LARAMIE — Never a doubt.
In an era of agents, demands and major financial obligations, Jay Sawvel said Samuel Harris calmed his nerves quickly as the always anxiety-riddled offseason began to unfold.
The freshman running back they call “Tote,” on the heels of an impressive season that saw him scamper for a team-high 558 yards, made his intentions crystal clear, Wyoming’s third-year head coach said.
“He said, ‘Coach, I’m coming back. I love it here,'” Sawvel added. “It’s refreshing in this day and age.”
Like he has done in his previous two years at the helm of the Cowboy football program, Sawvel jotted down his list of “keepers” ahead of the two-week transfer portal window last December.
Desman Hearns, a senior nickelback, was the first to publicly recommit. Punter Bart Edmiston wasn’t far behind. Defensive tackles Jayden Williams and Dante Drake, among others, gave their word in private.
Harris, who no doubt was near the top of that register, went to social media to announce his ultimate decision.
“Looking forward to returning next season and continuing the work with Cowboy Nation,” he penned on X. “Thank you for the support. See you soon.”
On Tuesday afternoon inside a blustery War Memorial Stadium, Harris set up in the backfield, just to the right of quarterback Landon Sims. After the snap, he slowly veered out to the perimeter before turning on his trademark jets. A slight head fake to the inside was all it took to find himself wide open on the wheel route.
Sophomore cornerback David Leonard bit on the juke.
Harris hauled in the perfectly-placed ball and outraced the entire secondary down the home sideline. If this were a real game, and not the fourth practice of spring camp, he would’ve cruised into the end zone untouched.
To think, Harris just underwent MCL surgery only five months ago.
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So, what’s it like attempting to corral No. 26?
“I feel like whenever you see Tote get the ball, something explosive is bound to happen,” redshirt freshman safety Kaiden Kimble-Turner said. “He’s a special player. Everybody sees it. Everybody knows it. So, I wouldn’t say it’s scary, but it’s also like, he just ran for 100 yards on Colorado. So it’s always an awesome opportunity.”
Harris did gash the Buffs to the tune of 126 yards on just 13 carries last September inside a sold-out Folsom Field. Fifty of those came on one rush early in the second quarter. The Cibolo, Texas product also eclipsed the century mark at Fresno State in mid-November.
Harris was also a threat in the passing game, snagging 16 passes for 184 yards.
His most impressive attribute, though, might be in the pass-blocking department. The 5-foot-11, then-187-pounder allowed just four hurries and a single QB hit on 150 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
“I give big kudos to him because he came in as a true freshman and he balled out. He just completely balled out,” added Hearns. “I feel like Tote Harris, he’s going to be one of our premier backs. I can’t wait to see how he does this year.”
Aaron Bohl knew something was brewing midway through fall camp last season. Wyoming’s third-year defensive coordinator knew the former three-star recruit was talented, but even he was surprised by just how advanced Harris was for an 18-year-old kid.
“You knew he was fast, but there are fast guys everywhere, you know?” Bohl said. “But when you translate that into football playing, he runs really hard, has really good cuts and vision, and that’s growing as he’s gotten stronger now, which has been good to see.”
What does Bohl appreciate most when it comes to facing the speedster on the practice fields?
“I love when a mistake goes for a touchdown in practice, because nothing stings a player more than turning around and seeing that ball in the end zone,” he said with a smile.
Harris isn’t shy about listing his goals for his upcoming sophomore campaign. He wants to rush for at least 1,200 yards. If he accomplishes that, he’ll be the first Wyoming running back to do so since Xazavian Valladay went for 1,265 in 2019.
Packing on nine pounds of muscle over the offseason certainly won’t hurt that cause.
Harris also said he wants to cross the goal line 10 times. That hasn’t happened since quarterback Sean Chambers did so, also in ’19. The last tailback to pull off that feat was the school’s all-time leading rusher, Brian Hill, who scored 22 touchdowns during the Cowboys’ 2016 run to the Mountain West Championship game.
Speaking of which.
“Year two, I want to skyrocket,” Harris said, adding a conference title to his wish list. “… I just want to elevate my game, as a player, you know, and improve my role as a leader, also.”
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