Coming on the heels of spending three seasons back in his home state of Alabama, former Auburn defensive lineman Marcus Harris will be heading west to the state of Texas.
Harris, who started his college career at Kansas in 2020, was the 247th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft Saturday, going to the Houston Texans.
While Harris could’ve returned to The Plains for his final season of eligibility, the Montgomery native made the decision to declare for the NFL Draft on December 12, just seven days after he was named an all-SEC first teamer for the 2023 season.
“I kinda knew I was going to leave the whole time but, I was just hearing all the options and all the other advice before I made that decision because it’s a big decision,” Harris told AL.com in February. “I just got everybody’s advice and put it all into one thing and decided what was best for myself.”
Harris put together the best season of his college career in 2023 as he recorded 40 total tackles and led the Tigers in tackles for a loss and sacks with 11 and seven, respectfully.
Following his 2023 campaign, Harris earned invites to both the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine.
While in Indianapolis for the Combine, Harris clocked a 5.06 40-yard dash, a 29.5-inch vertical jump, an 8-foot-7 broad jump and repped 225 pounds on the bench press 27 times. Heading into Auburn’s Pro Day on March 22, Harris was hoping to hit the 30-rep mark on bench press and ultimately eclipsed his goal with 34 reps.
Since Harris’ departure, Auburn has worked hard to replace his production — both via the transfer portal and the high school ranks.
The Tigers have brought in a pair of defensive line recruits in TJ Lindsey and Malik Blocton, with the latter having close ties to Harris as the two are brothers.
Meanwhile, Auburn has also added four transfer defensive linemen in Texas transfer Trill Carter, Kansas transfer Gage Keys, Indiana transfer Philip Blidi and USC transfer Isaiah Raikes.