After playing nine seasons of professional baseball, including three seasons in MLB, Monte Harrison is doing something rarely seen by a former baseball player: play college football.
The 28-year-old will trade his baseball cleats for football ones as he plans to walk-on to the Arkansas Razorbacks football team, an Arkansas football spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.
Even in a world where college athletes are getting six years of eligibility thanks to COVID-19, Harrison will be one of the oldest college football players when he joins the program. He’s not a stranger to football; he was a four-star recruit in the 2014 class that included Myles Garrett, Leonard Fournette, Deebo Samuel and Deshaun Watson. He committed to play for Bo Pelini at Nebraska as a receiver, but that year, he was drafted in the second round of the MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Harrison opted to pursue a baseball career without every using any college eligibility.
Harrison spent four seasons in the Brewers minor leagues, and at one point, was the top prospect in the organization. In 2018, he was part of the Christian Yelich trade that resulted in Harrison being sent to Miami, and he was still a top 100 prospect with the Marlins.
He made his major league debut in 2020 and briefly played in the majors in 2021 before he was released in 2022. He signed with the Los Angeles Angels for the 2022 season and played in nine games before he was sent to the minors. Harrison returned to Milwaukee on a minor league contract in 2023 and he was released at the end of the season.
In three seasons, Harrison played in 50 MLB games and hit .176 with two home runs, six RBI and seven stolen bases. In nine minor league seasons, he played in 770 games with a .240 batting average, 90 home runs, 336 RBI and 210 stolen bases.
Harrison is expected to join Arkansas as a receiver and will have four years of eligibility. Nebraska and Tennessee were other possible destinations for Harrison, according to 247 Sports.
The Razorbacks will open the season on Aug. 29 against Arkansas Pine-Bluff. By that time, Harrison will be a 29-year-old.
