Jacory Sherrod Harris (born May 12, 1990) is a former

Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

for the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL), and a current firefighter in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

for the

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department The Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department (MDFR) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the unincorporated parts of Miami-Dade County, Florida, along with 30 municipalities located within the county. In all the department is respo ...

. Harris started for Miami Northwestern High School during his last two years; he was unbeaten (30-0) and led the team to two state championships. In his senior year, Harris broke the state record for passing touchdowns and won the 2007 High School Football National Championship. He was named Florida's Mr. Football. During his freshman year of college in 2008 with the Miami Hurricanes, he split time with Robert Marve in a two-quarterback system. After the

Emerald Bowl The San Francisco Bowl was an annual postseason college football bowl game certified by the NCAA and played in the San Francisco Bay Area. Originally named the Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl during its first two editions from 2002 to 2003, it w ...

in late December, Marve transferred to

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

, effectively making Harris the undisputed starter for the rest of his career as a Hurricane. He signed with the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in May 2012.

High school career

Harris attended Miami Northwestern High School, located in Liberty City, Miami, Florida. He became the starting quarterback for the Northwestern Bulls

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team as a junior in 2006. That year, he would lead Northwestern to an undefeated season and its third state championship while completing 275-of-425 passes for 3,542 yards, 35 touchdowns, and six interceptions. As a senior in 2007, under his leadership, the team went on to another undefeated season and state title, as well as the

high school football national championship The High School Football National Championship is a national championship honor awarded to the best high school football team(s) in the United States of America based on rankings from prep experts and analysts in the media, such as ''USA Today,'' an ...

. During his senior year, he completed 222-of-333 attempts (67% completion rate) for 3,445 yards, with 49 touchdowns and only six interceptions. In total, Harris finished with a 30-0 record as a starting quarterback in high school. Harris was awarded a Class 6A first-team all-state selection, the Mr. Football Award (Florida), and Class 6A Player of the Year. Harris attended the 2007 Elite 11 football camp and was ranked as the seventh best pocket-passer quarterback in the nation.

Collegiate career

2008 season

Harris chose to attend the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

, where he competed for the starting quarterback position with former Mr. Florida award winner Robert Marve for the Miami Hurricanes. Harris and Marve split time as starters, with Marve starting 11 of 13 games. Marve subsequently transferred out of Miami, leaving Harris the full-time starter heading into the 2009 season. During the 2008 season, Harris led Miami on two comeback drives against

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Harris finished the season with 1,195 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions as the Hurricanes wound up 7-6. In a July 31, 2009, interview with Dan Le Batard, Harris told the world that he will pick up his

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

wearing a pink suit and with a "pimp cup" in hand. He also earned himself a new nickname in this interview: Afro Butterfly.

2009 season

During the first game of his sophomore season against #18

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

, Harris went 21-of-34 for 386 passing yards (a career-high and 10th highest in school history) with two touchdowns and also ran for a score in Miami's 38-34 upset road victory. Harris managed just 122 of his 386 passing yards after a tough hit from FSU's blitzing cornerback Greg Reid with 11:45 left to play, which left his right arm numb until the next drive. In the second game of the 2009 season versus the

Yellow Jackets Yellowjacket or yellowjacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps of the genera ''Vespula'' and ''Dolichovespula''. Members of these genera are known simply as "wasps" in other English-speaking countries. Most of these ...

at home, Harris completed 20-of-25 passes for 270 yards and three touchdowns—and the 20th-ranked Hurricanes snapped a four-game losing streak against #14 Georgia Tech with a 33-17 victory on September 17, 2009. In the third game of the season against conference rival

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

, Harris struggled, throwing for nine completions out of 25 passing attempts, 150 yards, and no touchdowns in a 31-7 loss. The Hurricanes were #9 headed into the game, but dropped to #17 in the polls. In the fourth game versus the highly favored

Oklahoma Sooners The Oklahoma Sooners are the athletic teams that represent the University of Oklahoma, located in Norman. The 19 men's and women's varsity teams are called the "Sooners", a reference to a nickname given to the early participants in the Land Run ...

, Harris started the game off throwing two interceptions, then finished 19-for-28 with 202 yards passing and three touchdowns. The 21-20 win brought Miami back up to #11 in the polls. In the fifth game versus Florida A&M on October 10, Harris went 16-for-24 passing for 217 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-16 win. The Hurricanes moved back up to #9 in the AP Poll. In the sixth game of the season, Harris threw for 293 yards and a touchdown. The Miami Hurricanes went on to beat the UCF Knights, 27-7. Miami moved up one spot in the

AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...

. In a losing effort in overtime versus the

Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ...

, Harris put up 256 passing yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. In overtime, after a 20-yard Graig Cooper run, Harris and the Hurricane offense failed to push in the possible game-winning touchdown. The Hurricanes lost 40-37. The loss also put Miami down to #19 in the

and out of the BCS Standings. In an

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

matchup against the

Wake Forest Demon Deacons The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Wake Forest University, located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a mem ...

, Harris went 22-for-44, 330 yards passing, three touchdowns, and one pick. On a key 4th-and-16 on the Hurricanes final game-winning drive, Harris found Aldarius Johnson on a finger-tip catch which kept the drive alive. Harris sealed the 28-27 victory for "The U" off a 13-yard touchdown pass to Travis Benjamin. The Hurricanes moved up to #16 in the polls. The ninth game brought a change for the BCS 17th-ranked Hurricanes, as a 24-17 halftime lead against the

Virginia Cavaliers The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as ''Wahoos'' or ''Hoos'', are the athletic teams representing the University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers compete at the NCAA Division I level ( FBS for football), in the Atlantic C ...

broke into a dominant second half. Miami outscored Virginia 28-0 to defeat the Cavaliers 52-17. Harris went 18-of-31 with 232 yards, two touchdown passes, and one interception. The previously-struggling Miami defense was not to blame for the allowed points, however, as two special teams miscues leading to two blocked punts brought 14 points to Virginia. The tide-turning play: a 66-yard punt-return by sophomore WR Thearon Collier that brought seven points for the Hurricanes. Harris and the rest of the Miami Hurricanes went up to

Chapel Hill Chapel Hill or Chapelhill may refer to: Places Antarctica * Chapel Hill (Antarctica) Australia *Chapel Hill, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane *Chapel Hill, South Australia, in the Mount Barker council area Canada * Chapel Hill, Ottawa, a neighbo ...

to take on the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...

. Harris went 28-for-50, 319 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. The Hurricanes lost 33-24 and went from #14 to #21 and were out of contention for the ACC Championship and a BCS bowl game bid. In the final game at home for the Hurricanes against the

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Associatio ...

on November 21, Harris went 25-for-43, 348 yards passing, two touchdowns, and one interception. The Hurricanes scored three unanswered touchdowns in the second half. Linebacker Darryl Sharpton sealed the win with a 73-yard interception return. Miami won the game by a score of 34-16. As a sophomore, Harris led Miami to a 9-4 record and a #19 ranking from the AP poll while throwing for 3,352 yards, 24 touchdowns, and a pass efficiency rating of 140.09.

2010 season

The #13 Hurricanes had to face a schedule that included difficult games in September such as their September 11 matchup with preseason nationally ranked No. 2

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

. As a junior, Harris started the first eight games of the year before a concussion sidelined him for three games, forcing true freshman Stephen Morris to pick up the slack. The Miami Hurricanes finished with a record of 7-6 as their head coach,

Randy Shannon Randy Leonard Shannon (born February 24, 1966) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator for the Florida State Seminoles football program. Shannon was the head coach at th ...

, was fired near the season's end on November 27, 2010. Harris opened the season going 12-of-15 passing for 210 yards and three touchdowns as the Hurricanes defeated Florida A&M, 45-0, on September 2. He completed 21-of-32 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns in Miami's 31-3 win over Pittsburgh on September 23. Harris was 17-of-34 passing for 224 yards with a touchdown pass and another score off a 13-yard run in Miami's 28-13 road win on October 16 over Duke. A week later Miami fell behind 10-7 in the 2nd quarter at home against the North Carolina Tarheels. Harris directed the 'Canes to 23 unanswered points as he completed 21-of-32 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns in the contest, winning 30-10.

2011 season

On August 25, 2011, Harris was ruled ineligible to play the first game of the 2011 season for his involvement with the Nevin Shapiro scandal. Quarterback Stephen Morris started, losing to

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

on September 5, 2011. Harris then returned after the suspension and threw two touchdown passes along with two interceptions in a 24-6 win against Ohio State. Harris threw for 271 yards on September 24, 2011 against the nationally ranked No. 15 Kansas St. Wildcats in a losing effort, 28-24, as he completed 21-of-31 passes for two touchdowns. Harris was stopped short of the goal line on a quarterback sneak as the game clock expired. On October 8, the Hurricanes came up short against 17th-ranked Virginia Tech, 38-35. Harris was 13-for-21 passing the ball for 267 yards with three touchdowns, including a 77-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Travis Benjamin against the Hokies. On October 15 as the Hurricanes jumped out to a 27-10 halftime lead and claimed a 30-24 victory in Chapel Hill, N.C against a 5-1 North Carolina Tarheel team. The senior quarterback completed 20-of-30 passes for 267 yards with three touchdowns. Harris completed 14-of-20 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns against the Duke Blue Devils. He also had 22 yards on four rushes as Miami won 49-14. In a 28-21 loss to Virginia (the Cavaliers finished 8-5 in 2011), Harris went 21-of-30 for a season best 311 passing yards and three touchdowns, including one of those going for 51 yards to wide receiver Tommy Streeter in the third quarter. He also rushed six times for 22 yards in this October 27 matchup with the Cavaliers. Miami came up short in a November 12 loss to ACC rival Florida St., 23-19. Harris went 20-for-31 passing the ball for 225 yards with one touchdown. Harris also rushed six times for 31 yards against the 23rd-ranked Seminoles. In Harris's final collegiate game, he threw four interceptions in a 24-17 loss to Boston College. Despite Miami being eligible for a bowl game with a 6-6 record, the university forfeited their bowl bid after having to deal with the fallout of the Nevin Shapiro scandal. Harris ended his senior season completing 195-of-300 passes (65.0 percent) for 2,486 yards, 20 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. For his career at Miami, he had 8,826 passing yards, 70 touchdowns, and a pass efficiency rating of 135.0.

Statistics

Professional career

NFL

Harris was not drafted in the

2012 NFL Draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

. After the draft, he received an invitation to the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

' training camp. He signed with the

on May 11, 2012, but was waived on May 21.

Edmonton Eskimos

Following his time in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, Harris came north to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and joined the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

of the

(CFL) on February 6, 2013. After spending the 2013 season on the practice roster Harris was released by the club on June 15, 2014.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

On July 13, 2014, Harris signed with the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

. In the 2015 season he appeared in three games for the Ti-Cats completing 13 of 23 pass attempts for 160 yards. Following the season he was not re-signed by the Tiger-Cats and became a free-agent.

Montreal Alouettes

Harris signed with the

(CFL) on February 14, 2017. During the 2017 preseason Harris completed 15 of 23 pass attempts for 163 yards.

After Football

The 2017 CFL season was Harris’ last in professional football. He is currently a firefighter for the

, a job he began in July 2020 after graduating from the Miami-Dade Fire Academy.

Career statistics

References

External links

Hamilton Tiger-Cats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Jacory 1990 births Living people American football quarterbacks Canadian football quarterbacks American players of Canadian football Edmonton Elks players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Montreal Alouettes Miami Hurricanes football players Philadelphia Eagles players Miami Northwestern Senior High School alumni Players of American football from Miami Players of Canadian football from Miami 21st-century American firefighters