Who is Monte Harrison? 28-year-old former MLB player commits to play football at Arkansas

Who is Monte Harrison? 28-year-old former MLB player commits to play football at Arkansas

Arkansas football is coming off a disappointing 4-8 season, but the school committed to coach Sam Pittman for at least one more season. Pittman’s search for a talent infusion in what will be a pivotal year has taken him as far as the baseball diamond.

Former MLB outfielder Monte Harrison committed to Arkansas as a walk-on wide receiver, the Southwest Times Record reported Tuesday.

While a walk-on wide receiver isn’t someone any SEC team is necessarily counting on, the Razorbacks evidently believe there is some potential in Harrison’s ability as a football player even after so much time away from the field. Harrison last played competitive football in high school before starting his minor league baseball career.

Here’s what you need to know about Harrison and his background as multi-sport athlete.

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Who is Monte Harrison?

Harrison was a four-star wide receiver recruit out of high school in 2014 and committed to Nebraska as both a wide receiver and an outfielder, but the Brewers convinced him to focus on baseball after they selected him 50th overall in the 2014 MLB Draft. It was believed Harrison might’ve come off the board earlier if not for concerns about his signability.

Harrison not only emerged as one of the top prospects in Milwaukee’s system, but he also became a highly-regarded prospect across the league, ranking No. 71 in MLB Pipeline’s prospect rankings ahead of the 2018 season.

A strong 2017 minor-league season, during which he hit .271 with 21 home runs and 27 stolen bases, elevated Harrison’s stock, and the Brewers took advantage. He was one of four players traded to the Marlins in the deal that sent Christian Yelich to Milwaukee.

Harrison could never put it all together with Miami, but he got an MLB opportunity during the 2020 COVID-shortened season. Harrison hit just .170 over 51 plate appearances, and he only briefly resurfaced with the Marlins in 2021 and again with the Angels in 2022.

Harrison’s last MLB game came on July 12, 2022 for the Angels, and he struggled to a .593 OPS over 88 minor-league games in the Brewers organization last season.

How old is Monte Harrison?

Harrison is 28. He’s set to turn 29 in August ahead of the college football season.

Age could either be an advantage or disadvantage for Harrison, who has to get up to speed after a decade away from competitive football. On one hand, it might help to have more refined physical traits than players who are 18-22. Harrison hasn’t played football since 2014, but he’s been competing at a high athletic level in that time.

On the other hand, getting his body up to speed to play such a physical sport at 29 might be a challenge. Harrison measured in at 6-1 and 218 pounds during his MLB playing days.

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Monte Harrison MLB stats