Donovan Harbour needed Happy Valley trip to pick Penn State
WAUKESHA, Wis. (BVM) 鈥� Heading into his trip to Penn State for the Nittany Lions鈥� spring game in Happy Valley, offensive lineman Donovan Harbour wasn鈥檛 sure where he was going to commit to. However, by the end of his trip, he was so certain that while they were still on campus, Harbour made sure his family got some gear so they were ready for the announcement. Harbour even came up with a way to get his young cousin, Dehja Retic, involved in the announcement.
鈥淲hen we had went to the shop at Penn State, I just had seen baby clothes and I was like, 鈥極h snap I got to get Dehja involved with this,鈥欌�� Harbour said.聽
Two days after his trip, he was in the gymnasium at Catholic Memorial High School with his family, friends and coaches around him announcing his commitment to Penn State.聽
Here鈥檚 the exact moment when 2024 4锔忊儯馃専 OL committed to 贵辞辞迟产补濒濒鈥硷笍
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— Happy Valley Insider (@PennStateRivals)
鈥淚t was pretty exciting showing other people where my next home is going to be,鈥� Harbour said.
The 6-foot-4, 330-pound interior offensive lineman out of Catholic Memorial High School had about 20 offers including ones from Ohio State, Michigan, Auburn and Florida as well as Penn State. He is considered the seventh–best interior offensive lineman in the country and is the No. 1 recruit in Wisconsin for the Class of 2024. Harbour鈥檚 commitment to Penn State means he鈥檚 the second–best recruit in the class for Penn State behind Quinton Martin and gives the Nittany Lions the fifth–best recruiting class in the nation for the Class of 2024.聽
This past season, Harbour moved from left tackle to guard and helped the Crusaders rush for 2,824 yards and 51 touchdowns. CMH finished the season as state runners-up.聽
Donovan Harbour is a massive pickup for Penn State.
Harbour is the No. 178 player in the 2024 class and the No. 10 interior offensive lineman.
The blue and white now sit with the No. 6 recruiting class in the nation
— Alex Rocco (@AlexRocco13_)
The prior year, he played left tackle and won the starting spot as a sophomore. Catholic Memorial won state that year and Harbour began to realize his football career could go beyond high school.聽
鈥淜nowing that if I could beat the competitor in front of me, then I could beat more competitors ahead of me,鈥� Harbour said about winning the starting left tackle job and the effect it had on his belief he could play in college.聽
He also started to see some of the benefits of being on the offensive line. Harbour always wanted to be a tight end. He’s still trying to get Crusaders head coach Bill Young to give him a chance and once he鈥檚 at Penn State, he鈥檒l get to work on convincing Franklin to give him some snaps at tight end or fullback. But if he鈥檚 unsuccessful, he has still found a way to have fun on the offensive line.聽
鈥淎t left tackle, I鈥檓 on my own blocking people into the dirt, taking my anger out,鈥� Harbour said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what defensive guys don鈥檛 think about; offensive lineman they can really take their anger out on other people.”
Harbour started whittling down his list of schools but was nowhere near a decision when he went to Happy Valley. Late in December, he announced his top seven schools were Penn State, Tennessee, Ohio State, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan and Oregon.
鈥淚t was iffy,鈥� Harbour said about what way he was leaning ahead of his Penn State trip. 鈥淭hen as soon as I like stepped foot on campus and met with all the coaches I was just like, 鈥極h yeah this is the right place for me.鈥欌�澛�
Harbour said his conversations with the coaching staff, and in particular head coach James Franklin, was what won him over. Franklin expressed his commitment to the Nittany Lions as well as his emphasis on education. For Harbour, who鈥檚 determined to graduate Penn State with a degree, knowing his coaches are ready to help him succeed academically went a long way.聽
With his decision made, Harbour can now enjoy the end of his junior year and look forward to his future at Penn State.聽聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 great, I鈥檓 just a Penn State guy now鈥 just got to worry about me going to Penn State,鈥� Harbour said.聽
That does include talking to fellow recruits about the Nittany Lions. A few days after he committed, fellow Wisconsin native and three-star offensive tackle recruit out of Arrowhead High School Garrett Sexton committed to Penn State. Harbour had been talking to Sexton and found out about his commitment in the Penn State offensive line recruits鈥� group chat. Now, Harbour has to try to get Corey Smith to Happy Valley.聽
Smith is considered the second-best recruit in Wisconsin for the Class of 2024 and has him as the No. 1 recruit in the state. Smith has been the star running back for Catholic Memorial and a close friend of Harbour鈥檚 since before they were at CMH. They were both being recruited by the Nittany Lions and Smith was with Harbour on the trip to State College, Pennsylvania.
鈥淎s soon as I stepped on campus I was like, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e coming with me,鈥欌�� Harbour said about what he told Smith when the two got to Penn State for their visit.聽
The relationship between the offensive line and running backs is already close and these two were like brothers before football. Out on the field, the success speaks for itself.聽
CMH has one of the best running games in the state and having those two is a huge part of that. Smith has not committed anywhere yet but trying to recreate that success at Happy Valley is not a bad idea. It certainly would help Harbour make his message to Nittany Lions fans come true.聽
鈥淲e鈥檙e bringing a national championship, I don鈥檛 care what anybody says and we got the best head coach in the game,鈥� Harbour said.
