RB Harper still in play

If Rashard Mendenhall announces Thursday that he’s headed to the NFL, as expected, the recruitment of running back Jamie Harper of Jacksonville, Fla., could get interesting.

Harper, who attends Trinity Christian Academy, is the country’s fifth-rated running back, according to Scout.com, and has Illinois listed among five finalists.

Rivals.com rates Harper No. 9 among running backs and lists Illinois as a “low interest” school. The Illini are considered a long shot in the group.

Harper visited Champaign last month and saw ice and snow for the first time, according to Trinity coach Verlon Dorminey. He said Harper has visits scheduled to Clemson this weekend then Florida and Miami in subsequent weeks.

But he hasn’t received any indication that Illinois has slipped or been eliminated.

“I don’t think he would have made the trip if he hadn’t been serious,” Dorminey said. “If he does hear that Mendenhall is going, it could give him a little more insight.”

To be clear, Dorminey said he has no idea where Harper might be leaning. Illinois has pulled some good talent out of Jacksonville in recent years thanks partly to co-defensive coordinator Dan Disch, who coached high school football in the city as recently as 2003.

Disch’s former school, Ed White High, is about a mile from Trinity. Disch and Dorminey have known each other for decades. Dorminey said they have distant relatives.

As for Harper, he’s a 6-1, 227-pounder who was timed - this according to Dorminey - at 4.34 in the 40 last spring. At the time he weighed closer to 215.

Illinois already has some solid commitments at running back. Better than solid actually. Jason Ford from Belleville Althoff is a potential replacement for Mendenhall, and Deries Hodge has re-committed to the Illini after spending a year at a prep school. Mikel Leshoure of Champaign is also in the fold. The Illini will have Daniel Dufrene and Troy Pollard (from Jacksonville) back as well.

Immediate playing time won’t necessarily be a deciding factor, Dorminey said.

“I would say Jamie’s a kid that will understand a situation,” he said. “He would probably want to play, but would understand if he found he was in over his head.

“I’ve tried to help him make a good decision. Later, he’ll put it all together, we’ll talk and he’ll try to pick out a good school for himself.”

Most speculation is that Harper will stay closer to home. The snow he saw in Champaign probably didn’t help. But Illinois remains in pursuit.