Former University of Colorado football player Marques Harris admits he made some unwise decisions during his stay in Boulder, Colo. But all he wants now is a fresh start.
A three-year defensive starter who leaves CU in the wake of the Buffaloes' off-the-field problems, Harris has signed to play football at Southern Utah University, where he hopes to get that new beginning.
"I've had a great career at Colorado. I learned a lot from the positive and negative," Harris told the Deseret Morning News on Thursday.
Now, Harris will focus his attention on getting to the NFL.
"I wanted to go somewhere where I can fit in and worry about football," said Harris, who relocates his fiance and two-day-old baby girl with him to Cedar City.
Harris, who started 29 games before breaking his leg in two places against UCLA two games into the 2003 season, chose SUU over Southwest Missouri, Murray State, Montana and 21 other schools.
He selected SUU due in large part to former high school teammate Justin Walterscheid, who transferred from the University of Utah to SUU two years ago.
"When I was deciding to leave, I talked to him and he told me Southern Utah was a great school and it was on the rise and on the rebound, and he thought it would be a great place for me," said Harris, who prepped with Walterscheid in Grand Junction, Colo.
"For me, it was a great fit. It's the place where I want to be," he said.
He won't have to sit out a year because SUU is a Div. I-AA program.
First-year SUU coach Wes Meier and athletic director Tom Douple discussed Harris' off-the-field problems and came to the decision that Harris would be a good fit for the T-Birds.
"He's putting those days behind him. He has one semester, and he wants to go to the NFL," Meier said. "He was very convincing to me that he wants to set his life straight and get along with things. He's a kid that we feel deserves to finish and finish strong."
Harris will report to SUU on July 29. Fall practice begins Aug. 12.
He graduated from the University of Colorado last year with a degree in communication, but he has one year of eligibility left after being granted a medical redshirt after breaking his leg last year.
Listed by some prognosticators as one of the Top 64 players in the nation heading into this season, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Harris said he nearly opted for free agency in the NFL last year, despite being injured. He was told by agents and coaches he needed to prove to NFL teams that he is healthy.
In 2002, the defensive end/linebacker was fifth on the team with 68 tackles and a team-best 14 tackles for loss. He also recorded four sacks.
Despite stellar numbers on the field, his off-the-field problems, he said, deterred him from his goals.
According to published reports in the Colorado Daily, Harris pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of providing alcohol to a minor during an off-campus party in December 2001. He received a deferred 18-month sentence and ordered to perform 36 hours of community service.
That party, Harris said, was eventually investigated by police after a number of Colorado students claimed they were raped. No further charges were filed.
"In my mind, at CU things aren't going to be the same for two or three years. They're going to have a lot of rebuilding to do," he said. "I don't want all those negative things to affect my chances (of going to the NFL) and my goals."
He is one of five players to leave the CU in the past month.
"I want to play linebacker (at SUU) — that's what I have been projected at at the next level," he said. "It will be good for me to play linebacker so I can show I can play it."
The T-Birds finished 4-7 last year and allowed 25.7 points per game and 397.1 yards total offense.
"With all his credentials, he'll be a great player for us," Meier said. "We lack a little depth at the outside linebacker position, so it will be huge for us."
Heading into this year, Street and Smith's listed Harris as a preseason honorable-mention all-American, and a Big 12 first-team selection.
E-mail: jhinton@desnews.com