Where did Najee Harris play college football? Steelers RB's playing career explored
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris has an incredible college football record to look back to. The Martinez, California native began his NFL journey in 2021 when the Steelers drafted him as the 24th overall pick.
During his debut season at Pittsburgh in 2021, Harris was named the team's starting running back. His rookie season saw him score fantastic numbers, recording 1,200 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Last season as well, Harris went on to record 1,038 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.
Right from his high school days, Najee Harris showcased his brilliance in the running back position. He was a five-star prospect in the 2017 recruiting class for college football. After receiving offers from top programs such as Michigan, Ohio State, USC and Notre Dame, Harris decided to commit to play for Nick Saban and his Alabama Crimson Tide in 2015.
Harris spent his first two seasons in Tuscaloosa as the backup choice to players like Damien Harris, Josh Jacobs and Bo Scarbrough. Despite this, he saw playing time in all 14 games of his debut season, as he went on to put up 370 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
It was also the season that Najee Harris won his first national championship with Alabama, as the Crimson Tide defeated the Georgia Bulldogs in the finals. During that game, Harris had 64 rushing yards for six carries, with the final scoreline reading 26-23.
When Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs left to play in the NFL in 2019, Nick Saban named Najee Harris the starting running back for the team. He recorded 1,224 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in his first season as a starter.
While there were many rumors that the running back would declare for the 2020 NFL draft, Harris decided to return to Alabama for his senior year of college football.
The best season with Alabama for Najee Harris
When he returned for his senior year in 2020, the running back had the best season of his college football career. Harris won his second national championship with Alabama, defeating Ohio State 52-24 in the final. He also finished fifth in Heisman voting that year.
Najee Harris' last season with Alabama saw him put up 1,466 rushing yards and 26 rushing touchdowns. Apart from this, he also won the Doak Walker Award and was crowned as the best running back in the nation.