Kosciusko High School’s Antonio Harmon has got all the options in the world at his disposal.
Harmon is listed as a four-star recruit by 247Sports and is ranked as the No. 3 player in the state of Mississippi by the recruiting service.
Harmon, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs a sturdy 205 pounds, currently holds 11 Division I offers, including recent ones from defending national champion LSU and Texas. The first school to offer Harmon was nearby Mississippi State while Ole Miss and Southern Miss were not too far behind. He also has offers from Oregon, Michigan State and Georgia.
But Harmon said he is not worried about the offers at this point but has spent his spare time working to get better, bigger and stronger.
“I haven’t been thinking about the offers,” Harmon said. “I think the offers will come. Right now, I’m just working. I’m working out lifting, running routes, doing agilities and trying to get faster and stronger. I’m working with my dad, so I am staying busy.”
Harmon said if he had to name a top five right now it would be Texas, LSU, Georgia, Oregon and Missouri.
“Right now, those are the places I would like to go visit,” Harmon said. “But I haven’t really made my mind up about all of that yet. There is still time.”
Harmon told Sports Illustrated reporter Glen West that he was “doing this for my parents; they want me to make something of myself and any school that gives me a shot to make me better, I don’t care where it is. I never really had a favorite team or anything growing up, so just finding the best fit for me is what I’m focused on.”
Harmon is coming off another rough year on the field with the Whippets, who were 3-8 last year. Head coach Kelly Causey stepped down at the conclusion of the season and the Whippets eventually hired Noxapater coach Casey Orr.
Orr said it has not taken long to get to know Harmon, who has stayed in touch with him and has been sending him workout videos.
“He is a real talent,” Orr said. “He stands out on the 4A field. His ability to make plays is far different from most kids. When you watch film, you don’t have to ask what number he is.”
Last year, Harmon had 35 catches for 429 yards with four touchdowns, including a long of 80 yards. Orr has been sharpening his pencil figuring out how to get Harmon the ball.
“He has to get more touches,” Orr said. “He is going to play in a lot of places. Teams did a good job of double and triple teaming him last year. You have to find ways to get him the football. It may mean putting him in motion, lining him up in the backfield as either a running back or quarterback. Whatever it is, he’s got to touch the ball more than he did last year. We can’t just leave him out there on an island as an on-the-ball guy and let teams double and triple team him. We are going to have to be creative with him. He’s a special talent.”
Harmon spent plenty of time on defense last year as well where he had 53 tackles and two interceptions. LSU offered Harmon as a defensive back, his first offer on the defensive side of the football.
“He had a really good year on defense,” Orr said. “LSU came in and offered him on defense so they were really impressed with him. And just talking with him, he doesn’t mind playing either side of the football. It seems like he just loves the game and wants to do whatever it takes to win.”
Harmon said his time at wide receiver has helped him on defense.
“Because I’ve played so much wide receiver, I know what that guy is thinking when I’m on defense,” Harmon said. “I think it’s a blessing to be able to play both sides of the football. It definitely gives me some options and some things to think about.”
Because he was hired late in the year and after schools were closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic in March, Orr said he hasn’t had a lot of discussions with his star player about his future.
“The only real discussions we have had is how to handle the whole recruitment process,” Orr said. “I don’t think he’s 100 percent any one way. He is a very polite young man and very down to earth. He has really shown a high level of maturity through all of this recruitment. He has made a very good impression on me. And you can watch the videos that he sends. He’s working every day. If he’s not working with his dad, he’s out running routes or doing agility work or lifting weights. And when you look at him, he’s put together. He’s 6-foot-4 but he’s 200-plus pounds and it’s all muscle. He’s certainly looks the part.”
As for academics, Harmon said his GPA is close to a 3.5 but he still needs to make his ACT score to be fully qualified. When he isn’t working out, Harmon said he enjoys fishing, as shown by some of his recent posts on Twitter.
