortunately, Wesley ended up choosing Texas Tech instead. His loss.