11/30/2016 football Edit

Notre Dame Visit A ‘Special Memory’ For Three-Star Guard John Harris

Harris, the No. 54 prospect in Georgia according to Rivals.com, had a great visit to South Bend for the Notre Dame-Virginia Tech Nov. 19. (Rivals.com)

David McKinney • InsideNDSports

Recruiting Reporter

John Harris, a three-star guard from Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek, made the long trip north to South Bend to take a visit to Notre Dame Nov. 19 when the Irish hosted Virginia Tech.

Harris is still in the middle of a playoff run, so he wasn’t able to arrive until Saturday. He took a quick tour of campus before the game and said he was impressed with what he saw.

“It was a little tough because we got there right at noon and ran into the athletic facilities,” Harris said. “From what I saw it was really nice. The new additions to the stadium are going to be sweet. Touchdown Jesus was impressive.”

Harris said he was even more impressed when he got into the stadium.

"The traditions of throwing marshmallows and push-ups after scores was cool,” Harris said. “The whole thing was great for me and my little brother.”

“I really liked the history of the stadium and overall environment during the game,” he added.

For Harris, it was a great experience overall for not only him, but the family members who joined him on the trip.

“My trip was special because Notre Dame was nice enough to invite me up and I got to share that with my dad and my brother,” Harris said. “Getting to see behind the scenes of the most iconic program in football will always be special even if I don’t get an offer. I still can’t thank them enough for allowing me, my dad and my little brother to create such special memories.”

The Peach State product said he was happy just to be invited to visit.

“I think that being from the South it always seemed like the original big program,” Harris said. “Even if you don’t like them, you are still drawn in by the history of success.”

Harris holds early offers from Cincinnati, North Carolina and Virginia Tech. Should an Irish offer ever come, Harris said it would be a huge honor.

“It would be pretty big,” Harris said. “Notre Dame seems to only recruit in a small pool. If you get one, it makes everyone take notice. The academic side would make it big also. To me, personally, academics are a big deal.”