The Tulane Green Wave football team has been active this offseason with their acquisitions in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail.
Head coach Jon Sumrall must fill one of the roster holes ahead of the college football season; starters on the offensive line from center to right tackle.
As Sumrall gives his best recruiting pitch to players, it’s often valuable to know what a coach’s mentality is when times are tough.
Sumrall has a team-wide response to adversity; good.
That mantra resonates well with the story of a new transfer offensive lineman who recently joined the team.
The Green Wave added Georgia Military College offensive lineman Ananian Harris on May 9, marking an incredible return from what he believed to be a career-ending injury he suffered last year.
As Anna Snyder of Tuscaloosa News reports, the Tuscaloosa, Ala., native thought his journey in college football was over back in October.
In his first season at Georgia Military College, Harris was executing a down block to the backside linebacker when he suffered a serious ankle injury. When Harris was hit, all of the tendons in his right ankle were crushed, and he had to undergo reconstructive surgery in October of 2024.
“That was a big setback, major comeback,” Harris said. “I’m glad I went through that phase. You have trials and tribulations. Not everything is smooth sailing. Me having that surgery showed that football can be taken away from you.”
Harris couldn’t get back on his feet for four months, but after a successful rehab and seven months after his surgery, he found a new home at Tulane.
He chose the Green Wave over offers including the Georgia State Panthers, Texas State Bobcats and Southern Miss Golden Eagles.
It took Harris about four months after surgery to get back on his feet, continuing his training with The Lab in Tuscaloosa, where he started training in 2020, through the whole process.
Harris spent two seasons at the JUCO, or junior college, level and thought that he was all but stuck there after his surgery, and doubt crept in. Then Tulane came calling.
“I’m thinking I was done,” Harris admitted. “Tulane came and gave me a shot. I was like, ‘I don’t want to miss this blessing.'”
His decision to go the junior college route was not an easy one, but it’s often the only path for those who don’t receive heavy recruiting attention out of high school for whatever reason.
They’re often overlooked, untapped gems that Sumrall has sought out, including FCS transfers.
“The JUCO world is no joke,” Harris said. “I had to put my head down. I had to grind. It’s not easy.”
The Green Wave wasn’t the first to offer him, but he committed two days after they did, citing a critical relationship with run game coordinator and offensive line coach Evan McKissack and the program’s track record of sustained success.
McKissack had his eyes on Harris out of high school and previously tried to recruit him to the Troy Trojans.
“It just showed me a lot; he was keeping up with me,” Harris said. “The program itself, it was a done deal.”
“I still have to work, still have to get to the top,” he continued. “But now I have a pavement. I have what it takes. And now I’ve got to keep on pushing and keep on working on, keep on grinding.”
Although Harris lacks FBS experience, his previous relationship with McKissack holds significant value.
McKissack is taking over from former offensive line coach Dan Roushar, who is currently with the Chicago Bears, but has already established himself by securing incoming transfers.
In the case of Harris, he landed a hungry one ready to bounce back from adversity.
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