Jim Harbaugh, a bucket of licorice, and the homecoming that almost changed everything for Najee Harris (2024)

In the split-second of stunned silence before the crowd went ballistic and started chanting her name — Ta-ti! Ta-ti! Ta-ti! — there was a lot Tatiana Mendez was trying to process.

It was a chilly night in the Bay Area in October 2016, at halftime of an Antioch High School football game. Mendez and the rest of the homecoming court, in their gowns and tuxes, were standing on the track surrounding the field for the homecoming-queen announcement. The bleachers were packed. Mendez, a member of the cheer team, was used to that part. Najee Harris, Antioch’s star running back, was the nation’s No. 1 recruit, which filled seats and often turned the home sideline into a who’s who of high-profile coaches.

So, Mendez, who had grown up in San Francisco and worshiped the49ers as a kid, wasn’t exactly surprised when she heard whispers that a former 49ers coach was at the game. She did not expect, however, that the coach would take the microphone at halftime, put on his eyeglasses, open an envelope and tell the crowd, “The winner is … Tatiana Mendez!” That felt like a dream.

“I was in shock,” Mendez said.

Yes, she was still processing. But in that moment Mendez was reasonably sure Jim Harbaugh had just announced her as the homecoming queen.

Harbaugh hadn’t expected to be holding the mic that night, either.

But that’s what tended to happen when you stepped into the center of the recruiting circus surrounding Najee Harris: things escalated.

See, five years before the Steelers selected Harris with the 24th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, making him the first running back off the board, Harris was the target of a tense recruiting battle between Alabama and Michigan, between Nick Saban and Harbaugh. Had Harris picked Michigan, who knows how things would have changed for Harris or the Wolverines or the Crimson Tide or even the Steelers, who are counting on Harris to help revive the running game.

Stripped to its most basic facts, it’s a simple one-sentence story. Harris verbally committed to Alabama as a high-school sophom*ore and stuck to it, winning two national titles with the Crimson Tide before leaving as Alabama’s all-time leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. But that misses what Brandon Huffman, the national recruiting editor for 247Sports.com, says was one of the most fascinating recruitments ever. It featured some of the most colorful coaching personalities in college football, viral videos, message-board rumors, flight trackers, Harbaugh ruffling feathers with his attempts to sway Harris, and, yes, a surprise homecoming announcement. The saga wasn’t over until fans and media were waiting at two airports to see where Harris had landed.

And yet …

“He hated the recruiting buzz,” said Brett Dudley, Antioch’s offensive coordinator. “He wanted nothing to do with it.”

“That’s the thing that always used to make me laugh,” Huffman echoed. “Everybody was making a big deal about it — except Najee.”

Harris had been catching the attention of football coaches since his first padded practice with the Antioch High School freshman football team. He blew through three defenders on his first carry, then tackled a kid so hard that the coach sent Harris to JV before he hurt someone. Legend has it Harris scored on his first four touches with the JV team and sat the rest of the game.

So, Harris jumped to varsity and started immediately at outside linebacker, blocking a punt in his first game. In a showdown against Freedom High School and Joe Mixon, a five-star running back considered a generational talent in the Bay Area, Harris helped hold Mixon to a season-low 59 yards and forced a fumble. On offense, Harris ran for 92 yards and his first varsity touchdown.

After the game, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, Mixon told Harris, “You’re going to be a great player.” The recruiting world took notice, too. Huffman, the recruiting insider, remembers getting a call from Mori Suesue, who would coach both Mixon and Harris at points in their high school careers.

“Hey, I’ve got a kid who’s going to be better than Joe,” Suesue said.

“Mori, come on,” Huffman replied.

“Trust me,” Suesue said.

Trainer Marcus Malu started working with Harris as a freshman. After their second session together, Malu knew there was something special about Harris.

“I told him, ‘Man, I believe you’re going to be one of the best.’” Malu said. “I was saying this before the lights even came on.”

Alabama commit Najee Harris nice with the juke moves 🔥🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/BtDU545KJ2

— #BuiltByBama (@TideRecruits101) May 17, 2015

Before long, Harris was a household name among recruiters. The recruiting storm picked up on the summer-camp circuit after Harris’ freshman year — “You’re watching him in these drills,” Huffman said, “and you’re like, ‘Holy smokes!’” — and intensified after his 279-yard, four-score sophom*ore debut.

“That was when the whole Bay Area was kind of like, ‘Damn, who’s this Harris kid from Antioch?’” Dudley said.

“He just blew up.”

Tosh Lupoi, who recruited California for Alabama at the time, had come across Harris while recruiting Mixon. Lupoi missed on Mixon, who went to Oklahoma and now starts for the Cincinnati Bengals, but not Harris.

“You could tell he was a big kid that did some unique things, with some exceptional size and speed, even at that age,” Lupoi, now a defensive line coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, said, “but what really caught my attention was the work ethic behind it. … I always thought (Alabama) would be a great fit.”

When Harris committed to Alabama on an unofficial visit in the spring of 2015, it surprised everyone — even his mother, Tianna Hicks. Harris hoped the flood of texts and letters from recruiters would stop. (It did not stop. His mother saved every offer letter and eventually filled three garbage bags with them.) Harris, however, had not made a final decision. He said he would still consider other schools. So, for two years, high-profile coaches came to Antioch to make their pitches, all trying to pry Harris from Alabama’s clutch.

That brings us to the story of the first time Harbaugh met Harris.

It was January 2016, 10 months before the homecoming game, and Harbaugh had his feet propped on Rocha’s desk in the principal’s office. When Harris walked in, Harbaugh bolted upright and said, “You’re a beautiful young man!” Harris burst out laughing. Harbaugh and an assistant settled into a conference room with Harris, Rocha, Dudley and Antioch head coach John Lucido. Students peered through the window to see Harbaugh. Rocha shut the shades.

Harbaugh reached for a plastic container of red licorice on the table.

“All of a sudden, Jim Harbaugh picks up the lid and asks, ‘Is it all right if I have some licorice?’” Rocha recalled. “I said, ‘That’s what they’re there for, Coach.’ So, Jim grabs three or four of them and starts chomping on them. Then he slides the container over to Najee and says, ‘You like Red Ropes?’”

Harris took one, and the conversation carried on. Harbaugh asked about Harris’ family, his future, and how classes were going. Harbaugh grabbed a few more pieces of licorice.

“You like movies?” Harbaugh asked. He suggested Harris could come to Michigan and be a cinema major. He reached for the licorice again.

He talked a bit about Michigan, the academics, the opportunity, the running backs that had come through the program, and how the offense differed from Alabama’s. But there was an issue. They were running low on licorice.

“Holy sh*t, he damn near polished off the giant Costco-sized tin of Red Vines and about four Diet co*kes in like 30 minutes,” Dudley said, laughing. “It was like watching someone sharpen pencils. He was mowing through Red Vines. It was great.”

Harris liked Harbaugh. The Michigan coach was different, not nearly as buttoned-up and serious as Saban, and that approach had played well with Harris. As Harris later told the San Francisco Chronicle, “(Harbaugh) is dope. Everybody thinks he’s weird, but he’s not weird. I like him a lot. He’s a funny dude.”

At the end of that first meeting, the coaches passed around their business cards — all except for Harbaugh. Harris had to know why. “You’re the head coach, and you don’t have any cards?” Harris asked. Harbaugh said he was having them made. He pulled a prototype from his wallet and handed it to Harris. The front had Harbaugh’s name, title, and the Michigan and Jordan Brand logos.

Harbaugh told Harris to turn the card over. The back of the card was covered with small, square images — headshots of former Michigan players.

“All of those guys have played in the NFL,” Harbaugh said. “And I’m interested in getting your face on the back of that card.”

Harris grinned.

“I like that,” he said.

Harbaugh’s homecoming visit was no secret. It was Michigan’s bye week, and the Wolverines were 6-0 and ranked fourth. (Alabama was 6-0, ranked first.) Harbaugh’s West Coast recruiting swing had been telegraphed on social media and recruiting sites, and the former 49ers head coach had no problem leveraging his Bay Area popularity on a Friday night in Antioch.

The plan was for Harbaugh to phone Rocha, the principal, when he arrived at the homecoming game. Rocha had arranged for security to meet Harbaugh outside the football stadium, enter through a side gate and sneak him onto the home sideline before a crowd swallowed him.

Come homecoming night, however, Rocha’s phone didn’t ring. The Antioch principal waited for Harbaugh to call. He checked his phone and waited some more. Then, a half-hour before kickoff, stadium security radioed Rocha. They had eyes on Harbaugh. He was in line at the concession stand.

“What’s he doing?” Rocha asked.

“Well,” security replied, “looks like he’s buying a co*ke and a couple hot dogs.”

Once Harbaugh found his way to the sideline, Rocha handed him a welcome gift — a black hoodie and a black cap with the yellow Antioch logo on them — to thank Harbaugh for making the trip. It’s a gesture Rocha had made to coaches and recruiters many times before, but it had never played out like this. Harbaugh immediately took off his Michigan pullover and cap and put on the Antioch gear. He figured Harris would like the look.

Rocha asked a staff member to hold onto Harbaugh’s Michigan gear and return it to him after the game, but Harbaugh overheard him and interrupted, “You know what? There’s no need to do that. I’ll keep your stuff. You keep mine.”

Harbaugh’s pullover and Michigan cap still sit in Rocha’s closet.

Throughout the first half, as Harris raced for 53- and 51-yard touchdowns, ran in two two-point conversions and threw another, Harbaugh stepped toward the sideline and raised his arms, signaling a touchdown. He wasn’t permitted to speak to Harris, due to NCAA recruiting rules. (He’d already irked Saban and other college coaches by running a swarm of satellite camps that included a stop at Antioch, allowing Michigan’s staff to work directly with Harris.) He could, however, make his presence known. Harbaugh feigned anger when Harris’ scoop-and-score recovery on defense was called back by the officials.

Harbaugh was enjoying a night back in the Bay Area.

And then, late in the second quarter, the Michigan head coach was approached with an odd request. Some students had hatched an idea. They were begging Rocha to ask Harbaugh if he would be willing to announce the homecoming queen at halftime. Rocha knew it was unlikely, given that Harbaugh needed to tread carefully and not cross any recruiting guidelines, but he asked anyway.

Harbaugh turned to the Michigan assistant coach beside him.

“Hey, remember that bucket list I’ve been working on?”

“Sure,” the assistant said, playing along. “What should I check off?”

“Check off ‘homecoming queen announcement,’” Harbaugh said.

.@CoachJim4UM, in town to see 5-star RB Najee Harris, announces homecoming queen at Antioch High: pic.twitter.com/fZ9zoyuxXE

— Ron Kroichick (@ronkroichick) October 15, 2016

Video of the halftime announcement spread rapidly on social media. It’s quintessential Harbaugh — the delivery, the gum chomping, the giggle into the mic when the crowd erupted, and the fact he’d do it at all. But Harris and the rest of the Antioch team didn’t find out about Harbaugh’s involvement until much later, as they were in the locker room prepping for the second half.

“That went viral,” Harris told AL.com. “It was dope, bruh. I was like, oh, Harbaugh is the truth.”

“That’s just a little snippet of (Harbaugh’s) personality,” Dudley said. “Always thinking, What can I do to create a little buzz?”

With Harbaugh’s homecoming trip making headlines, Alabama coaches went to work. Lupoi and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin were in Antioch two weeks later. Unlike some other schools, Alabama wouldn’t promise immediate playing time — Damien Harris, Bo Scarbrough and Joshua Jacobs already were in the backfield — but it promised a chance to compete alongside and against the best college players in the country.

“Of course, like any major top recruit, you know he’s going to be recruited,” Lupoi said. “That’s the inevitable. … But knowing Najee’s mindset and ultimate goals and his competitive nature, that’s just ultimately what made me think he would be at Alabama in the end.”

Harris took five official visits that fall — to USC, UCLA, Alabama, Cal and then Michigan. Saban came to Antioch for an in-home visit two days before Harris flew to Detroit in mid-December. Saban arrived at the high school in a town car and stepped out wearing a blue blazer and a determined look.

“I could tell he was there to close the deal,” Rocha said.

The Alabama coach moved from the high school to Malu’s gym. “Having Nick Saban, having the G.O.A.T. in your place is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” Malu said. That night, Saban had dinner with Harris and his mother. He wanted everyone in Harris’ circle comfortable with him attending Alabama.

By then, Hicks and Malu were sold on Alabama, but Harris was still weighing the options. A few days later, in Ann Arbor, Mich., he woke up to snow. Harris walked outside in flip-flops and told his mom he was testing out his toes in the snow. “I’m like, ‘Dude, you’re not coming here!’” Hicks said with a laugh to AL.com.

The recruitment reached a fever pitch at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio. It was the first week of January in 2017. Harris had just graduated from Antioch, and he intended to start college classes the following week. He just hadn’t said where.

“That rubbed a lot of people the wrong way,” Dudley said. “They thought that Najee was trying to have this recruiting spectacle that he wanted this attention that he wanted stuff to be about him. That was the exact opposite of what was really happening. If Najee had his way, he would have played football, gone to class and never would have had to do a single interview or talk to any recruiters. He could have just done football. And that’s all he ever wanted to do.”

Harris refused to discuss recruiting all week. He said he’d just get on a flight the morning after the Army Bowl and show up at school. This sent the rumor mill spinning. A Michigan freshman football player posted a photo of a dorm-room keycard with Harris’ name on it. Harris’ brother Malachi tweeted that he wanted Harris at Michigan. Then Tua Tagovailoa, a fellow Alabama commit, told reporters that he and Harris had the same flight to Birmingham, Ala. “What flight?” Harris asked when approached by 247Sports. “I don’t even know my flight.” The truth, Harris explained later, is that he had multiple flights booked — one to Alabama, one to Michigan, and another to return to the Bay Area to talk it over further with his family.

His high-school coaches were in San Antonio. They had no clue which flight Harris would board.

So, the next morning, reporters headed to the Detroit and Birmingham, Ala., airports and awaited Harris’ arrival. Huffman, the recruiting insider, was driving from San Antonio to the Austin airport when he received a text from a source that Harris was headed to Birmingham. Huffman texted Harris, who responded when he landed: “I’m here at Alabama and going to ‘Bama.” And that was it. Alabama had locked in one of the greatest recruiting classes ever, and the Najee Harris recruiting rollercoaster was finally over.

All of this came back to Mendez recently.

Antioch’s 2016 homecoming queen said she had coworkers and friends texting her when Harris was drafted by the Steelers. She has photos and videos from homecoming on her phone, and she vividly remembers the aftermath. Her name was all over. She saw video of Harbaugh’s announcement all over social media and on TV. She was interviewed on the local news.

“It was insane,” Mendez said. “I felt famous for a few days, all thanks to Najee.”

That homecoming night still comes up in casual conversation all of the time. Mendez works in a sports-related field, and anytime Harris is mentioned, someone calls over to Mendez to tell the homecoming story again.

Mendez is still a 49ers fan at heart, like she was long before meeting Harbaugh, but her next purchase will be a No. 22 Steelers jersey to wear on Sundays.

(Top photo of Harris: Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)