I was doomscrolling through my phone during the Miami Hurricanes’ portion of interviews in the big room when I heard wide out Mike Harley Jr. mention keeping the locker room clean as one of the success factors in getting better. I was intrigued and made a beeline over to player interviews to learn more. Why? Because I once heard East Forsyth coach Todd Willert implore his freshmen on the first day of practice to “keep the locker room clean.” Harley explained that COVID has kept the different team units separate but now, the group is getting together finally for workouts.
He explained, “Now it’s like a houseful of kids – socks over here, shoes over here. So I do my best to tell guys to clean up because we can’t win championships if we can’t keep our locker room clean. It’s being on top of the little things, that’s all. I have a couple of freshmen by my locker. I show them first, and when I get done with workouts my locker is clean and I leave. If they leave their locker dirty, then I’ll tell ‘em. I set an example first, keeping my area clean.”
The big question on everyone’s lips today seems to be, well, any question about NIL. Because I want to fit in with the cool kids, I had my own. Namely, what national brand came to mind when NIL was given the green light?
“Harley-Davidson,” he said. He said the combination of his last name and the fact he was a fast wide receiver made it a logical brand for him. He also mentioned that football wasn’t his only skill.
“My dad and I are really close and growing up we built cars, RC cars and robots.”
Before I let anyone else talk to him, I had one last question for him. As a senior who has seen all aspects of the college experience, I took the time to ask him what advice he’d give a high school senior who is getting ready to start his college career.
“Do the little things right,” he said. “Take advantage of your off time- time management. Just trust the process. Never rush anything, because there is a reason why you’re there. Listen more instead of talking.”
After four years of big-time football and a stellar high school football career, I wondered if Harley still found the game fun. He smiled and simply said, “It’s still fun. It’s my last year here and I love it more than when I first got here.”
