REIDSVILLE, N.C. — The journey of the 6-foot-8, 240-pound, 5-star tight end out of Reidsville Senior High School — Kendre Harrison — has been filled with popularity, notoriety, pressure, expectations, successes, and plenty of adversity.
During his sophomore year of high school, Harrison helped lead the Rams to state championships in both football and basketball. By the end of the 2023-24 school year, he had earned the title as the consensus #1 Tight End in the class of 2026. Harrison was also named the MaxPreps 2023 National Male Athlete of the Year and has received countless other accolades.
Playing in eight games for the Rams as a junior in 2024, Harrison caught 33 passes for 555 yards and eight touchdowns.
When Harrison first stepped on the field for the Rams, his frame, strength, speed, and great hands had almost every college football coach in the nation coming to Reidsville to try and convince the two-sport star to join their school
As the offers began to roll in by the middle of his freshman season, Harrison had almost every program in the country calling, texting, and offering him the world to be a part of their program. Names like Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, and Deion Sanders jumped at the chance to bring in the kid from Reidsville to help him pursue his dream of making it to the pros.
With 40-plus Division I offers, Harrison had a difficult decision regarding where to spend his athletic and academic future. But he told WFMY News 2 in an exclusive interview that the number one factor in choosing a school was his faith.
"I said the No. 1 thing in my decision is keeping God first, prayer, and my family second. Other than that, I just wanted to make sure it feels like home", Harrison said.
In July, Harrison narrowed his options from over 40 schools down to just six — Florida State, Miami, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Those six programs and their fanbases tried almost everything possible to sway Harrison's decision, but the choice was always up to the 17-year-old from Reidsville, North Carolina.
Ultimately, the Rams' two-sport star has decided to commit to the No. 1 ranked Oregon Ducks and head coach Dan Lanning. According to Harrison, his decision was about much more than football.
"I picked Oregon because I love Dan Lanning, I love Coach Smith, Coach Drew, and I love all the coaches. Plus they're the number one team in the country — it's hard to beat that". Harrison said, "When you have a school that goes out of their way to recruit you and it's on the other side of the world, it just shows you how much they really love you."
Harrison said the Ducks flying east to pursue his athletic talents wasn't the No. 1 reason why he is headed to Eugene. Rather. it's how Oregon's coaching staff showed they cared about him and his family as his grandmother's health began to fail late during his junior season.
"When I was going through all that stuff with my grandma, they were the only school to call me every day and check on me and my family man," Harrison said. "My mom doesn't even watch football but I walked into the living room last weekend and she was sitting on the couch watching Oregon vs. Wisconsin on the TV and that's when I knew that's where I wanted to go and where I want to be."
Harrison also said he intends to play both football and basketball for the Ducks once he enrolls.