Yes
Iowa cornerback Jermari Harris has nothing left to prove with the Hawkeye football program, and the Hawkeyes, quite frankly, have nothing left to play for.
Two more games against mid-tier Big Ten teams in Nebraska and Maryland gave him no room to prove something more to NFL audiences and mean nothing for Iowa’s place in the Big Ten. The same goes for the bowl game, especially in this era of college football, where the most important prize is a playoff appearance.
It’s not a great look that Harris “quit” on his teammates, but a deeper look showed he made the best decision for himself, and that’s what’s most important with the state of Iowa football right now.
On a team that won’t make a Big Ten championship or College Football Playoff, Harris now has to do what’s best for him. The Iowa football collective means less when you’re only playing for yourself and the people around you. And that’s what he did.
By sitting out the last three games, Harris allows the lingering injury he’s battled this season to heal — and prevent it from worsening. Look at Cooper DeJean last year. It’s hard to argue his leg injury mid-season didn’t hurt his draft stock even a little bit, dropping him to the second round and costing him a good chunk of money in signing bonuses.
Moreover, as previously mentioned, three more games don’t give Harris much room to improve his draft stock much further. What does is the NFL Combine, which he can spend time preparing for instead of risking his already shaky spot in the selection process for a little more time in college.
At the end of the day, college football players need to do what’s in their best interests when they’ve got NFL potential and not much left in college. Harris did, and that’s why he made the right decision.
No
I’m the first to admit Iowa football is far from perfect, but the loss of Jermari Harris for the remainder of the season is still a substantial blow to the Hawkeyes.
The key here is defense, namely its returners, who have held opponents to 195 points this season, with a 6-5 Nebraska squad the last opponent of the regular season and held to just 10.
Harris, Iowa’s best defensive back, has logged three interceptions, 19 tackles, and seven pass defenses this season. A report from 247 Sports confirmed the Chicago native will opt out for the rest of the season, which sidelined him for the Maryland and Nebraska games as well as the anticipated bowl game.
This is a bad decision in terms of its effect on the team. While the Hawkeyes bested Maryland — ranked second-to-last in the Big Ten — and silenced Nebraska, too, without Harris, it’s more about the message that’s sent.
Jay Higgins, Nick Jackson, and Sebastian Castro — each key pieces in the Iowa defense — could’ve opted for the 2024 NFL Draft after significantly increasing their stocks last season. But they chose to return to finish what they started. The key word there is “finish.”
I understand Harris is battling a lingering injury this season, but he played on it the first 10 games. And the Iowa football program prides itself on a collective and high-class team effort from start to finish. Harris’ decision sends the message that this might not be the case.
While Harris’ decision to opt out may push the player closer to NFL ambitions, it’s going to be a blow to Iowa’s defense, which, even with Harris and other defensive weapons last year, gave up the the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl to Tennessee in a 35-0 blowout.