Damon Harrison
 Harrison in 2016 | |||||||||||
| No. 98 New York Giants | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Date of birth: | November 29, 1988 | ||||||||||
| Place of birth: | New Iberia, Louisiana | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 350 lb (159 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Lake Charles (LA) Boston | ||||||||||
| College: | William Penn | ||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2012 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2016 | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Damon Paul Harrison (born November 29, 1988), nicknamed "Snacks",[1] is an American football defensive tackle for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2012. He played college football at William Penn University.
Early years
Harrison was born in New Iberia, Louisiana on November 29, 1988. He attended Lake Charles Boston Academy, where he primarily played point guard on the school's basketball varsity.[2] In November 2005, during his junior season, he injured the meniscus in his left knee, and gained “like 40 or 50 pounds” over the next two months.[3] He decided to take on football for his senior year, playing both offensive and defensive line, and was an all-district and all-Southwest Louisiana selection in 2006.[4] He was also named as the team captain and was selected as Lake Charles Boston's Offensive and Defensive MVP along with being selected as the Lake Charles Boston's Offensive Lineman of the Year.[4]
Since much of recruiting takes place during a high school player’s junior season, Harrison was overlooked by college scouts wound up without any scholarship offer after his graduation. He enrolled at Northwest Mississippi Community College, but dropped out after the first semester to work as a night stocker at Wal-Mart in Lake Charles.[3] However, he was later recruited to William Penn, in Oskaloosa, Iowa, by former NMCC assistant coach Steve Miller.[2][3][5]
College career
In his freshman year at William Penn, Harrison finished fifth on the team in tackles. As a sophomore and junior, he was voted second-team all-conference.[3]
During his senior season, he was recognized as NAIA All-American and first-team all-conference after posting 3.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for losses among his team-high 60 tackles.[3]
Professional career
2012 NFL Draft
Prior to the draft, Harrison worked out at Iowa State's pro day, and was “considered a late-round prospect in a weak class of nose tackle.”[3]
| Ht | Wt | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2 1⁄2 in | 339 lb | 5.54 s | 1.91 s | 3.14 s | 4.99 s | 7.80 s | 25 in | 7 ft 9 in | 34 reps | ||||||||||
| All values from Iowa State pro day (March 20, 2012)[6] | |||||||||||||||||||
After receiving a seventh-round grade by Jeff Bauer, Jets' director of college scouting, Harrison went undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft. Right after the draft, he was called by twelve NFL teams to join their practice camp squads.[7]
New York Jets
Harrison was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2012.[8] He appeared in 5 games in 2012 but did not record a single stat that year. Following the departure of Sione Pouha and a preseason injury to Kenrick Ellis, Harrison was named the starting defensive tackle for the 2013 season. On October 20, 2013, Harrison recorded his first career sack where he brought down New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. During the 2013 season, Harrison started all 16 games making 66 tackles, 2 passes defended, and 1 sack. In 2014, Harrison again started all 16 games with 55 tackles. In 2015, Harrison again started all 16 games making 72 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. On January 6, 2016, Harrison was selected to the All-Pro team by Pro Football Focus.[9]
New York Giants
Harrison signed with the New York Giants on March 9, 2016 to a contract worth $9.25 million per year with $24 million guaranteed and $30 million over the first three years.[10]
Personal life
Harrison has two children, a son, Elijah, and daughter, Destiny.[11]
References
- ↑ "Two-minute drill: Damon Harrison". espn.com. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
- 1 2 Slater, Darryl (September 3, 2013). "Jets nose tackle Damon Harrison took circuitous path to possible starting role in NFL". The Star-Ledger.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Huber, Bill (April 20, 2012). "Nose Tackle Won't Take 'No' for an Answer". Scout.com: Packer Report.
- 1 2 "William Penn Profile". statesmenathletics.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013.
- ↑ "Jets' 'Big Snacks' making big impact".
- ↑ http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=108265&draftyear=2012&genpos=DT
- ↑ "Lake Charles' Harrison tackles Big Apple". American Press. September 19, 2012.
- ↑ Jets Media Relations Department (30 April 2012). "10 Undrafted FAs, 23 Tryouts Announced". New York Jets. Archived from the original on 1 May 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- ↑ "2015 PFF All-Pro Team". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
- ↑ http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000642790/article/damon-harrison-set-to-leave-jets-to-sign-with-giants
- ↑ Holt, John (12 October 2012). "Damon Harrison: Nervous Rookie, Loving Dad". New York Jets. Archived from the original on 25 April 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2013.