Thomas Harper

Harper had a sensational senior season as after he pledged to Oklahoma State in the summer and was named all-district, all-region and team MVP as he caught 80 passes for 1,279-yards with 18 touchdown receptions. He also rushed for 43-yards on 10 carries. On defense he had 92 total tackles, 67 unassisted stops, and an interception that he returned 95-yards for a touchdown. He also caused two fumbles and blocked a field goal. On special teams he averaged 20.6-yards on kickoff returns and had one punt return for 14-yards. His junior season he caught 69 passes for 1.086-yards and 11 touchdowns. On defense he had 40 tackles with 31 of those being unassisted. He picked off two passes and averaged 18.7-yards on kickoff returns and had a 32-yard punt return. All of that was enough to earn him a spot on the 2017 Tennessee High School Coaches Class 5A All-State team as an athlete. Playing varsity as a sophomore at Karns, Harper had 20 receptions for 310-yards and a touchdown. On defense he had 23 tackles, 16 of those unassisted and a fumble recovery. His big splash that season came on special teams where he averaged 24.3-yards on kickoff returns and had two that he returned for touchdowns. Harper finished his high school career with 155 total tackles, 114 of which were solo stops, 16 passes defended and three interceptions. He is on the honor roll and part of Mu Alpha Theta.

Scouting Report: I’m going to reserve the right to re-visit Harper after he arrives in Stillwater and has to do the things he does on the field to college players, but against the Class 5A competition in Tennessee he is a freak. I saw him at Oklahoma State camp in the summer and he ran fast and had great agility. It is more impressive to see him on the football field doing football things. That word freak is used for the wide receivers at Oklahoma State and Tim Duffie may end up in a tug-of-war with Kasey Dunn for this guy. If I were to have a criticism it would be that he doesn’t touch the ball enough. He is electric on offense and he shows excellent ball skills, the ability to find space, to use his vision to escape defenders in close quarters, and the explosive speed to finish the play. I could go on writing as I saw him block effectively and carry out decoy duties. On defense he is a smart player that uses good angles in pursuit, tackles with good fundamentals, and on his one interception (he wasn’t thrown at very often) he played off the receiver and virtually deceived the quarterback into making the throw and then, like he does on offense, escaped to open space and went the distance. Harper may be one of the best prospects in this class and I find it amazing to see his offer list.