Damon Harrison
No. 94 New York Jets | |||||||||
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| Nose Tackle | |||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: November 29, 1988 | |||||||||
| Place of birth: New Iberia, Louisiana | |||||||||
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Career information | |||||||||
| High school: Lake Charles (LA) Boston | |||||||||
| College: William Penn | |||||||||
| Undrafted in 2012 | |||||||||
| Debuted in 2012 for the New York Jets | |||||||||
Career history
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| Roster status: Active | |||||||||
Career highlights and awards
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Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2013 | |||||||||
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Damon Harrison (born November 29, 1988), nicknamed Big Snacks,[1] is an American football defensive tackle for the New York Jets 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 in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He is commonly known by his nickname "Snacks".
Early years
A native of New Iberia, Louisiana, Harrison 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 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 ½ 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 unselected 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] Following the departure of Sione Pouha, Harrison was named the starting nose tackle for the 2013 season. On October 20, 2013, Harrison recorded his first career sack against Tom Brady.
Personal life
Harrison has two children, a son, Elijah, and daughter, Destiny.[9]
References
- ↑ "Two-minute drill: Damon Harrison". espn.com. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Slater, Darryl (September 3, 2013). "Jets nose tackle Damon Harrison took circuitous path to possible starting role in NFL". The Star-Ledger.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Huber, Bill (April 20, 2012). "Nose Tackle Won't Take 'No' for an Answer". Scout.com: Packer Report.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "William Penn Profile". statesmenathletics.com.
- ↑ Cimini, Rich (September 24, 2013). "New York Jets' Damon Harrison, from water boy to starting nose tackle". ESPN.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.