Brandon Harris (born January 24, 1990) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

coach and former player who currently serves as the

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

s coach for UCF. He played as a

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

in the second round of the

2011 NFL draft The 2011 NFL draft was the 76th installment of the annual National Football League draft, NFL draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Rad ...

. He also played for the NFL's

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

and the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes, known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes, are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Coll ...

Early life

Harris attended Booker T. Washington High School. As a senior, he was the Florida

Gatorade Player of the Year The Gatorade Player of the Year awards are given annually to up and coming high school student-athletes in the United States. They are given for boys baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls cross country, boys football, boys and girl ...

after he recorded 49

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, five sacks, four

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

s, and two

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

as a cornerback and 26 receptions for 501 yards and eight touchdowns as a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

College career

As a freshman in 2008, Harris started six of 13 games for the Hurricanes at cornerback, recording 30 tackles, an interception, and a sack. As a sophomore in 2009 Harris recorded 55 tackles, two interceptions, and a sack. He was a first-team All- ACC selection, and earned second-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors from '' SI.com'', and third-team from the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. As a Junior in 2010, he was a second-team All-ACC selection after starting all 13 games, recording 44 tackles and an interception. He finished his career with 32 starts in 39 games, 129 tackles and three interceptions. After his junior season Harris announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the

Professional career

Houston Texans

Harris was taken with the 60th overall pick in the second round of the

by the

. Harris recorded 48 tackles, 38 solo, and 10 pass deflections during his four seasons at Houston. Houston would later release him on August 30, 2014, prior to the start of the 2014 season.

Tennessee Titans

The

claimed Harris off waivers on August 31, 2014. He re-signed with the Titans on March 27, 2015.

Miami Dolphins

The

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

signed Harris on July 31, 2016. On August 27, 2016, Harris was released by the Dolphins.

Toronto Argonauts

On May 11, 2017, Harris signed with the

of the

, and was a part of the

Grey Cup The Grey Cup () is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested between the winners ...

winning team.

Coaching career

Florida International

Florida Atlantic hired Harris as to be cornerbacks coach in 2021. Cornerback, Richard Dames Sr. was named All-Conference after the season.

Florida Atlantic

Florida Atlantic hired Harris as to be cornerbacks coach in 2022. New head coach Tom Herman retained Harris in 2023 and promoted him to co-defensive coordinator. In 2024, FAU's defense recorded 11 interceptions and two defensive touchdowns. FAU had at least one turnover in eight of its 12 games and was ranked among the top 40 teams in red zone defense. The Owls' defense held seven teams to 25 points or fewer in '24 season, including against the AAC Champion Army. True freshman defensive back CJ Heard was selected All-AAC selection and led FAU in tackles with 82. In 2023, Jarron Morris earned all-conference accolades, leading the team in tackles for loss, pass breakups, interceptions, and forced fumbles. FAU had the third fewest penalties in the country, with 41, and scored two defensive touchdowns. Harris helped build FAU's aggressive defense in his debut season in 2022, when the Owls tied for 12th nationally in defensive touchdowns and intercepted 12 passes. Harris became interim defensive coordinator in November 2024 after the dismissal of Roc Bellantoni.

Notes and references

External links

Miami Hurricanes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Brandon 1990 births Living people Booker T. Washington Senior High School (Miami, Florida) alumni Players of American football from Miami American football cornerbacks Miami Hurricanes football players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Tennessee Titans players Miami Dolphins players Toronto Argonauts players FIU Panthers football coaches Florida Atlantic Owls football coaches Florida State Seminoles football coaches Sports coaches from Miami Players of Canadian football from Miami Coaches of American football from Florida Canadian football defensive backs