Aztec Recruit Harris Ineligible to Play This Fall
Fred Harris, the 1990 Louisiana player of the year, has not qualified for athletic admission to San Diego State for a second consecutive fall.
In addition, four members of SDSU’s 1992 recruiting class have not qualified for athletic admission, SDSU Coach Al Luginbill said on Sunday--reporting day for this season’s freshmen and newcomers.
Luginbill said that Harris, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound linebacker from Woodlawn High in Shreveport, La., received his latest American College Testing (ACT) scores Saturday and that they were not high enough to qualify. Harris, who sat out last season, now will not be eligible to play for SDSU this season.
Luginbill said that the Aztecs discovered last spring that Harris is dyslexic but that it was too late to do anything for this fall.
“We obviously have a different outlook on Fred now than before because we determined he has a learning disability,” Luginbill said. “I feel very, very bad for this young man. He’s a tremendous human being. If we would have known about his other problems, we would have approached this completely different a year ago.”
Harris’ options are now to work, attend a community college and play football, or attempt to enroll in SDSU under a different program. If he is admitted to SDSU, however, he still cannot play football this fall.
Harris could not be reached for comment. His mother, Ollie Harris, said from Shreveport on Sunday night that her son has not decided what route to take.
“He has indefinite plans right now,” Ollie Harris said. “But it’s just like a child learning to walk--you fall, you get right back up. You don’t give up.”
SDSU signed Harris after a vicious recruiting battle during which assistant coach Curtis Johnson received a death threat. The Aztecs finished ahead of Louisiana State and Colorado, among others, in the battle for Harris.
The four members of the 1992 recruiting class who have not qualified are Sheldon Anderson, a 6-0, 185-pound defensive back/wide receiver from Washington High in Los Angeles; Ricky Parker, a 6-1, 185-pound defensive back/wide receiver from Hiram Johnson High in Sacramento; Benny Lopez, a 6-3, 255-pound tight end from Valley View High in Moreno Valley; and Andreal Climon, a 6-0, 180-pound defensive back/wide receiver from Helix High.