Rookie Running Back Already Repaying Wyoming’s Loyalty
LARAMIE -- Samuel Harris on Tuesday turned 19 years old.
The dynamic rookie running back celebrated, in part, by pouring over film of UNLV's defense. He also said he would sneak a peek at the conference's leading rusher, Jai'Den Thomas, who already has 393 yards and five touchdowns on the ground in only 45 attempts.
"I want to out-rush him, so I gotta see what he's working with," Harris said with a smile, speaking about Saturday night's counterpart, who averages nearly nine yards per carry.
The visiting Rebels have likely keyed in on Wyoming's featured back, too.
Harris, better known around here as "Tote," has officially climbed into the league's Top 10 after a 126-yard rushing performance on the road at Colorado. He did that damage on just 19 carries. More impressive, that outing came on the heels of rolling up 105 yards of total offense on 11 touches against Utah.
Both weeks he was named the Mountain West's Freshman of the Week.
Admittedly, Harris thought at one point during his journey the first part of that résumé-building honor would say "Pac 12."
Washington was initially in the driver's seat. Recruiters from Arizona and Utah were calling, too. The three-star prospect landed on plenty of radars after amassing a tick under 700 yards and five rushing touchdowns during his sophomore season at San Diego's University City High School. He also added 290 yards and a pair of scores through the air.
MORE UW FOOTBALL COVERAGE VIA 7220SPORTS:
* Roaring Repeater Podcast: Are The Rebels Really For Real?
* Wyoming's Starting Left Tackle Out For Season With Knee Injury
* UNLV Notebook: Sawvel Looking For 'Growth' in League Play
* MW Players of the Week: Hawaii's Rookie QB Lights up Falcons
* Jackson Garrett Makes 'Easy' Choice, Verbally Commits to UW
* Portal Tracker: Let's Check in on Former Wyoming Football Players
* Around the Mountain: Long Leads the Way for CSU
Like it was known to do throughout Harris' childhood, military life would once again dictate the next move. His mother, Tereca Harris, a Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy, was stationed in the San Antonio area where her son would cap his prep career at Byron P. Steele High School.
From one football hotbed to another, additional offers came in from UConn, along with fellow Mountain West programs San Jose State, Nevada and, yes, even this week's opponent, UNLV.
Wyoming's ultimate proposal came in late May of 2024.
Why is that significant?
Harris said he was in the middle of grueling rehab sessions, forced to watch his team take part in spring football without him. A torn ACL in his right knee derailed his junior campaign and likely the Knights' 6A state championship dreams.
"I was just coming off of a 269-yard game, playing in the Alamodome," Harris said, before describing how a defender latched on and his knee collapsed during that 2023 playoff run. "... It definitely was emotional, but, you know, with my support system -- it was an insane amount of support, everybody reaching out telling me, obviously, everything would be OK and fine -- but, for me, personally, I just had to look in the mirror, talk to my family, talk to my dad. He just told me to keep pushing.
"I'm blessed."
The only area code popping up on his phone in those dire days read "307."
"It meant everything to me," Harris continued. "For them to still believe in me, even coming off the injury, that I could be the same person -- or even better -- meant a lot to me ... There's nowhere else for me to be."
During last December's early signing period, former Wyoming Director of Player Personnel, Kirby O'Meara, laid out exactly what this staff saw in Harris.
"He is just an all-around back," he said of the 5-foot-11, 187-pound former track star, who once ran a blazing 10.5 second 100-yard dash. "He can really be a home-run threat, he's versatile, smooth, fluid, fast, has great change of direction, great vision and great instincts."
Harris returned to the field, sporting a bulky black brace, during the sixth game of his senior season. He still rushed for 126 yards and three touchdowns in that debut. He averaged 9.3 yards per carry.
Jay Sawvel said he knew he landed a good person and a talented, hard worker. An 8-yard run during a third-down drill in fall camp, though, changed everything.
"He made a run that I have not seen anybody make here," the second-year head coach said, eyebrows raised. "It was vision, vision, cut, cut, lower the pads and go -- but there was also a speed to it. I kind of knew then, I'm like, OK, this guy's going to be pretty good. And the progression has gone really well. The progression goes as fast as what you'd expect from an athlete like that.
"... I love what he does every single day, on and off the field. So, I mean, he's special."
Gary Harrell agrees.
"He is special," Wyoming's running backs coach reiterated. "He gives us a chance to be really explosive."
In Pee-Wee football, the same age he earned that lasting nickname, Harris said the game moved slower for him. An early student of the game, he knew where defenders were lining up and where the running lane should form. He still relies on those very keys today.
MORE UW FOOTBALL COVERAGE VIA 7220SPORTS:
* Cowboys Open Conference Play Saturday Night Against UNLV
* Wyoming Cowboys in the NFL: Week 4
* Wyoming to Honor College Football Hall of Famer Ryan Yarborough
* Border War: Wyoming Will Open 2026 at Colorado State
* Behind the Numbers: The Only Thing Missing -- a Trademark High-Step
* Tuck's Take: A Lot Had to Go Right on a Night When Not Much Did
* Where was Wyoming's Urgency in the Fourth Quarter?
Harris' first-career rush in a Cowboys' uniform came in the soggy opener at Akron. That second-quarter, which came inside the opposing 10-yard line, amounted to just a single yard.
The hole was there. So was a linebacker.
"I hate to say it, but I kind of got cold feet," Harris admitted. "I saw the gap close really fast. You could say that was my welcome-to-college-football moment."
If he could run that play over again?
"Oh, touchdown," he said, flashing a wide, inviting smile. "That would've definitely been a touchdown."
Just ask Northern Iowa and Utah.
Kickoff between Wyoming (2-2) and unbeaten UNLV (4-0) is slated for 5 p.m. Saturday evening inside War Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com
- University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players
More From 7220 Sports
