Alabama or Georgia? Here’s the Scouting-related reason for my pick

Yes, you can be a successful student, top-tier athlete and Eagle Scout.

The latest in a lengthy list of examples: Jackson Harris, a junior tight end for the University of Georgia.

Georgia will face Alabama tonight in the college football championship. The game begins at 8 p.m. Eastern and airs on ESPN.

Harris is the only Eagle Scout on either team that we could find in the official database.

If you, like me, don’t have a connection to either school, this might be enough to sway you to cheer for the Georgia Bulldogs tonight.

I know it’s got me rooting for the team in red and black.

Who is Jackson Harris?

Jackson Harris is a stellar student and elite athlete.

He’s also an Eagle Scout, having earned Scouting’s highest honor as a member of Troop 103 of Columbia, Tenn., part of the Middle Tennessee Council.

Harris, now 20, earned Eagle in 2011 when he was 14.

Coming out of high school, 247Sports.com ranked Harris as a four-star prospect. They said he was one of the 200 best overall players and fifth-best tight end in the country.

And while his on-the-field numbers at Columbia Central High School were impressive (1,200 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in his senior season), so was this number: 4.0. That was Harris’ high school GPA.

Harris at the University of Georgia

At Georgia, Harris has appeared in almost every game. He’s been a positive influence on his teammates on the field, on the sidelines and in practice.

He appeared in 14 games in 2017, including a start against Appalachian State.

His academic success has continued in college. Coming into the 2017 season, Harris had the highest GPA among all juniors on the team.

Harris’ major is mechanical engineering, chosen because he loves seeing how things work.

He told the UGA website a story about taking a speaker apart when he was a kid.

“I … remember taking it apart and looking at it, just thinking it was the coolest thing ever,” he said. “I get done and I have to put it back together, but I didn’t know what I was doing. It’s still in my room now, in some drawer with a bunch of pieces everywhere.”

Next year will be Harris’ senior season.

Other Eagle Scouts in college football

What do Iowa State running back David Montgomery, LSU quarterback Danny Etling and BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum have in common?

All are Eagle Scouts.

Do you know of any other current college football players who are Eagle Scouts? Leave a comment below!


Hat tip: Thanks to the BSA’s Scott Olson, Ryan Larson and Jeff Laughlin for searching the Alabama and Georgia rosters for Eagle Scouts.


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.